Impulse (1984) - Graham Baker

Jennifer grew up in the small town of Sutcliffe before escaping to the big city where she is practicing to be a professional dancer.  One day she receives a phone call from her mother, but while they've always had a cordial relationship, her mother berates her with the call coming to a horrible conclusion.   With her boyfriend Stuart in tow, Jennifer races home only to discover that the boundaries between civility and anarchy have evaporated completely.  Graham Baker's Impulse is a fun, bleak horror film in which a toxic chemical leaks into the small town's milk supply leading everyone to act out their most primitive impulses.  One of Impulse's best attributes is its pacing, with the film slowly and methodically escalating towards all out anarchy  In that regard, for much of its running time Impulse plays more like mystery, giving very little information as too what is behind this catastrophe.  The viewer is right there with Jennifer, completely confused as too what is going on.  Impulse is subtle as well, suggesting this slight loss of conscience or civility among the town's people early on but nothing compared to some of the more disturbing sequences which take place towards the end of the film.  Very cynical about human nature, Impulse suggests that nearly everyone's compulsory actions are negative and/or violent.  We witness a sheriff opening fire on young delinquents, a doctor suffocating a nagging patient, and sexual norms being thrown completely out the window.  This being said, the film is not very violent or very explicit, opting instead to rely on brooding atmosphere which serves the film well given its mystery tropes.   Impulse is one of those forgotten science fiction films that is oddly transfixing and certainly worth a look for anyone who is a fan of cynical post-apocalyptic type fare.
7.5/10

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