Entertainment
The 90s Thriller That Turns Sitcom Fandom Into Madness
By Robert Scucci
| Published
The word “vibe” has been grossly misappropriated in the year 2026, often referring to background noise people throw on to generate comfort by ignoring their own intrusive thoughts. Spotify playlists are jam-packed with AI-generated music for the vibe. Less-than-memorable found footage horror movies offer more vibe than substance. When I talk about vibe, I’m usually referring to the stylistic choices made in films like 1992’s Star Time, what I would call a total vibe piece.
Make no mistake, because Star Time’s vibe is baked directly into its premise. It’s kaleidoscopic, feverish, and visually enthralling despite its shoestring budget. Every shot feels deliberate, and it’s not something you throw on in the background while folding laundry or doom scrolling. The ever-present vibe in Star Time is existential dread, seen through the eyes of a man spiraling into a psychotic break after his favorite TV show gets canceled.
Henry’s Murderous Delusions
Star Time introduces us to Henry Pinkle (Michael St. Gerard), a mentally unstable Los Angeles nobody who only finds comfort in his favorite sitcom, The Robertson Family. When the show gets canceled, he decides to cancel his own life as well, resolving to jump off a bridge and fade to black before his own credits roll. At the last moment before taking the plunge, he’s approached by a man named Sam Bones (John P. Ryan), who claims to be the TV producer and manager who will make him a star.
Meanwhile, Henry’s social worker, Wendy (Maureen Teefy), receives a videotape Henry recorded before his suicide attempt, informing her that he will no longer require her services.
Sam brings Henry to a TV studio, where he becomes fixated on a wall of televisions. A woman’s voice tells him to follow his destiny before Sam provides him with a hatchet and an expressionless baby mask. His big “debut” involves breaking into a house and murdering its owner, a sign of what’s to come.
Fully convinced he’s starring in his own slasher, Henry begins his rampage. Wendy realizes he’s still alive after learning that Sam prevented him from jumping off the bridge. Convinced his actions will allow him to become a saint, Henry arranges to meet Wendy so he can introduce her to Sam, who Wendy quickly realizes is a psychotic delusion that only he can see. By the time she understands what Henry is getting himself into, he’s so far gone that there’s nothing she can do to bring him back to reality.
It’s A Total Vibe Piece
While Star Time tells a harrowing story through its screenplay, writer-director Alexander Cassini elevates it with the help of cinematographer Fernando Arguelles through the film’s visuals. I’m not talking about elaborate special or practical effects. It’s the high-contrast lighting, claustrophobic closeups, abrasive sound design, and Henry’s sinister facial expressions that do the heavy lifting. It plays out like a slasher through its second and third acts, but that’s not where its main appeal lies.
The reason I got sucked into Star Time is because it feels like a nightmarish, out-of-body experience that forces me to inhabit Henry Pinkle’s fractured mindset. Sometimes all you need is a wall of televisions filled with disturbing images to make your skin crawl, and Star Time delivers at unwholesome levels that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand straight up.
Whenever I call something a vibe piece, films like Star Time check every box. This isn’t a movie you idly watch. You sit on the floor three feet away from the TV without distractions because that’s the energy it brings. Star Time is about a man’s disturbing relationship with television sending him down a horrifying path of exploitation and homicide. If that’s the kind of vibe you’re looking for, you can stream it on Tubi for free as of this writing.