Girls Nite Out (1982 film)

Last updated
Girls Nite Out
Girls Nite Out FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed byRobert Deubel
Written byJoe Bolster
Produced byAnthony N. Gurvis
Starring
CinematographyJoe Rivers
Edited byArthur Ginsberg
Production
company
Concepts Unlimited [1]
Distributed by
  • Independent International Pictures

Aries International [2]

Release date
  • December 3, 1982 (1982-12-03)(U.S.)
Running time
96 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Girls Nite Out is a 1982 American slasher film written and produced by Anthony N. Gurvis, directed by Robert Deubel, and starring Julia Montgomery, Suzanne Barnes, Rutanya Alda, and Hal Holbrook. The film focuses on a group of female college students who are targeted by a killer in a bear mascot costume during an all-night scavenger hunt on their campus.

Contents

Shot at Upsala College in New Jersey, the film received a small regional theatrical release under the alternate title The Scaremaker [4] in December 1982, before being subsequently released under the better-known Girls Nite Out title in 1983.

Plot

At Weston Hills Sanitarium in rural Ohio, psychiatric patient Dickie Cavanaugh commits suicide by hanging himself. Cavanaugh's sister gives permission to two gravediggers to bury the body. While the two men are digging the hole for Cavanaugh's body, they are attacked and murdered by an unseen killer who throws their corpses into the burial plot.

Meanwhile, at nearby DeWitt University, the basketball team wins a championship game, and as a result, an all-night scavenger hunt will take place the next evening for the female students. Lynn and her boyfriend-star player Teddy Ratliff celebrate the victory at the campus diner, and the waitress Barney is thrilled for the team. Lynn, Teddy, and other students attend a party that evening, where the story of Dickie circulates among freshmen who are unaware of his recent death; they are told that Cavanaugh murdered his girlfriend Patty in a jealous rage and is locked away in the sanitarium. Lynn becomes jealous over Teddy's attraction to Dawn Sorenson and misfit Mike Pryor gets into a fight with his girlfriend Sheila. Soon, school mascot Michael Benson is stabbed in his dorm room after arriving back from the party, and his bear mascot costume is stolen by the killer.

The following day, Mike Pryor is questioned by campus security officer Jim MacVey over the fight with his girlfriend; MacVey's daughter Patty was Dickie Cavanaugh's girlfriend. Later that evening, the campus radio DJ broadcasts the clues to the scavenger hunt, which are received by the girls on their portable radios. Meanwhile, the killer who is dressed in the bear costume, is armed with serrated knives mimicking bear claws.

Jane enters the girls' locker room and locates the first item of the hunt, only to be attacked from behind by the killer, who brutally slashes her throat while calling her misogynistic slurs. Shortly after, Kathy discovers Jane's body crudely strung up in the locker room showers. Kathy tries to flee before also having her throat slashed. The DJ at the radio station begins receiving phone calls from the killer, who tallies his victims; the killer also calls officer MacVey and claims to be Dickie Cavanaugh. Sheila goes down to the pond to search for another item and runs into the bear-clad killer, whom she believes to be Benson. Teasing him, she goes into an abandoned shed by the pond. While inside the shed, the killer smashes their hand through the window, slashing Sheila's throat.

Meanwhile, Lynn continues searching for items on the scavenger hunt, while Teddy visits Dawn at her apartment, where the two have sex. Lynn's friend Leslie goes to search for an item in the attic of the old chapel, where she is murdered and her body is discovered by Lynn. After calling, the police arrive and find all of the bodies, where they are suspicious of Mike Pryor and question several of the students. Dawn gets into an argument with her boyfriend Bud Remington, who kicks her out of their house after he tells her he knows about her affair with Teddy. Officer MacVey studies the phone calls placed to the radio station as well as files and photographs of Dickie Cavanaugh, whose death he became aware of by Dickie's doctor.

While walking home, Dawn senses that someone is following her and has a panic attack. She uses a payphone outside the student union to call Teddy's house, where he is consoling Lynn. The phone call is incomprehensible, and ends with Dawn screaming, followed by a gruff voice invoking Teddy to "come and get her." Lynn calls the police while Teddy flees to the student union. Once there, he finds Dawn bloody and wounded in the cafeteria. As Teddy is comforting her, he is stabbed by Barney, who reveals herself as the killer. Officer MacVey enters the cafeteria and confronts Barney, whom he addresses as Dickie's twin sister, Katie Cavanaugh. Katie, apparently suffering from dissociative identity disorder, responds to MacVey in alternating voices, claiming to be Dickie. After MacVey tells Katie that Dickie is dead, she reverts, and calmly tells him that Dickie is not dead, and that she brought him home from the hospital. She opens the freezer, displaying Dickie's frozen body clothed in a wheelchair and with the bear-claw weapon in his hand.

