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When drunken cop Bert Johnson (Lawrence Tierney) makes sexual advances towards his teenage stepdaughter Nancy (the rather boyish Melanie Verlin), she packs her bags and sets off to see her sister in California, hitching a ride with Tom and Hank (John Hall and Charles Jackson), two college students on their way to Florida (!?!?). After a night camping out under the stars, the trio fall foul of a family of redneck Satanists who are ritually sacrificing young women to try and resurrect their dead mother.

With a screenplay and direction from John A. Russo, writer of seminal horror classic Night of the Living Dead, and make-up effects from genre legend Tom Savini, one might reasonably expect Midnight to deliver the goods in terms of terror and gore, but sadly it fails to deliver on both counts: Russo's script, based on his own novel, suffers from a dreadfully dull first half and the guy is clearly no Romero when calling the shots behind the camera, consistently failing to deliver the requisite chills; Savini also disappoints, his gore FX on this project being far from his best work (I can only presume that he knocked them out on the cheap as a favour to Russo).

It's not all a total loss though: the film's pace picks up considerably once Nancy and pals meet the devil-worshipping backwoods clan (a memorable group consisting of two nutters posing as cops, a demented babe, and a fat guy in dungarees who can't stop laughing), and bonus points are scored for a willingness to tackle the taboo, a few surprisingly brutal deaths, and a cool grind-house vibe achieved through cruddy picture quality and a menacing, lo-fi synthesiser score (the horribly dated theme song, on the other hand, is simply atrocious and only serves to irritate).

5.5 out of 10, rounded up to 6 for IMDb.

A teenage runaway and two men she's hitchhiking with stop in a strange town and find themselves stalked by the crazed locals.

Midnight is an interesting mix of Texas Chainsaw Massacre style lunatics running rampant in the country with a dash of religious/cult stuff thrown in to make everything even stranger. Not everything gels, but the moments that do stand out pack a punch.

This is one of those movies you don't hear about as much as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "The Hills Have Eyes", and that's too bad, because I found this regrettably unknown little horror film from John Russo to be quite entertaining and seriously creepy. Yes, it's very, very low budget - the sound, camerawork, and acting/dialogue are all very sloppy and unpolished, but bear with it. The film takes a little while to start up, but once it does, if you're a true horror fan it will definitely hold your attention. The film's low budget at times makes it seem so realistic that I felt a creepy feeling, it's hard to describe. Even with his limited funds, you can definitely tell that John Russo was trying to make a good, creepy, hardcore horror movie, and he definitely succeeded. The plot basically centers around a girl named Nancy who runs away frome home, hitching a ride with two guys. The trio gets themselves into trouble after robbing a grocery store and find themselves hiding out in the sticks, where the locals have warned them against staying because of several murders that have been committed there lately. What follows is how the teens run afoul of a psychotic family of blood-drinking Satanists who worship their mother's corpse and kidnap and murder young girls to use their blood for a black mass. Again, bear with the somewhat slow first half - what you get in the second half of the movie is well worth the wait. It's well worth the rental or purchase if this type of gory horror is your cup of tea. By the way, the Savini makeups are good, though they do seem to be trimmed somewhat - what a surprise - but the film is still rather gory. It has its share of stabbings, slittings and gunshot wounds to keep the regular gorehound satisfied. All in all, if you're into the "backwoods horror" scene, check out "Midnight", a regular "backwoods massacre"!

This movie is so bad, even I didn't like it, and I like a lot of trash. I can forgive cheap sets and locations, wooden and stilted acting, even incoherent story lines. But come on, gimme something to work with here. I could have enjoyed this movie warts and all if it had at least two or three good set pieces, but no. Just a lot of shots of driving and bad disco songs written just for this movie because the budget wouldn't permit the real thing. A movie this short shouldn't waste it's first 45 minuets establishing plot. To keep thing moving fast there should have been a stronger beginning and scares coming at least every 15 minuets. No gore, unless you count watery red paint as gore. And in the end when the bodies do begin to pile up I was just happy it was over with. All in all, Avoid!

The book of John Russo's 'Midnight' is a very taught, brief little thriller. The premise is an exciting one though. A young runaway, whom takes up with two college frat boys travelling cross country, runs into trouble with a satanic batch of siblings. This one line premise has all the makings of an excellent drive-in spectacular in the vain of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Race With the Devil, and The Last House on the Left. Not so surprising that it falls in line with such films as Russo was a co-writer of Night of the Living Dead, which set many genre standards in that period of time. Thus it further exemplifies the promise it does NOT add up to.

