Hero and the Terror (1988) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - August 25, 1988

While Hero and the Terror (1988) may not have been as enthusiastic in its use of slasher film tropes and set pieces as Silent Rage (1982), the film nonetheless gave star Chuck Norris a second round with a threatening boogeyman of a serial killer.

There are a few interesting pieces of trivia that further sync it with the overall vibe of this blog. One is that it was based on a novel of the same name by actor-writer Michael Blodgett. I knew Blodgett best for his flamboyant turn in Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) and his titular role in one of the better Night Gallery segments, The Dead Man. He also starred in The Velvet Vampire, which I have yet to see.

But I have seen two other movies that Blodgett had a writing credit on. One was the Burt Reynolds/Liza Minelli action-romance Rent-A-Cop, the other was an early Tom Hanks action-comedy called Turner and Hooch.

Blodgett's writing partner on all three films was Dennis Shryack. A familiar name to me because, with Michael Butler, Shryack had written the scripts for The Car (1977), The Gauntlet (1977), Flashpoint (1984), Code of Silence (1985), and Pale Rider (1985).

I think Hero and the Terror was one of the better, if not one of the best, movies that Norris made with Cannon. While it has dramatic and storyline weaknesses that prevent(ed) it from becoming a beloved cult classic along with the Missing in Action trilogy or the campy as hell Invasion U.S.A. The movie really deserves a little attention and love thrown its way.