Cast

Production

Filming

Julia Montgomery (cropped).JPG
Hal Holbrook Our Town 1977 (cropped).jpg
Julia Montgomery and Hal Holbrook have central roles in the film

Girls Nite Out was shot in early 1982 in Dobbs Ferry, New York, [5] and at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. [6] Director Deubel had previously worked as a documentarian, while the film's producers, Anthony N. Gurvis and Kevin Kurgis, were two attorneys from Ohio who helped finance the film. [5] [7]

According to actress Rutanya Alda, the principal film shoot spanned a period of only three days due to budgetary and location restrictions, [8] and most scenes were shot in one to two takes. [9] Due to the fact that the film was shot on a real college campus, the filmmakers were forced to shoot over a weekend. The shoot began on a Friday and concluded on a Sunday, meaning the cast and crew had to work for twenty-four-hour intervals. [10] Alda stated that the final shot of the film in which Dickie's corpse is revealed freezer (which Alda herself played) was shot after the principal shoot. [11] In a 2013 interview, Alda claimed that the producers of the film still owed her $5,000 for her work that they never paid her for. [12]

Music

The film soundtrack is composed of several oldies hits by the Lovin' Spoonful, the Ohio Express, [7] 1910 Fruitgum Co., John Fred & the Playboy Band and others.

Release

The film first received a regional theatrical release under the title The Scaremaker [1] on December 3, 1982 in several Southern U.S. cities, such as Jackson, Tennessee and Clarksville, Mississippi. [13] [14] The film continued to screen regionally under this title through early 1983, as a double bill with Blood Beach . [15] It was re-released in late 1983 under the title Girls Nite Out, opening under this title in Detroit, Michigan on October 8, 1983 as a double bill with Pieces (1982). [16] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film was released in December 1986, with twenty-two seconds excised from the original cut. [17]

Critical response

Variety described the film as "a routine slasher picture, offering little entertainment..." [18] Scott Cain of The Atlanta Constitution wrote that the film "has all the predictable ingredients...  There must be 50 supporting roles and, as a consequence, none of the characters has much chance to make a favorable impression." [19] Mike Hughes of the Hattiesburg American wrote: "By horror standards, it's almost adequate...  Where they failed—thoroughly—was in their frequent passes at campus humor...  Where they succeeded was in filming the story smoothly and giving it a solid cast." [20]

In a 1998 review, the Blockbuster Entertainment Guide to Movies and Videos awarded the film two out of four stars. [21]

There have been numerous retrospective reviews of the film published after its initial release. Online movie guide AllMovie awarded the film two out of five stars, writing: "Girls Nite Out might be one of the most forgettable of the early '80s slashers", calling it "dull" and "routine". [22] Bill Gibron, writing for DVD Talk in 2005, called the film a "poor excuse for entertainment holds the grand distinction of hosting two members of the Holbrook family (Hal and son David) as part of its cast," also criticizing the lack of variety among the murder scenes, and adding: "In the end, when the slayer is revealed, we rest easier knowing that it takes a certain strangled mindset to turn serial killer and that we are safe—at least for now. Girls Nite Out offers none of this nuance. Instead, we get boredom on top of balderdash, never a good fright night combination." [23]

Film scholar John Stanley awarded the film two-and-a-half out of four stars, writing: "This imitation of Friday the 13th (originally shot as The Scaremaker) is strengthened only by the presence of Hal Holbrook as a campus security chief." [24] Steven Scheuer in Movies on TV '88-'89 referred to the film as "bloody and borderline offensive" and deemed the villain's costume "simply laughable," ultimately giving the film a one-star rating. [25] Critic James J. Mulay gave the film zero stars in The Horror Film: A Guide to More Than 700 Films on Videocassette (1989), noting the film's surprise ending but that it overall "scarcely succeeds," also criticizing the film's actors, who he deemed "old enough to be teaching higher education." [26]

Home media

Girls Nite Out was released for the first time on DVD by Media Blasters on August 30, 2005, as part of the company's "Slasher Collection" series. The release features an interview with actress Julia Montgomery, as well as the film's theatrical trailer and original opening titles bearing the film's original title of The Scaremaker. [23]

Arrow Video released the film for the first time on Blu-ray in North America and the United Kingdom on May 22, 2022. [27]

Related Research Articles

<i>Eyeball</i> (film) 1975 film

Eyeball is a 1975 Italian giallo slasher film written and directed by Umberto Lenzi.

A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools such as knives, chainsaws, scalpels, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.

