Hide and Go Shriek

Initially this appears to be the usual slasher formula of high schoolers sneaking into a furniture store to party throughout the night. Someone else is in the store killing the kids one by one. I won't give anything else away. There is a red herring, but this film is notable for giving a plot twist as we discover who the killer is and why they are doing what they are doing. All things considered I really enjoyed this film. It doesn't get remembered as much when 80's slashers are discussed. If you love horror films, go see this.

Hide and Go Shriek had the unfortunate luck of coming at the end of the original 80's slasher cycle where these films were lucky to play in a theater or two before getting dumped onto video. As a film, it's not as bad as you'd think. There are a few creepy moments here and there (especially the killer's fetish for dressing up like the victims they've just killed so they can fool the next victims into thinking that they are one of their friends) and there's a pretty gnarly decapitation by elevator that's truly a work of art.

The real selling point here is the heavy dollop of late-80's cheese on display. Everyone's clothes, hair, and makeup couldn't be more late-80's if they tried, which gives the film a fun time capsule feel. You just know it's one of those movies that could have only been made at a very specific place and time.

The ending killer reveal is so bizarre and off the wall that it must be seen to be believed.

I really like this film. It is probably my most watched 80's slasher film in my extensive horror movie collection. I find it to be highly entertaining, original in it's attempts, and decently acted.

A group of teens decide to spend the night in a creepy old furniture store, which is owned by one of their fathers, to celebrate their graduation. Of course, a killer shows up, locks them in, and begins killing them off one by one during a game of Hide and Go Seek. While this film is far from a masterpiece, I think what I admire about it is that tries to be different from the other slashers pics that were released around the same time. It breaks the mold so to speak. So many slasher films released around this time stuck to the "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th" formula of a looming, silent, indestructible killer and a final confrontation between him and the virginal sole-surviving heroine. This film strays away from that and provides us with a human killer who, despite is ridiculous motive, is both intelligent and vulnerable. The fact that more than just the "virginal heroine" survives is also unique and surprising. And though they may not all look like they are really teenagers, the characters all act like they are and engage of some very humorous, typical teenage conversations. Their acting is certainly above average for this type of film and I really thought Bunky Jones (Bonnie) gave a great performance, particularly in the final minutes of the film.

The setting of the film is foreboding and the film becomes pretty creepy during the final 10-15 minutes when the survivors are cautiously making their way through the dark corridors of the furniture store, only to bump into some randomly placed mannequins. The director builds suspense fairly well in key scenes and having a killer who dresses up in his victims clothing as a trap to lure his next victim, as this one does, is chilling even if it is executed kinda silly here. The death scenes are quite tame and underplayed for this type of film (particularly considering the time it was released), but they are still effective and the killer never uses the same method twice. Again, it is also surprising as to which characters live and die and how sympathetically the filmmaker obviously feels about his characters. They are a likable bunch of kids and it is really hard to root for any of them to die, so even though it will anger gore hounds and people searching for a high-body count, the result should be appreciated by those who sympathize with and like these characters.

Despite the many things I like about this film, there are also things that just don't work so well. The opening scene with the killer picking up a prostitute is the definition of cheese and really doesn't fit with the direction of the rest of the film and certainly cannot be explained once we discover the killer's identity and motive, which is the film's main problem. The killer is ridiculous once we discover the identity and completely unintimidatng. Even worse is his motive for the killings. It sort of came out of left field and I, as a viewer, felt cheated. The dialog at the end of the film between the killer and his main quest is cringe-worthy, and it doesn't help that both are pretty bad actors (luckily, neither are on screen that long). The film, for me, would have been almost a perfect slasher film, had the ending gone in a totally different direction with a different killer. There are certainly some other cheesy, WTF? scenes, including one where the virginal, good-girl character is able to launch into a striptease for her boyfriend that rivals anything done by Demi Moore in "Striptease."

Overall, though, this is a highly entertaining film which outshines many similar attempts of the 80's because of its subtleness and . If you are any sort of horror/slasher fan, I would highly recommend this film. It doesn't set out to by an all out slash and gore film (which will upset some), but tries to be different and presents us with a group of teenaged victims who we can actually care about and get to know.

FrightMeter Grade: B

(**1/2 out of *****)

A group of horny young teenagers (aren't they all?) break into a furniture warehouse for a night of frivolous games and serious sex (or is it serious games and frivolous sex?) But, wouldn't you know it, a wet-blanket serial killer/madman has to start butchering everyone and spoiling all the fun. This looks even more low-budget than most ‘80s slashers, but I actually enjoyed it, once things got going. For one thing, the setting is great -- with an old, open elevator and multiple, dark floors full of mannequins and beds, so that the characters never know where the killer is, not to mention each other -- and the survivors are not necessarily the ones you'd expect (you never know who's gonna get it next.) There's the expected nudity and violence, but the mood and suspense place this one slightly above other teens-locked-in-a-building-with-a-psychopath slashers of its kind.

HIGHLIGHT: One girl waits for her boyfriend to come back to bed, unaware that the killer has messily disposed of him and put on his clothes, setting up a very scary scene of mistaken identity.

This movie has it's good moments... It has scary scenes, scary music, gore, original killings, and an original killer.

Give this movie a try. If you feel scared during the movie, I bet that at the end of it you'll feel like an idiot because the killer is VERY... Ok, you'll have to find it out heh heh.