Sometimes the author has no business taking his material to a new medium, in this case novel to screen. Stephen King fared none to well with 'Maximum Overdrive' as well. 'Midnight' was probably around the time when producers were managing to get their hands back on final cut after the paramount decree, and with this film in particular, it's not hard to see why. The budget here is so non existent that it looks to have been filmed in someone's garage, and I guarantee you some of it probably, quite literally was. With more money, and some bigger producers putting some elbow grease into it, this could have worked much better. The novel wins you over right away, but here, Russo has no creative aspect to his direction. Just setting up a camera and filming. No tension to build up on, and without that, the shock moments are just as dull as the rest of the film. Also, he sets up a very poor and ineffective atmosphere. There is a total lack of vision for what the novel provides as an after school special gone to hell. This needed someone to oversee it on a more end-result basis to assure it was delivered properly and to the completed satisfaction of all parties involved.

The casting is WAY off save for Robin Walsh to rises emotionally AND physically to Cynthia as we are introduced to her in the book. Everyone else, including Romero alumni John Amplas, are simply thrown in and directed to move about as they're told, but with no clear motivation or actions driving what they're doing onscreen. The direction with them is totally uninspired and everyone looks like they'd rather be reading the original novel at the beach instead. Two or three of them (Ellie Wyler as Gwen) are downright horrendous to watch as they clearly have NO talent in this regard. I point out Ms. Wyler in specific because her character is supposed to be defiant and strong willed against the tormentors (Think Phyllis Stone in Wes Craven's 'The Last House on the Left). Here, the uncharacteristic Wyler is simply in a cage saying her lines to no distinction or direction. Very bland and embarrassingly cheap. More so obvious than anything else.

The film DOES have ONE thing going for it, the soundtrack! It features eerie organ music and a soft dark vocal Mass for the satanic rituals that fit quite properly. There is also a fun chirpy pop tune used repeatedly throughout as the theme, known as "Midnight Again". It is VERY addictive to hear and suits the novel much better than the film. Almost too good a thing to be heard here. Alas, moments with the score in tow are actually arousing and engaging enough but they are far and few in between the bad bland acting the the overall lack of proper direction.

It says, here , that a remake is in the works. It's definitely in need of one, but better yet...GO OUT AND READ THE DARN BOOK INSTEAD! The movie in your mind will far outweigh what has been provided here, and what might ever be provided again, if it is to be provided again.

Go to your local video store and you will probably find the horror genre is more overrun with "bad" movies then any other section. The reason for this is that more then in any other genre "bad" horror films can still be entertaining. For example, 'Leprechaun', 'Sorority House Massacre', and 'Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan' are all bad movies. Yet, each is more or less entertaining enough to sit through for 90 min. But why then are other horror movies, which are also "bad", so hard to watch? In the case of 'Midnight' the reason is that nothing happens. In 'Leprechaun' for example there is a silly story. However, it moves quickly enough and there are sufficient plot twists to keep us laughing at its audacity (fancy word eh?). There is also bad acting - but in a playful overacting sense that is full of speaking and movement. In ‘Midnight' on the other hand, nothing happens. We watch for 2 min as characters sit and stare. We watch for 3 min. as a van drives down a road. We just watch. Never do we laugh at or playfully mock the screen because so little happens. Certainly we are never scared or shocked. For these reasons this movie is a dud - even as "bad" horror movies go.

Now for the story: A girl runs away from home after her stepfather cop tries to rape her. While hitchhiking she is picked up by 2 college students going on spring break freakout. However, they end up being captured by a family of devil worshipers loosely based on Leatherface's kin.

No nudity, extreme violence, action, funny scenes, worthwhile special effects, or Clint Howard. In a word: Boring. If you rent this for the Tom Savini credit you will be disappointed. Skeeter gives it 2 for 10.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently.

The movie has lots of stupidity but it is creepy n atmospheric at times.

One of the best part is that most of the movie is shot in broad daylight n the night scenes r well shot.

The director of this movie John Russo is the writer of NOTLD (1968), n he incorporated the cemetary scene in this one too with almost the same atmosphere.

