Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) movie poster

Plot Summary

Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language
1988 · 98 min · English
Loading streaming availability…
Directed by
John De Bello
Starring
George Clooney, John Astin, Anthony Starke, J. Stephen Peace, Charlie Jones, Frank Davis

A mad scientist's experiment goes horribly wrong, unleashing a new wave of killer tomatoes upon the world. This comedic sequel to the original cult classic follows the tomatoes as they wreak havoc and terrorize unsuspecting victims. Chaos and destruction ensue as humanity struggles to combat the deadly vegetables and Dr. Gangrene's sinister plan unfolds.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 What happens: full plot
  3. 3 Plot questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Return of the Killer Tomatoes!
  6. 6 Every angle
Loading streaming availability…

Full plot summary · contains spoilers

What Happens in Return of the Killer Tomatoes!: Full Plot Summary

The whole story of Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) explained, from the opening scene to the final frame: every key event, every twist and what it all adds up to. Read it as a quick recap before the sequel, to check a scene you missed, or to finally understand what really happened.

As the world tries to move on from the Great Tomato War, Wilbur Finletter, celebrated for his brave actions in defeating the insidious forces of killer tomatoes, has turned his newfound fame into a thriving business called Finletter's Pizzeria. This popular establishment serves delicious pizzas, ensuring none of those feared tomatoes make their way into the recipes. Helping him run the pizzeria is his nephew Chad Finletter, who lives with Matt Stevens, a charming ladies' man.

But not everyone is ready to put the past behind them. The villainous Professor Mortimer Gangreen, the mastermind behind the previous chaos of the Great Tomato War, is busy plotting a new scheme. With the help of his loyal sidekick Igor, he devises a nefarious plan to create a new wave of tomato terror. Gangreen is still haunted by his defeat, which was largely due to the terrible song "Puberty Love," and this time, he has an ingenious idea: harnessing the power of music to empower his tomatoes.

By constructing a bizarre device that submerges regular tomatoes in toxic waste before placing them into a transformation chamber paired with a jukebox, Gangreen discovers that he can transform tomatoes into various forms depending on the tune being played. For instance, Michael Jackson’s tracks can produce lookalike clones of the King of Pop, while the Miami Vice theme might give rise to replicas of Don Johnson. Music that is seductive can turn tomatoes into stunning beauties, while rock—his personal favorite—creates an army of tomato soldiers ready to obey his command.

With this new weapon, Gangreen plans to rescue his imprisoned ally Jim Richardson and install him as the President of the United States. To boost his efforts, he invents a captivating female replica named Tara—at first, she serves him loyally. However, as Tara grows disillusioned with Gangreen's cruel treatment of a mutated tomato she nicknames FT (Fuzzy Tomato), she ultimately decides to flee to Finletter’s Pizzeria, where a romantic connection with Chad begins to blossom.

As the story progresses, a pressing financial crisis looms over the production. Characters break the fourth wall, engaging with the audience directly in a desperate attempt to attract funding by promoting various products. One of the suggestions is thrown out by Matt Stevens, who proposes using product placement, leading to humorous and wild demonstrations of consumer goods as they navigate their adventures.

Eventually, Tara makes her home with Chad and Matt, but Igor remains on the hunt. The story takes a turn when Chad, driven by curiosity, follows Igor's trail to Dr. Gangreen’s lair, where he witnesses the bizarre sight of a tomato being transformed into a human. This unsettling discovery sends both Chad and Tara into a panic, and Tara soon finds herself captured by Igor and returned to her sinister creator.

Determined, Chad becomes convinced that a seemingly ordinary tomato he's acquired from the underworld actually holds the spirit of Tara. Meanwhile, Matt seizes the opportunity, persuading Chad to utilize Gangreen's machinery to restore his beloved. Their experiments result in a variety of unexpected creations, including visions of alluring women that catch Matt's interest, yet their ultimate goal—rescuing Tara—remains just out of reach.

In response to their meddling, Dr. Gangreen retaliates by imprisoning Chad and Matt in his dungeon, where they discover Tara, who has so far managed to evade harm. As the three plot their escape, FT messages Wilbur, calling for the heroics he displayed in the first adventure to help save them once more.

