Girls Nite Out (Robert Deubel, 1982)

I saw Girls Nite Out on ZTV, a now defunct channel, for the first time a long, long, long time ago. The print was so dark it was hard to see what happen on the screen. Hal Holbrook was in it, a very good actor, but the rest of the movie kinda disappeared from my mind and only fragments was left for me to bring forward during slasher-themed discussions since then. When a buddy, Jason at Cinezilla, oddly enough started to write Facebook-posts about it a while ago (it feels like  very unlikely movie for him to put his energy on) I decided I needed to go back in time and revisit it.

What I experienced this time is a very fragmented movie, split into several stories - and after according to the normal geek-sites on the net it was a troubled production. It took several years for it to be released - it got a new trailer with materialet not even in the movie, Hal Hoolbrok was edited in later on, in a storyline that fits in the movie - but also acts like a seperate little movie. Hal is always good, but even he looks a bit bored in this story about someone dressed in a bear costume killing of female student in and around a campus - during the annual scavenger hunt (hosted by a silly local radio station). Quite a lot of time is spent on the drama, the typical sex-jokes, some romance and added one red herring after another, and then - for the last half hour or so - the killing starts.

I've seen so many slashers my brain began to rot a long time ago and Girls Nite Out (or "The Scaremaker" as I've known it for years and years) isn't the best slasher made. No Siree, it's quite far from the best slasher ever made. But the thing is... there's very few brilliant slashers (My Bloody Valentine, Friday the 13th, Halloween etc) and the rest often mingles around that middle border of quality. Girls Nite Out is slightly under that infamous quality border and I think we can blame the production problems. And maybe the director, but a slasher have never been that difficult to make. 

But sure, it have a couple of great scenes. The kills are bloody - not really graphic - but intensive and freaky. The final revelation of the killer is quite eerie also, but the twist is also quite boring and prejudiced and we've seen it many times before, even today. It could be a good twist, but I never seen it been done well. It's just... often very stupid. Many of the actors doesn't seem to be there, if you understand what I mean. It's like they experiencing difficulties to communicating with the filmmakers and just goes for their remote control of acting, doing what they can do but nothing more. 

It's a pity, 'cause the idea of a scavenger hunt around a campus is a good set-up for a slasher and the killer is quite cool in that silly bear costume. If it hadn't been so damn forgotten it would have been a good contestant for a better and bloodier remake, a production that would dare to go a bit further with the good ideas trying to get out in this movie. 

But hey, it has a great soundtrack at least. Not bad, not bad at all.

Comments

[Megatron]

"I saw Girls Nite Out on ZTV, a now defunct channel, for the first time a long, long, long time ago."

hahahahahh....yeah...ZTV.....bring back lots of memories.

"Hal Holbrook was in it, a very good actor,"

Yeah, he is great....I saw Lincoln(2012), he was in it, very good as always.

"in this story about someone dressed in a bear costume killing of female student in and around a campus - during the annual scavenger hunt (hosted by a silly local radio station)."

Well, it has cool premise, I think.....slashers featuring a killer in a costume is always a good thing.

"Girls Nite Out is slightly under that infamous quality border and I think we can blame the production problems. And maybe the director, but a slasher have never been that difficult to make."

You would think that slashers are easy to make, but I guess some people don´t succeed because of lack of understanding the genre or something.......

"Many of the actors doesn't seem to be there, if you understand what I mean. It's like they experiencing difficulties to communicating with the filmmakers and just goes for their remote control of acting, doing what they can do but nothing more."

I seen that a couple of times, in various productions.

But you mentioned earlier problems with the production, could be the reason, ya´know....."tensions ran high, director refused to talk to me, we weren´t paid until we filed a lawsuit, no food on set" etc.

"It's a pity, 'cause the idea of a scavenger hunt around a campus is a good set-up for a slasher and the killer is quite cool in that silly bear costume."

Like I said before, it seems to have nice premise.

"But hey, it has a great soundtrack at least. Not bad, not bad at all."

Great soundtrack huh...?

Well, at least you weren´t bored.....good review and thanks.