Some really wtf moments - A stupid girl hides in the shower n can't even out run a fat slob killer.

Check out the scene at 1:30:52.

The guy who is shot is standing as if he is like a mannequin.

Luke the big, bald guy conveniently stands on the place where kerosene has been sprinkled by the final girl.

This is actually a pretty good low budget horror film. It does bear the marks of a regional production (filmed in Pennsylvania), complete with the (mostly) amateurish acting that fans come to expect in such a thing. It does indeed start slow, so people may have a hard time sticking with it, but it's worth it in the end. The story is a familiar one, but is well realized by writer / director John A. Russo (an associate of George A. Romero who'd co-written the classic "Night of the Living Dead"), who adapted his own novel. Tom Savini supplies some typically well done splatter, but certainly the best aspect to the presentation are the very rural settings that give "Midnight" some potent atmosphere.

Melanie Verlin - in the first of only two movie roles - stars as Nancy, who has to live with a policeman stepfather (legendary tough guy and wildman Lawrence Tierney) who's a lecherous alcoholic. After he harasses her, she runs away from home, hooking up with seemingly nice young guys Tom (John Hall) and Hank (Charles Jackson). After they get her involved with their (mild) life of crime, she ends up in the backwoods where she's soon abducted by backward Satan worshipping lunatics. This lovely bunch of people force their victims into too-small cages in preparation for sacrifices to their dark lord.

One thing from this movie that people will likely remember the most is that staggeringly silly theme song that's heard a few times. Otherwise, this is pretty fun to watch. It's always a hoot to see Tierney in action, especially when his less-than-honourable character becomes an unlikely heroic figure. There's some delicious creepiness going on throughout, and Catholicism is a big theme. Nancy isn't an innocent type, but falls back on prayer when things look their bleakest. Verlin is reasonably appealing, but the standouts are obviously the antagonists: David Marchick as portly and bearded Cyrus, Greg Besnak as bald headed Luke, and John Amplas, star of Romero's "Martin", as Abraham. The electronic music score is priceless stuff.

The climactic action has its fair share of tension, but ultimately "Midnight" ends a little too abruptly. But until then it proves to be decent entertainment.

Seven out of 10.

John Russo has long stood in the shadow of ex-partner George Romero, and "Midnight" is a good example of why. This tale of a devout Catholic girl (Melanie Verlin, possessing the tomboyish looks of a young Jodie Foster) fleeing her groping, drunken police-officer stepfather (Lawrence Tierney--"Reservoir Dogs") only to run afoul of a wacky family of Satan worshippers living in a backwoods shack (that auspiciously sits in the heart of suburbia) is equal parts "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Night of the Living Dead," but with far less imagination. While Russo gets decent mileage out of his cast of unknowns and occasionally employs a nifty camera angle (a close-up of kicking feet as a man is stabbed to death, for instance), it cannot save a plodding story that is frequently interrupted by scenes of talky exposition. I realize that low-budget films are frequently forced to tell instead of show, but Romero has proved time and again that it's a matter of directorial skill in keeping the audience hooked. Even the makeup FX (credited to Tom Savini) play on a distinctly lower tier. Yet "Midnight" isn't altogether bad...I have a feeling it would be great fodder for a drunken get-together, and Russo's use of rural Pennsylvania locales lends a bit of rough-hewn realism to the otherwise absurd tale. And hey, it's a chance to see John Amplas ("Martin"; "Day of the Dead") play one of the psychotic brothers!

(Note: Lionsgate has released "Midnight" to DVD with the kind of misleading sleeve art usually reserved for a Ulli Lommel flick; the disc is full-screen and contains no extras, which might have gone a ways in redeeming the film.)

MIDNIGHT the film is based upon Russo's novel, and is actually quite an improvement on it. Despite zero budget and rough acting, this movie generates some real creepiness and true suspense. I originally saw it at a drive-in, where it was retitled BACKWOODS MASSACRE, and was surprised by what a gritty and powerful movie it was. It creates the same kind of "no one can be trusted" atmosphere as ROSEMARY'S BABY, and stands head and shoulders above the early 80s horror movie competition.

My review was written in January 1983 after a screening at Liberty theater on Manhattan's 42nd St.