As the final showdown approaches, Dr. Gangreen plans to use his transformation chamber with a countdown that threatens to turn Chad and Matt into tomatoes. With Tara still in his clutches, he seeks to execute his villainous blueprints for world domination. Just as hope seems lost, Wilbur and his team arrive, successfully thwarting Gangreen's grim intentions and freeing Chad and Matt from their tomato-bound fate.

The ensuing battle is fierce, with Dr. Gangreen unleashing an army of transformed tomatoes equipped with weaponry, culminating in an intense standoff where Tara is threatened with a gas chamber and only rescued at the last moment by Chad and Matt. Unfortunately, exposure to the gas changes her forever as she retains her human form but is now permanently altered. The townsfolk celebrate their victorious battle against Dr. Gangreen, with FT hailed as a hero for his noble act of sacrifice to save everyone.

In a heartwarming conclusion, Chad and his newly humanized Tara ride off into the sunset, with Wilbur giving his blessing, while Matt revels in the aftermath, surrounded by an array of beauties—all made possible by the demise of the tomato menace and the whimsical adventures they’ve shared.

As the curtain closes on this chapter, a post-credits scene teases a new threat with an army of mutated carrot soldiers, setting the stage for potential chaos yet again.

Last updated: November 17, 2024 at 19:46

Was this helpful?

Plot questions answered

Return of the Killer Tomatoes! Plot Explained: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask most about Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988): what happens in the confusing scenes, why the characters do what they do, the twists, hidden details and what the ending means. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

How does Professor Gangreen's tomato transformation device work?

Gangreen builds a device that submerges tomatoes in toxic waste before placing them in a transformation chamber connected to a jukebox. The music played through the jukebox determines what form the tomatoes take, Michael Jackson's songs create clones of him, the Miami Vice theme produces Don Johnson lookalikes, seductive music turns tomatoes into beautiful women, and rock music creates soldiers. This technology forms the basis of his plan to take over the world.

  • transformation device
  • jukebox
  • tomato clones
  • music
  • toxic waste
Q2

Why does Tara switch sides and help Chad?

Gangreen creates Tara as a female tomato replica to assist in his villainous plan, but she becomes disillusioned when she witnesses his cruel treatment of FT (Fuzzy Tomato), a mutated tomato she's befriended. This cruelty prompts her to flee to Finletter's Pizzeria, where she forms a romantic connection with Chad and decides to help stop Gangreen's scheme.

  • Tara
  • betrayal
  • FT
  • Fuzzy Tomato
  • Chad
Q3

What is FT and why does it become a hero?

FT (Fuzzy Tomato) is a mutated tomato that Gangreen creates and treats cruelly. Tara nicknames him FT and grows sympathetic to his plight. During the final battle, FT sacrifices himself to save the townspeople from Gangreen's evil plan, proving that even a vegetable can be heroic. The grateful townsfolk hail FT as a hero.

  • FT
  • Fuzzy Tomato
  • sacrifice
  • hero
  • mutation
Q4

How does Tara become permanently human?

After Chad and Matt use Gangreen's transformation machine in an attempt to rescue Tara, she's captured again. During the final showdown, Gangreen threatens her with a gas chamber, and Chad and Matt rescue her at the last moment. However, exposure to the gas permanently transforms her, she retains human form but is now forever changed, allowing her to live a normal life with Chad.

  • Tara
  • transformation
  • human
  • gas chamber
  • Chad
Q5

Why do the characters break the fourth wall to discuss product placement?

The film includes a financial crisis storyline where characters acknowledge they need funding. They break the fourth wall to directly engage with the audience and suggest various product placements as a humorous solution. This meta-narrative device satirizes both B-movie financing and consumer culture, fitting the film's parody tone.

  • fourth wall
  • product placement
  • meta
  • funding
  • comedy
Q6

How does Wilbur rescue Chad and Matt from Gangreen?

While Chad, Matt, and Tara are imprisoned in Gangreen's dungeon, FT manages to contact Wilbur and calls for his help. Wilbur arrives with his team to confront Gangreen during the final showdown. They successfully thwart Gangreen's plan to turn Chad and Matt into tomatoes, free the captives, and defeat the villain's army of transformed tomatoes.

Foreshadowing: Wilbur's previous heroic deeds in the Great Tomato War established him as the go-to hero when tomato threats emerge.