<i>Black Christmas</i> (1974 film) 1974 film by Bob Clark

Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film produced and directed by Bob Clark, and written by A. Roy Moore. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, Lynne Griffin and John Saxon. The story follows a group of sorority sisters who receive threatening phone calls and are eventually stalked and murdered by a deranged killer during the Christmas season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Final girl</span> Trope in slasher horror films

The final girl is a trope in horror films. It refers to the last girl(s) or woman alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. The final girl has been observed in many films, including Psycho, Voices of Desire, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Alien, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and Train to Busan. The term was coined by Carol J. Clover in her article "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film" (1987). Clover suggested that in these films, the viewer began by sharing the perspective of the killer, but experienced a shift in identification to the final girl partway through the film.

<i>When a Stranger Calls</i> (1979 film) 1979 American psychological thriller film by Fred Walton

When a Stranger Calls is a 1979 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Fred Walton, co-written by Steve Feke, and starring Charles Durning, Carol Kane, Colleen Dewhurst and Tony Beckley. Its plot follows Jill Johnson, a young woman being terrorized by a psychopathic killer while babysitting, the killer's stalking of another woman, his returning to torment Jill years later, and a detective's trying to find him. Rachel Roberts, Ron O'Neal, Carmen Argenziano, and Rutanya Alda appear in supporting roles. The film derives its story from the folk legend of "the babysitter and the man upstairs".

<i>Amityville II: The Possession</i> 1982 Mexican-American supernatural horror film directed by Damiano Damiani

Amityville II: The Possession is a 1982 supernatural horror film directed by Damiano Damiani and starring James Olson, Burt Young, Rutanya Alda, Jack Magner, and Diane Franklin. The screenplay by Tommy Lee Wallace is based on the novel Murder in Amityville by the parapsychologist Hans Holzer. It is the second film in the Amityville Horror film series and a loose prequel to The Amityville Horror (1979), set at 112 Ocean Avenue and featuring the fictional Montelli family, loosely based on the DeFeo family. It follows the Montelli family's decline under apparent demonic forces present in their home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Montgomery</span> American film and television actress (born 1960)

Julia Montgomery is an American film and television actress. She first gained public attention for her role as Samantha Vernon on the soap opera One Life to Live (1977–1980). She subsequently appeared in the slasher film Girls Nite Out (1982), followed by the role of Betty Childs in the comedy film Revenge of the Nerds (1984). Montgomery reprised her role of Betty in the film's second and third sequels (1992–1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Bright (actor)</span> American actor

Richard James Bright was an American actor, known for his role as Al Neri in the Godfather films.

<i>Hell Night</i> 1981 American slasher film by Tom DeSimone

Hell Night is a 1981 American supernatural slasher film directed by Tom DeSimone, and starring Linda Blair, Vincent Van Patten, Kevin Brophy, and Peter Barton. The film depicts a night of fraternity hazing set in an old manor—the site of a familial mass murder—during which a deformed killer terrorizes and murders many of the college students. The plot blends elements of slasher films and Gothic haunted house films. Filmmaker Chuck Russell served as an executive producer, while his long-time collaborator Frank Darabont served as a production assistant.

<i>Happy Birthday to Me</i> (film) 1981 Canadian slasher film by J. Lee Thompson

Happy Birthday to Me is a 1981 Canadian slasher film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Melissa Sue Anderson and Glenn Ford. Its plot revolves around six brutal murders occurring around a popular high school senior's birthday.

Girls' Night Out, Girls Night Out, Girls' Nite Out, or Girls Nite Out may refer to:

Rutanya Alda is a Latvian-American actress. She began her career in the late 1960s, and went on to have supporting parts in The Deer Hunter (1978), Rocky II (1979), and Mommie Dearest (1981). She also appeared in a lead role in the horror films Amityville II: The Possession and Girls Nite Out.

<i>The Prey</i> (1983 film) 1983 American film

The Prey is a 1983 American slasher film directed by Edwin Brown, and starring Debbie Thureson, Steve Bond, Lori Lethin, and Jackie Coogan. It follows a group of campers in the Rocky Mountains who are stalked and murdered by a disfigured assailant. It was the final film credit of Coogan, who died in 1984.

<i>Just Before Dawn</i> (1981 film) 1981 American slasher film directed by Jeff Lieberman

Just Before Dawn is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Jeff Lieberman and starring Chris Lemmon, Gregg Henry, Deborah Benson, Ralph Seymour, Jamie Rose, and George Kennedy. The film follows a group of hikers who travel into a mountainous region of Oregon to visit property inherited by one of them, only to be hunted by a ruthless backwoods killer.

<i>The Night Brings Charlie</i> 1990 American film

The Night Brings Charlie is a 1990 American slasher film directed by Tom Logan, and written by Bruce Carson. A sequel, to be written and directed by Bruce Carson, was announced in 2017.

