The Tall Grass Country Club is a gorgeous piece of heaven on Earth, but just like Amity, once a major tourist event starts happening, it doesn't matter how many dead bodies show up. Things will proceed according to schedule. Except that instead of a great white, Tall Grass is dealing with, well, a possessed lawnmower.

I got past the Troma logo at the beginning - their cityscape and jingle have made me rage quit many a film - and am glad I did. Blades is an adorable film if your definition of adorable means that people are repeatedly torn to shreds by landscaping equipment gone wrong.

This is the kind of movie that can get away with the tagline "Just when you thought it was safe to putt." And the closing credits set up a sequel that never came: Hedges. "Just when you thought it was safe to trim."

Blades was written by the same man who wrote and directed Girl School Screamers, John P. Finnegan. That should give you a little fair warning of what you're in for.

A vicious predatory sentient lawnmower terrorizes a golf course. Easygoing owner Norman Osgood (a likable portrayal by William Towner) encourages washed-up alcoholic new pro Roy Kent (a solid performance by Robert North) to take care of the situation as quickly and quietly as possible.

Director Thomas R. Rondilla, who also co-wrote the blithely absurd script with William R. Pace, relates the enjoyably loopy premise at a snappy pace, makes the most out of the sprawling golf course location, maintains a deliciously deadpan tone throughout, presents a neat assortment of colorful eccentric characters, delivers a generous sprinkling of outrageous gore, and even generates a good deal of genuine tension in the last third. Moreover, it's acted with zest by a game no-name cast: Jeremy Whelan as the obsessive and vindictive Deke Slade, Victoria Scott as eager rival pro Kelly Lange, Holly Stevenson as the horny and flirtatious Bea Osgood, Peter Wray as excitable groundskeeper Lyle, Charlie Quinn as doltish police chief Charlie Kimmel, and Bruce Katlin as a jolly whistling morgue attendant. James Hayman's surprisingly polished cinematography boasts lots of nifty lawnmower POV shots. John Hodian's spirited shivery score hits the stirring spot. A real quirky hoot.

In the exclusive, fancy and uptight Tall Grass golf club, bloody leftovers of nightly intruders as well as of loyal club members are found barbarically hacked up. This means bad publicity for the upcoming golf tournament, so resort owner Osgood is quite relieved when the angry mob captures former caretaker Deke Slade as the maniacal culprit. However, resident golf instructors Roy and Kelly correctly assume something much larger, diabolical and superhuman is on a rampage here.

All I ever read about this late 80s horror comedy is that it's a re-enactment of Spielberg's ultimate summer classic "Jaws". And that's true, of course. The parallel sequences, loving tributes and unsubtle references are unmistakably there. What you almost never read, though, is that "Blades" also parodies a large number of other classic cult movies. The uncontrollable murderous device is a machine with a will of its own, which automatically reminds me of "The Terminator". The setting, the cast of characters and many of the situational humor also almost makes it feel like a "Caddyshack" sequel. And a better one than the official "Caddyshack II", for that matter. There's even a guy with a hokey mask named Jason, so you certainly can't claim the writers of "Blades" don't know their landmarks.

Maybe because the film was distributed by the questionable Troma studios, maybe because there already was an overload of low-budget slashers throughout the late 80s, or maybe just because of bad luck; but I personally feel that "Blades" is an underrated horror comedy. It's cheesy and badly acted, for sure, but the concept is really fresh and inventive. Numerous sequences are also downright hilarious, like the redneck mob setting out a manhunt, or Deke's emotional flashback speech. Only the gore should have been slightly more outrageous, perhaps.