Talkin' WILLIAM ... SHATNER ... IN: IMPULSE!

Greetings, Traxians!

Erik here, and a happy New RiffTrax Friday to you!

This one's an absolute doozy - a 1970's thriller starring William Shatner as a (spoiler alert!) serial-killing conman who sleazily sleazes his way from one victim to the next. Talk about playing against type!

Here's a bit of the synopsis:

One of the most infamous entries in Shatner’s packed-with-infamy career, Impulse has the good Captain play a serial-killing conman who seduces women in the most repulsive 1970's style. And we do mean “repulsive 1970's style.” Tank tops and bellbottoms, patterned shirt collars wider than the Pacific Ocean, Shatner wears it all. And somehow, against all odds, every woman he meets falls for it. Including a single mom whose young daughter is the only one in the movie who can see this guy is bad, like obviously bad, like so bad he leaves stains on the ugly brown 1970's sofa bad.

It’s a little upsetting watching him sleep his way through belly dancers, hotel clerks, and cigarette-y older ladies, but it’s all worth it when we meet the real star of the show: Karate Pete. Played by Harold Sakata, aka Oddjob from the world of James Bond, Karate Pete is always smoking a pipe, drives an RV with a banner that says “Karate Pete,” and never ever does any karate. He’s a true delight - and he was apparently almost killed during a stunt with Shatner! We won’t spoil what happens in that incredible scene, but suffice to say there’s an alternate timeline where William Shatner killed Oddjob during the making of the movie Impulse. Just something to think about.

Mike, Kevin and Bill turned the GoPro on after finishing their recording so they could deliver to you, dear Traxians, even more laughs. Think of them as bonus laughs!

Speaking of extras, we ran a TraxBox Challenge caption contest for Ultra Traxians this past week. Below is the still image selection and our swag box-winning favorite caption from Nathaniel L.:

"Cause... this is... Thrillah! Thrillah night! I'm.... fightingformylife against a... killer........... chiller... thriller... tonight!"

Enjoy this new release responsibly, and stay tuned for some pure uncut holiday madness in the weeks to come. The Christmas Shorts season is one of my personal favorites. Have a great weekend!

Yours in Shatner Impressions,

Erik