John De Bello, born in the 1940s, is a unique figure in cult cinema, known for his work on the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! series. He not only wrote and directed the original 1978 film but also took on acting roles in both Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! and its sequel, Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988). His contributions extend to Killer Tomatoes Strike Back! (1991), where he continued to explore the absurdity of the franchise. De Bello's blend of humor and horror has solidified his status within the realm of exploitation cinema.
Killer Tomatoes Strike Back!
Police assistant Lance Boyle is a childish detective who is lumbered with worthless police cases. However, after several murders in a nearby wood that concern Killer Tomatoes, Lance finds himself working alongside Kennedy Johnson, a Tomatologist, to solve the murders. Nearby, Professor Mortimer Gangreen (John Astin) has begun using subliminal mind control on his talk show, disguised as talk show host Jeronahew. After kidnapping members of the Press and Media, Gangreen and his assistant Igor plot to use his brainwashed Press members, as well as the Subliminal Mind control, to overpower the human race and make the world a planet run by himself and his killer tomatoes. Following countless killer tomatoes attacks, Lance and Kennedy finally reach Gangreen's hideout, where they must pit themselves against killer tomatoes, brainwashed newsreaders and a giant Bacon, Lettuce and Human sandwich, of which Kennedy may be a part. With help from FT, (Fuzzy Tomato, from Return of the Killer Tomatoes) Lance rescues Kennedy and Gangreen is defeated, left at the mercy of the hungry killer tomatoes.
