Surf II is a 1984 American comedy film written and directed by Randall M. Badat and starring Eddie Deezen, Linda Kerridge, Eric Stoltz and Jeffrey Rogers.
Having been driven to revenge following a cruel practical joke gone awry, Menlo concocts an addictive chemical agent which turns its drinkers into mutated, garbage-ingesting zombie punks.
With the reluctant help of his girlfriend Sparkle and a pair of greedy, cigar-chomping soda businessmen, Menlo distributes the chemical under the guise of "Buzzz Cola", and one by one begins to build an army of brainless zombie slaves to do his bidding.
After several of their friends fall victim to Buzzz Cola, airheaded surfer dudes Chuck and Bob begin to piece together the parts of Menlo's evil scheme.
Finding no help from their spaced-out parents or the bumbling efforts of the local police force, the two enlist the services of their eccentric science teacher and vow to stop Menlo for good, or else they will not be able to compete in the big surf contest this weekend.
[6] According to Badat, he had suffered a surfing injury to his face which necessitated the use of heavy painkillers; it was during this period of being "whacked out of [his] gourd on Demerol" that he discussed the concept of a satirical beach party movie he described as "Frankie and Annette Go to Hell" with his writer friends, who encouraged him to develop it into a screenplay.
[7][9] Badat wrote the role of Menlo Schwartzer specifically for Eddie Deezen, having been a fan of his performance in Robert Zemeckis' 1978 film I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
[7][9] Eddie Deezen contributed several odd props used in the film himself, including a baseball cap with an absurdly elongated brim and an oversized pair of novelty scissors.
Namely, this included several new shots and scenes of nudity and gross out gags inserted into the film to capitalize on the growing sex comedy trend successfully set by Porky's the year before.
According to the cast and crew, a number of underage youths who were unable to get into the screening took their frustrations out on the building itself, tearing the theater's doors off the hinges and ultimately getting the film banned after one night.
[12] On April 17, 2009, the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles presented a 25th anniversary screening of Surf II hosted by the Alamo Drafthouse, with Badat, Braunstein, Deezen and first assistant director D. Scott Easton in attendance.
The Complete Guide to Punks on Film, offering a rave review of Surf II as the "greatest mohawked-zombie-comedy ever made", calling it "pure fun in the form of a movie, born at a short-lived moment in history where culture was low and damaged enough to sustain a comedy of this magnitude.
No joke is too easy or bizarre but the film manages to excel with countless deeply creative moments", while also praising the "career best" performance of Deezen and the "powerful comic work" of its ensemble cast.
wrote that "Surf II is every bit as dumb as it sounds but it's pretty much impossible not to have a good time", singling out the comic cast as its greatest strength, particularly the "zany enthusiasm" of Deezen and Isacksen.
[23] Inside Pulse rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it "great goofy fun", again complimenting the ensemble cast and noting that it was a perfect companion to such '80s comedies as Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Wild Life.