Review: Girls Nite Out (1982)

(aka The Scaremaker)
Directed by: Robert Deubel
Starring: Rutanya Alda, Suzanne Barnes, Lauren-Marie Taylor
Written by: Joe Bolster
Country: United States
Available on: Blu-ray (Arrow Films)
IMDb

Girls Nite Out was probably at its best when the filmmakers saw almost any other early slasher film and first had the thought, “Hey, I could make one of those!” Because, at that moment, it was full of possibility and undoubtedly infinitely better than what was eventually filmed and put on screen.

Originally filmed and released as The Scaremaker (a title by which it falls terribly short), the movie was re-titled for its wider release in 1983. Given credit for at least being early to the slasher genre, the film involves a killer loose on a college campus who has donned the mascot’s costume and made some “modifications” to it to fulfill the desire to kill off the female coeds for all the classic misogynist reasons. The weak premise is that this all takes place during a campus-wide nighttime scavenger hunt that has sent students all over the campus following clues, thus putting them in distant and empty places that make them easy targets. Including what must be the most laughable portrayal of a DJ I have seen in a long time, our killer calls the campus radio station that is giving out the clues in order to announce the crimes after they have occurred. Unfortunately, the film takes far too long to get to this point because it spends too much time introducing unnecessary characters, one of which essentially disappears for most of the rest of the film, and building out the potential that it may not be the maniacal psych ward patient that we are introduced to at the start of the movie.

The acting is fairly awkward even by these genre standards, and the incredibly hokey dialogue does not help. For this being set in the early ‘80s, all the characters sound like their dialog is from the ‘60s (which is reinforced by the era of the music played on the radio station). Generally considered a hallmark of these films, the coed frolicking is some of the least salacious ever committed to film, with one great example interaction being literally punctuated by flatulence. But I think the most regrettable part of this mess is that the killer could have been utilized far more interestingly and effectively. The concept is solid even if not that strong, but the execution (pun intended) is completely uninspired. The violence is often implied at best, but even when shown, it amounts to little more than bloody necks and lackluster screaming. Ultimately, there are no characters that you root for and that includes the killer. The biggest star this film could muster is the wonderful-yet-wasted Hal Holbrook; but, since he isn’t given much to do, he just looks to be chewing the scenery compared to anyone else on screen with him. The exception is one scene where one of the could-be-killers, ham-fistedly portrayed by Holbrook’s son David Holbrook, seems to be trying his best to out-act him.

I will say that there is a turn at the end when the identity of the killer becomes apparent that pleasantly surprised me. It is a turn that is common in these movies, but it is an early usage of it that I wasn’t expecting. But then they quickly ruin it by running the reveal into the ground and abruptly ending the movie right then and there. We are left to assume that there likely is further resolution, but no need to show it.

I personally don’t subscribe to the ideology of “I watched this film so you don’t have to” when reviewing a movie this bad, but, honestly, it seems appropriate in this instance. With nothing of merit here, I would recommend you spend the hour and a half of your precious time watching anything else.

Overall rating: 1.5 out of 10