Chopping Mall: The Novelization
by Brian G Berry
Chopping Mall: The Novelization book cover
Author Brian G Berry (from X)
Protector Bot
Corman great and character actor Dick Miller as Walter Paisley
Big thanks to Encyclopocalypse Publications and BookSirens for allowing me to read an early copy of their latest release in their novelization series Chopping Mall: The Novelization. I was also able to preview the novelization of Plan 9 from Outer Space by Brett Nelson, and I really enjoyed the book. Furthermore, this is the third book from Encyclopocalypse Publications I’ve read, and they have all been fun, high quality reads. The movie Chopping Mall is an underrated 80’s techno-horror film, kinding operating as the antithesis of Short Circuit and building on the fears stoked by such films as Terminator. Although released before Robocop, I felt like the movie has some similarities with Chopping Mall as well since it presents a kind of corporate surveillance state where mindless commercialism and consumerism are intertwined with military technological surveillance and control. Maybe I’m looking too much into the subtext of the film since it’s also a fun and silly movie with some crazy kills and over-the-top gore and roboviolence. I feel like many people don’t know too much about this film, and I was glad to find out more as I researched it. I learned that the film has its DNA in Roger Corman’s productions, which is interesting since one of the couples who stays to party at the mall after closing watches Attack of the Crab Monsters and another character reads a book of short stories that features the basis for another Corman production Death Race 2000 (which also features Mary Woronov, who also has a cameo in this film). One of the stores in the film is also named after Corman’s Little Shop of Horrors and there are posters of Corman films throughout some of the stores. One of the great things about the book is that Berry includes many of these references throughout the novelization, but he also seems to add to some of the detaisl. For example, the janitor, played by the great character actor and Corman star Dick Miller, is, I think, the third person to die in the film. Berry names his colleagues Dick and Miller and kills them off too. I don’t remember their deaths in the film. There were a few other deaths in the novelization that I didn’t remember in the film—it’s been a while since I’ve seen it, and so I didn’t remember if Leslie’s dad was killed by one of the Protector bots—he was in the novelization, trying to spy on Leslie and Mike. Berry also adds some backstory to some of the characters that was entertaining. I loved his descriptions and background about Mike Brennan, explaining his interest in gum chewing that the film doesn’t really bother with. The novelization also has Paul and Mary returning to the mall to do something nefarious with their restaurant, not only a reference to the cameos from Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov, but also a reference to their film Eating Raoul. I loved these little nuggets including the reference to the sporting goods store as Peckinpah’s, which apparently was in the movie as well. I also found it interesting that a mall would have a sporting goods store with guns and other weapons, but this was also a major plot point for Dawn of the Dead so maybe that was something that happened more frequently in the 70s and 80s. The novelization stays true to the film, but in addition to the characterization, I also loved the epilogue. It was a cool twist, that I won’t end here, but it makes the protector robots more nefarious and part of a bigger plot. It also kind of opens the door for future movies or books about this robot program. I’m not sure if that will happen, but this was one of the great additions from the novelization. Beyond the epilogue, Berry’s writing also contributes to creating a fun read for fans of splatter and gore. The robot kills are described in graphic and creative ways. It’s over-the-top, but also kind of provides an imagistic description of what happens on the screen. If anything, his descriptions of the laser violence heightens the gore and splatter, adding a new dimension to this techno-horror gem. I found that Berry is a prolific author, so I will have to check out more of his works. I will definitely look for more Encyclopocalypse Publications. I really appreciate the preview copy, and I loved seeing the film stills and posters from the movie. I didn’t realize that the film had a previous title, Killbots, and was changed after it was unpopular at the time. I definitely think that Chopping Mall is a much better title and not only adds to the anti-capitalist message with other films like Dawn of the Dead and Carpenter’s They Live!, which would follow in a few years. The only thing I wish this book had was another introduction or preface by another author who also loves this film. Plan 9 had a great intro from Dana Gould explaining his love of the film and providing some context. I was hoping for a similar introduction to give some additional context to this film and the novelization. Hopefully, other books in the series will continue this tradition. Regardless, the book is still a fun and entertaining read, whether you’ve seen the film or not.
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