"Midnight" is a 1980 Pittsburgh-made horror thriller which, while lacking the scares of its many competitors, at least varies from the rigid format of recent shockers. Horror novelist John Russo, who scripted the Pittsburgh classic "Night of the Living Dead", develops enough twist on traditional Satanism and road movie formulae to keep the fans interested.

Heroine Nancy Johnson (Melanie Verliin) runs away from home when her cop stepdad (Lawrence Tierney) tries to rape her. Diverted from her goal of joining a sister in California by two young men who pick her up hitchhiking, she becomes a captive of a local family of devil worshipers who slate her for human sacrifice on midnight, Easter Sunday.

Familiar elements herfe include the devil cultist retaining their clan matriarch in mummified form (a la "Psycho") and the usual gimmick of a backwoods family preying on unsuspecting travelers. One switch is the emphasis upon the story's racial angles, with several black victims and local prejudice surfacing against the racially mixed trio on the road.

Special makeup effects by a top artist in the field Tom Savini are effective (particularly a realistic decapitation simulation), but the picture's low budget shows in unatmospheric, routine visuals, amateurish performance in small roles and a 1960s-style music track. Though the premise has heroine and her road buddies headed south, autumn locations (belying Easter Sunday premise) all look similar, evidently filmed within shouting distance of the Pittsburgh home base.

Forties star Lawrence Tierney has fun as the heroine's stepdad, veering from initial comical villainy to a stalwart protector in the final reel. Other leads, many of whom are familiar faces from George A. Romero films, perform functionally.

Midnight takes the crazy yokels in the woods formula and attempts to add some social messages but it gets a little bogged down by poor pacing and some hamfisted delivery.

A teenage girl runs away from home after her drunken stepfather tries to molest her and hitchhikes with two kind thieves to go see her sister in California. In time honored horror film tradition, the trio end up driving through the wrong town and run afoul of a bunch of looney backwoods religious freaks.

Though nothing beautiful to look at, Midnight is decently shot and put together in a mostly workmanlike way. The script doesn't always have the most natural dialogue, but it's better than some other films of this type. There are a few surprises thrown in here that did take me off guard and added a nice sense of danger to the film.

Extremely low budget, which shows and can be off putting but this film moves with confidence. Scenes may be a little dark or slower than we would like and the dialogue somewhat less than snappy but we have a terrible feeling the tale that is told may not be too far off the mark. Filmed in the backwoods northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this is bleak looking country and pretty bleak people seem to lurk. There is gleeful and brutal killing for the sake of it and then as we proceed more serious devil worship based cult killing involving the kidnap of girls and their being held in cages awaiting their sacrifice. These later scenes are particularly well done and the lighting, dialogue and performances all seem to be upped a gear as we head to the ending with Lawrence Tierney lumbering across the screen to attempt an heroic rescue after all his own misdeeds.

This is one of my all time favorite Drama horror Exploration movies of all it's Atmosphere is very dark The movie is mainly daytime John Russo Created a very great spooky look that lots of horror movies can't get right I love how it has different Directions it goes from a drama to runaway Exploitation to full horror! Recommend it to all true horror fans!

A mostly lost horror flick from John A. Russo, Midnight is an effective low-budget horror film.

Young girl flees her abusive stepfather, hitches a ride with two young thieves, and ends up at the home of a family of evil cultist.

A true B flick, that's rough around the edges, but still manages to hold together as a compelling shocker. The film starts out in a mostly campy light, but builds to some moments of truly violent horror. It's actually similar to Craven's Last House on the Left in it's raw footage appearance. The cast is only decent, John Amplas (who was the star of Romero's Martin) is shamefully under-used in his role as a crazed family member.

On the plus side though, makeup FX master Tom Savini lends his talents to make some horrifically gory moments. The raw scenery of rural Pennsylvania gives the movie a realistic feel. And there's a rather catchy (if not just cheesy and out of place) theme song.

Fans of truly low-budget horror will surely enjoy this frightening little number, while the faint of heart just needs to stay away.

*** out of ****

From one of the people involved with the original Night of the Living Dead, Midnight is an average slasher movie with a lot of regional, down home charm, but not much on interesting characters or surprising plot developments. The Tom Savini effects looks like they were edited before they could reach the screen, so maybe there's a more exciting uncut version gathering dust in a closet somewhere. There's also a theme song that plays 500 times throughout the movie on a loop that made me want to job a screwdriver into my ear.