Movies Filmed on Staten Island: “Combat Shock”

“Combat Shock” is a cult classic film made in 1986 and distributed by the infamous Troma Entertainment.

Written, directed, and produced by Buddy Giovinazzo, and starring his brother Ricky Giovinazzo, it is the story of a Vietnam War veteran with Combat Fatigue, who comes back to Staten Island and cannot get a job to feed his young family — which leads to a traumatic, gory ending.

The ending is not the only reason this film has become a cult classic — it is really well done:

The film hooks you in with a riveting beginning in the jungles of Vietnam (actually Great Kills, Staten Island), with amazing sound track. And then you are thrust into a filthy apartment in Tompkinsville with main character Frankie Dunlan and wife, and child, who is messed up by the effects of Agent Orange. The wordplay between characters is very clever.

But you are in a decidedly dark movie as Frankie’s world goes down, and down, and down. And you can’t look away. His situation rips at your heart.

The end scene of the movie echoes Suicide’s “Frankie Teardrop” song. The baby character duels with Eraserhead for most memorable “what the fuck did I just watch” non-CGI character.

The movie — with cinematography by Stella Varveris — is also a time piece — putting you right back into 1980’s Staten Island, with train stations and streets filled with garbage and graffiti. In fact it is amazing to see and remember just how much garbage and graffiti littered the train stations back then.

A trip back into the 1980s is by itself is reason to watch the movie — but the Giovinazzo brothers’ tour-de-force is a classic for its gripping storyline that comes to life, realistic drug scenes, realistic war and torture scenes in Vietnam, reverberating soundtrack, and the graphic, memorable ending.

All wrapping into an amazing Anti-War movie — amazing movie of any genre.

Producer, Director, Actors

  • Writer: Buddy Giovinazzo
  • Producer: Buddy Giovinazzo
  • Director: Buddy Giovinazzo
  • Cinematographer: Stella Varveris
  • Actors:
    • Ricky Giovinazzo as Frankie Dunlan, the main character
    • Veronica Stork as Cathy Dunlan
    • Leo Lunney as Frankie’s Father
    • Mitch Maglio as Paco, the Gang Leader
    • Asaph Livni as Labo, a Gang Member
    • Nick Nasta as Morbe, a Gang Member
    • Michael Tierno as Mike a Junkie
    • Jim Cooney as the Interrogating GI
    • Yon Kong Lai as Vietnamese Interrogator
    • Arthur Sanders as a Pimp
    • Lori Labar as the Lead Prostitute
    • Ray Pinero as the Welfare Worker
    • Eddie Pepitone as Terry, a Strung-out Junkie
    • Martin Blank as a Doctor
    • Bob Mireau as a Security Guard
    • Tom Desantis as a man behind Frankie
    • Nancy Zawada as girl on motorcycle
    • Brendan Tesoriero as a weird guy
    • Buddy Giovinazzo as a Social Worker

Filmed When & Where

The movie was filmed in 1986 at the following locations:

  • Streets of Tompkinsville, Stapleton, Clifton, and St George, Staten Island
  • Old Dept of Labor building in St George, Staten Island
  • Stapleton Train Station, Staten Island
  • Tompkinsville Train Station, Staten Island
  • The old Bailey Seton Hospital in Clifton, Staten Island
  • Great Kills Park in Staten Island

More Info

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