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Surf II is a 1984 American comedy film written and directed by Randall M. Badat and starring Eddie Deezen, Linda Kerridge, Eric Stoltz, Lyle Waggoner, Carol Wayne and Jeffrey Rogers. The plot follows two dim-witted surfers attempting to thwart the plans of a mad scientist attempting to rid the beaches of surfers by turning them into zombie punk subculture through chemically altered soda pop.
A parody of 1960s-style beach party films, Surf II mixes elements of the science fiction, horror film, surf film and sex comedy genres, featuring a prominent soundtrack comprising both classic surf music and contemporary new wave. Although the film was received negatively by critics upon release, it has since been positively reappraised in cult film circles. In 2021, Vinegar Syndrome released a 2k restoration of the film on Blu-ray.
Despite the title's implication, Surf II is not a sequel and there was never a Surf I. The film was marketed with a number of subheadings, the most common of which was the tongue-in-cheek Surf II: The End of the Trilogy.
Deep in his secret underwater laboratory, teenage mad scientist Menlo Schwartzer plots to rid the beaches of his greatest enemies: surfers. 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.
Director and screenwriter Randall Badat conceived the idea for Surf II while he was living in Venice, California during the early 1980s, drawing inspiration from stories about the colorful punk subculture characters in his local surf scene and by incidents of contaminated water and chemical spills in the area. The Stupidest Movie Ever Made: Drinking the Drink of Surf II (2021) 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 Avalon and Annette Go to Hell" with his writer friends, who encouraged him to develop it into a screenplay. Badat wrote the first draft of the screenplay over the course of two days. Originally titled Surf Death: The Movie, the film was originally envisioned as "darker and more sinister", which Badat likened to a Russ Meyer film or "an '80s punk version of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".
After completing the screenplay, Badat's agent dismissed it as "the worst piece of shit he'd ever seen". Undeterred, Badat continued to shop the script around until it eventually caught the attention of independent film producers George Braunstein and Ron Hamady, who helped put together financing and eventually sold the project to production company Arista Films at the Cannes Film Festival. At this point, the film's title - which had been changed to Surf Trash - was again changed to Surf II, which Badat claims was a sarcastic extension on the trend of films featuring the subheading "The Movie".Badat, Randall. Surf II Director's Commentary, Vinegar Syndrome (2021) Arista had planned to film Surf II in 3-D; though several pre-production posters were made carrying the title Surf II 3-D, the idea was eventually scrapped after it was proven to be financially infeasible.
Many of the film's comic actors - in particular Peter Isacksen, Biff Manard and Morgan Paull - were allowed to improvisation much of their lines. 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.
Following its completion, Surf II was continually rejected for studio distribution, ultimately forcing a re-edit of the film. 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. Badat was upset and even embarrassed by these changes, in particular the shots of gratuitous nudity: in a 2010 interview, he noted "those shots don't even match the rest of the film if you look at the cinematography". In 2021, distribution company Vinegar Syndrome would release a "director's cut" of Surf II running approximately 10 minutes longer than the theatrical cut, restoring Badat's original vision for the film.
Surf II was released theatrically in North America on January 13, 1984. It was marketed with the title Surf II: The End of the Trilogy, though later promotions re-titled the film Surf II: The Nerds Strike Back, following the success of Revenge of the Nerds, which was released later that summer. The film screened in Europe in the fall of 1984, retitled in Spain as Locura de playa (roughly translated as " Beach Madness").
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.
In July 2021, cult film distribution company Vinegar Syndrome released a two-disc Blu-ray edition of Surf II, featuring a 2K restoration of the original theatrical cut along with a 100-minute director's cut, an hour-long documentary on the making of the film and audio commentaries from Badat and Deezen.
Professional contemporary reviews have fared equally as poorly. Allmovie, though having rated Surf II one star out of five, noted that the film is "never dull" and "deranged enough to be memorable", giving praise to the performances of the ensemble cast and summarizing, " Surf II's unbalanced mix of amateurishness and gonzo humor will confound most viewers, but fans of B-movie weirdness will find more than enough memorable moments to keep themselves entertained".
Randall Badat himself has spoken about the negative reaction to Surf II and how it extended beyond film critics: "The target audience loved it. Their parents hated it. My family hated it. People that I was doing other business with hated it. I remember going to meetings and people would find out that I'd done this movie and that was it". He has also expressed an overall disappointment with the film, remarking "If there's anything I would have done differently... I'd have done everything differently", though ultimately admitting "I guess it's pretty funny.... I'm amazed at how well the film still plays, and I guess it works overall".
Following the film's Blu-ray release in 2021, Surf II was again rediscovered and re-appraised by cult film critics and audiences. Rock! Shock! Pop! 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. 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. Horror Society described the film as "a lot of fun", praising the film's "bat shit crazy" sensibilities and even lamenting the fact that there wasn't a Surf I, noting "I would love to have more of this zany story". DVD Drive-In was a bit more indifferent, writing that "the comedy is never quite punchy" and feeling most of the ensemble cast was squandered, though ultimately believed the film was "naughtier and funnier" than similarly beach-themed '80s films like Back to the Beach.
New wave band Oingo Boingo wrote the song "Hold Me Back" for Surf II, and has never been officially released outside of the movie's soundtrack.
The following is a list of songs which appear in Surf II:
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