<i>The Dorm That Dripped Blood</i> 1982 American slasher film by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow

The Dorm That Dripped Blood, originally released under the title Pranks, is a 1982 American slasher film directed by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow, written by Carpenter and Stacey Giachino, and starring Laurie Lapinski, Stephen Sachs, David Snow, Pamela Holland, and Daphne Zuniga in her film debut. It follows four college students who stay on campus over the Christmas holiday to clean out a condemned dormitory, where an unknown assailant begins stalking and murdering them.

<i>Home for the Holidays</i> (1972 film) 1972 television slasher film from the United States directed by John Llewellyn Moxey

Home for the Holidays is a 1972 American made-for-television Christmas horror film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, produced by Aaron Spelling and starring Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Julie Harris, Jessica Walter, and Walter Brennan which premiered on ABC on November 28, 1972. The plot focuses on a wealthy father on his deathbed who invites his four daughters home for Christmas and tells them he suspects his second wife of poisoning him. Shortly after, the girls learn that their stepmother was accused of killing her first husband, and they begin to fall prey to a killer dressed in a yellow rain slicker.

<i>Blood Cult</i> 1985 film

Blood Cult is a 1985 American direct-to-video slasher film directed and co-edited by Christopher Lewis and starring Juli Andelman, Charles Ellis, James Vance, and Bennie Lee McGowan. It is notable for being one of the first shot-on-video horror films to achieve notoriety, being heavily promoted to the video rental market.

<i>Rituals</i> (film) 1977 Canadian film

Rituals is a 1977 Canadian horror-thriller film directed by Peter Carter, and starring Hal Holbrook, Lawrence Dane, and Robin Gammell. It centers on a group of doctors who are stalked and murdered while on a wilderness trip in remote Northern Ontario. The film was also released under the alternate title The Creeper.

<i>Prevenge</i> 2016 British film

Prevenge is a 2016 British comedy slasher film written by, directed by and starring Alice Lowe in her directorial debut. The film also stars Kate Dickie, Kayvan Novak, Jo Hartley, Mike Wozniak, Gemma Whelan and Tom Davis. The plot follows a pregnant widow who is convinced her foetus is compelling her to embark on a killing spree as revenge for the death of her husband.

References

  1. 1 2 Variety's Film Reviews: 1983-1984. Bowker. December 31, 1985. p. n.p. ISBN   978-0-835-22798-8.
  2. ↑ Aros & Dimmitt 1986, p. 104.
  3. ↑ Harper 2004, p. 98.
  4. ↑ Willis 1997, p. 205.
  5. 1 2 Hughes, Mike (October 8, 1983). "Cooley law grad turns horror boss". Lansing State Journal . p. 155 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ Albright 2012, p. 236.
  7. 1 2 Albright 2012, p. 237.
  8. ↑ Henson & Kerswell 2013, 1:04:51.
  9. ↑ Henson & Kerswell 2013, 1:07:01.
  10. ↑ Henson & Kerswell 2013, 1:08:39.
  11. ↑ Henson & Kerswell 2013, 1:11:05.
  12. ↑ Henson & Kerswell 2013, 1:15:35.
  13. ↑ "What's Showing: The Scaremaker". The Jackson Sun . December 3, 1982. p. 35 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Local theater selected for test". The Clarksdale Press Register. December 2, 1982. p. 3B – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Plaschke, Bill (February 26, 1983). "Grand Prix may be merely survival". Fort Lauderdale News. Fort Lauderdaule, Florida. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Saturday Movie Guide". Detroit Free Press . October 8, 1983. p. 36 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Henson & Kerswell 2013, 1:31:26.
  18. ↑ Variety's Film Reviews: 1983-1984. Bowker. December 31, 1985. ISBN   978-0-835-22798-8.
  19. ↑ Cain, Scott (December 6, 1983). "'Girls Nite Out' no day at the beach". The Atlanta Constitution . p. 10-B – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ Hughes, Mike (November 24, 1983). "'Girls Nite' prompts could have been worse attitude". Hattiesburg American . Hattiesburg, Mississippi. p. 8E – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Blockbuster 1997, p. 448.
  22. ↑ Wheeler, Jeremy; Mannikka, Eleanor. "Girls Nite Out (1983)". AllMovie . Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  23. 1 2 Gibron, Bill (October 9, 2005). "Review: Girls Nite Out". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  24. ↑ Stanley 2000, p. 216.
  25. ↑ Scheuer 1987, p. 305.
  26. ↑ Mulay 1989, p. 98.
  27. ↑ Tyner, Adam (May 17, 2022). "Girls Nite Out - Blu-ray Review". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on May 7, 2023.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.