  • Wilbur
  • rescue
  • dungeon
  • Gangreen
  • FT
Q7

Why does Chad believe a tomato contains Tara's spirit?

After Tara is recaptured by Igor and returned to Gangreen's lair, Chad becomes convinced that an ordinary tomato he obtained from the underworld actually holds Tara's spirit. This belief drives him and Matt to attempt using Gangreen's transformation machinery to restore her, though their experiments produce bizarre results before they ultimately rescue her directly.

  • Chad
  • tomato
  • spirit
  • transformation
  • Tara
Q8

What does the post-credits scene hint at?

After the main story concludes with Chad and Tara riding off together and the townspeople celebrating their victory, a post-credits scene teases a new threat. It reveals an army of mutated carrot soldiers, suggesting that the vegetables are continuing their evolution and setting up potential future chaos. This maintains the film's comedic tone while hinting at sequels.

  • post-credits
  • carrot army
  • teaser
  • sequel
  • threat
Q9

What is Gangreen's overall villainous plan?

Gangreen's scheme involves using his music-powered transformation technology to create an army of tomato soldiers. He plans to rescue his imprisoned ally Jim Richardson and install him as President of the United States, effectively putting his ally in power to control the country. The transformation chamber with its countdown serves as his weapon to achieve this domination.

  • Gangreen
  • president
  • Jim Richardson
  • army
  • world domination
Q10

What happens when Matt uses the transformation machine?

While Chad and Matt experiment with Gangreen's transformation machinery trying to rescue Tara, Matt sees visions of alluring women created by the machine, which interests him. However, their experiments produce various unexpected creations and don't successfully restore Tara, they ultimately have to rescue her directly from Gangreen during the climactic battle.

  • Matt
  • transformation machine
  • experiments
  • women
  • visions

Movie threads

More Movies Like Return of the Killer Tomatoes!, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Return of the Killer Tomatoes! tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Meta Horror Parodies like Return of the Killer Tomatoes!

Absurd genre spoofs that revel in their own silliness and break the fourth wall. If you liked the self-referential jokes and genre spoofing in Return of the Killer Tomatoes!, you'll enjoy these movies. This list features similar comedies that break the fourth wall and parody sci-fi and horror movies with a wacky, absurdist sense of humor.

  • parody
  • meta-humorous
  • campy
  • wacky
  • absurd
  • playful
  • Tone: light, wacky, self-referential
  • Pacing: fast, gag-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread follow a simple monster-movie or mad-scientist plot, but the journey is constantly punctuated by meta-commentary, character asides, and jokes about the filmmaking process itself. The stakes are comically low, and the focus is on the string of gags and absurd situations rather than a suspenseful build-up.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their shared approach to comedy: using parody as a primary tool and embracing a meta-narrative that acknowledges the audience. They share a light tone, fast pacing, and a playful disregard for taking their own premises seriously.

Movies with Wacky Cartoonish Chaos like Return of the Killer Tomatoes!

Fast-paced, low-stakes comedies where the world feels like a live-action cartoon. Fans of the cartoon-like chaos and campy fun in Return of the Killer Tomatoes! will find similar vibes here. This collection highlights movies with fast pacing, absurd humor, and a playful, low-stakes approach to their outrageous premises.

  • cartoonish
  • wacky
  • chaotic
  • campy
  • breezy
  • silly
  • Tone: playful, breezy, absurd
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern is one of constant, escalating silliness. Plots are simple frameworks designed to enable a rapid succession of chases, transformations, and humorous confrontations. Character arcs are minimal, with the focus squarely on the next outrageous event or visual punchline.

Why they belong together: This thread unites films through their shared 'cartoon logic' and emphasis on relentless, playful chaos. They typically feature a fast pace, light emotional weight, and a visual style that embraces the absurd, making them perfect for viewers seeking energetic, undemanding fun.

If you liked this

Movies Like Return of the Killer Tomatoes!

Similar movies to Return of the Killer Tomatoes!: the same genre, themes or kind of story. Each one comes with its own plot summary, timeline and ending explained.

Browse all movie summaries

Every angle

Return of the Killer Tomatoes! (1988) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Return of the Killer Tomatoes! in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app