I don't even have the words to describe this movie. Other than weird. So very, very weird.You guys know who Danny Elfman is, yeah? Composer extraordinaire, has worked on pretty much every Tim Burton movie, plus about 100 other things? Did you know that he was also the frontman for 80's rock group Oingo Boingo? Because I didn't. Well, he also did the music and appears in this movie, Forbidden Zone, as Satan.
Frenchy (Marie-Pascale Elfman) is just a regular teen who skips school one day to investigate the mysterious door in her basement that leads to an alternate dimension. The king (Herve Villechaize) immediately falls in love with her, causing the queen (Susan Tyrell) to become irrationally jealous. Frenchy's brother (Phil Gordon) sets off through the door to rescue her.
Filmed in black and white with a mix of live action and animation, there's no denying Forbidden Zone is imaginative. As a straight art piece, it's an interesting foray into a creative mind. As a movie, it's damn near too weird to exist. Every scene set in "school" was too bizarre for words, the characters are insane, the plot makes no sense, and the acting is godawful for the most part.
This was Richard Elfman's directorial debut, and he enlisted brother Danny and wife Marie to help him out with it. Both male Elfmans went on to have successful careers in the industry, but this movie is proof that everyone starts somewhere. I cannot in good conscience recommend it for light watching, but if you really want to see the genesis of a career, give it a shot.
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