My Boyfriend’s Back (1993)

Director(s): Bob Balaban

Writer(s): Dean Lorey

Starring: Andrew Lowrey, Traci Lind

It’s time we tip our cap, raise our thumbs in the upright position and give all the flowers to a sub-genre of horror that doesn’t get nearly enough love as it should! The idea of a HORROR ROMANTIC COMEDY seems like an oxymoron to some, too many ideas crammed in one title to others, but to me, it’s a sub-genre that has brought so many good memories to a young horror fiend full of angst, hormones and yes, the occasional need for a splatter of blood. It’s a genre that doesn’t get enough attention because you can have horror flicks that are funny, then you have horror flicks with a romantic vibe but to have a horror flick where you have some fun humor and a good love story? Seems too much of a niche, right? I get that but I assure you there are some great gems in this wonderful genre and in that spirit, that is the reason why I’ll be gushing over these kinds of flicks in the next couple entries starting with the one that made the greatest impression on me as a young, macabre lad!

I must admit, when I first saw the cover for My Boyfriend’s Back at the video store, It seemed sort of goofy to me, but in a way where I wasn’t too interested. The cover I remember had a guy who clearly came out of his grave with a handful of flowers with a ridiculously gorgeous gal looking on from on top of his tombstone. The proposal was CLEAR, this was a romantic comedy that had something to do with the living dead and since I was knee deep in my usual horror flicks filled with scares, monsters, blood, kills, etc., a film like that would never reach my VCR…cut to me eventually renting the flick (my curiosity shall always fall to false pride).

The plot is simple enough with our main character Johnny (Lowrey) being desperately in love ridiculously beautiful Missy (Lind). Things of course don’t work out for Johnny (per usual with underdog types) and he is killed during a robbery but is brought back to life with the power of LOVE, or at least the prospect of love from Missy. Throw in some bullies (played by some notable actors to which I’ll get into later), some town folks who are prejudiced against the dead (I guess?), plenty of zany situations involving body decomposition, some misunderstandings resulting in bloody fun, PROM (of course) you got yourself a movie. Here’s the kicker though; the movie is absolutely BRILLIANT on all fronts. Let’s break down each facet of the sub-genre to really hit the point home:

Horror: The movie brings plenty of the macabre tone with Johnny’s body constantly decomposing as the movie goes on and although they were used for some fun gags, the makeup was decent enough so that you get a vibe of horror influence from past gems. There were some misunderstandings that lead to our lead zombie eating human flesh/body parts and you’d think they’d hold back the blood and imagery because of the genre and target audience (teens I guess?) but no, there is enough of the red stuff and dismembered (or chewed up) body parts to not question the horror legitimacy of this flick. Are there legit scares here? NOPE but who cares? Plenty of horror flicks that don’t have those spooky moments but the question to ask is are we entertained with this presentation of the macabre? Why yes we are, so horror it definitely is according to this fan.

Romantic: Here was the most surprising part for me personally; I did not expect to get sucked into the romantic part of this movie. I was pretty sure if the movie had some entertaining zombie scenes and enough humor, I’d give this flick two thumbs up but man, the chemistry between Johnny and Missy was shockingly good. I remember thinking throughout the flick that I really wanted Johnny to end up with Missy because they had to go through what seemed like endless hurdles for a flick that was only 85 minutes. First Johnny had to win over Missy, then deal with bullies, then deal with the locals (including Missy’s sheriff father) all while dealing with the elephant in the room of wanting to EAT HUMANS to survive. The elements of overcoming prejudice while trying to keep himself alive just enough to win over Missy while also testing his limits by not wanting to eat Missy herself makes you feel for this couple. By the time you get to the prom scene (no spoilers here but come on, you know there had to be a prom scene), I was rooting for these two to live a happily ever after. So yes, the romance was ON POINT for this flick on all cylinders and without getting too much into it, there are a couple scenes where I wouldn’t be surprised if the strings of your hearts are tugged on a bit and perhaps you find yourself with some moisture falling from the edge of your eyes to your cheeks…or something like that.

Comedy: Alright, let’s talk about who is in this flick! I’ve gushed enough how good the chemistry was between Andrew Lowrey and Traci Lind as the main leads so just assume if the romance was good, then yes, there was good comedy between them as well during their journey to romance (well, duh). However, let’s give some KUDOS to some of the actors who nailed their parts for this type of flick to make it entertainingly humorous. There are a surprisingly amount of folks in this cast, whether it be big or small parts that made quite the dent in Hollywood and were SOLID as comic relief! First, let’s give it up to the nerdy best friend played by Danny Zorn (of IQ and Blast from the Past fame) who was as stereotypically geeky as he was supportive. You then have some famous fathers starting with Johnny’s played by Edward Herrmann (of LOST BOYS fame) and Jay O. Sanders (Day after Tomorrow, Kiss the Girls). Next, you got the bullies; played by brilliantly by Matthew Fox (LOST…for real, the lead for LOST) and…wait for it, Phillip Seymour F*CKING Hoffman (no need to list out his credentials, you should know him) who is arguably the funniest character in the whole damn movie with one of the most memorable macabre scenes. Last, we must give you some future trivia tidbits now since although it was a cameo, this flick was Matthew McConaughey’s first film!

So, there you have it, not only does the flick deliver on its sub-genre title but it does it with the kind of grace that makes it a gem in the horror universe. I loved this movie as a kid, appreciated/understood it more as a teenager and now adore as an adult. I now leave you with one last gift; the song Hanging on for Dear Life by the Mickey Mouse Club (for real) and sung by Jennifer Mcgill which was featured throughout the movie and played during the PROM scene is to me, pure perfection and is arguably one of the best things about the movie itself.

Give it a listen HERE and perhaps grab your significant other and have a dance…

Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.