Radio crochets

I saw this obscure slasher knock-off right about the same time I saw that godawful Disney movie Midnight Madness starring David Naughton and a pre-pubescent Michael J. Fox. Both movies centered around a late night college scavenger hunt and both featured a truly annoying oldies-style soundtrack (to this day I can't get that damn insidious theme song to Midnight Madness out of my head). But this movie had what the other film quite sorely lacked--a maniac dressed in a bear costume killing off all the idiotic characters. Hal Holbrook is the above-the-line star here (did the producers have compromising photos of him with a barnyard animal?),and Julie Montgomery, who went on to appear in Revenge of the Nerds before dropping off the face of the earth, plays the young female lead. The rest of the cast is forgettable and long forgotten. The plot is your standard formulaic slasher movie scenario. But see it for the bear. Growling, snarling, shouting misogynistic curses as he hacks up cast member after cast member with his razor-sharp claws (how many bear mascot costumes come with razor-sharp claws anyway?), the bear is the best and most original part of the movie. This is the best killer bear flick since Grizzly

After reading the reviews here on the imdb for this movie, I feel I have to step in the redress the balance somewhat! Sure, this isn't "Gladiator" but it's one of the better teen slashers from the eighties and doesn't deserve the mauling it's received here.

The plot - a menacing killer picking off university co-eds during a scavenger hunt - is just a credible as the more popular storylines in slashers like "Prom Night" and "Friday The 13th" and the direction from Robert Deubel generates many decent jolts and suspense. Everything moves at an entertaining pace upto a satisfying finale with a neat little twist.

I'm a big fan of these campus slasher pics - other fine examples being "Final Exam" and "Graduation Day" - and, for me, this was one of the best ones from the eighties. It may look a little dated now we've seen the "Scream"s and "I Know.."s of the late nineties but I'm sure most fans of this nifty horror subgenre will enjoy. Recommended.

**** / *****

The early '80s was a boom-time for slasher films, which is how a cheesy-kill fest like this one made it to the big screen. Girls Nite Out is about the average expectation of a low-budget 80's slasher.

It's a dark night at Dewitt College in rural Ohio. The basketball team is on cloud nine. The students are clowning (and fooling) around. The disk jokey is belting out golden oldies at the campus radio station. And a scavenger hunt as been planned for the evening. What could go wrong? Well... it seems that an insane man is loose, or is it someone else who is running around killing people in a bear suit? Yes, I typed bear suit. *Laugh here* Anyway, it seems that the scavenger search party may just be in danger of getting sliced.

Yep, business as usual in body count world - only this time there's little gore and no nudity. There's plenty of college kids goofing around though. Still, the young cast is energetic and likable enough to keep the movie from completely sinking and the murder scenes have a kind of amusing tongue-in-cheekness to them.

It's certainly not the best of the '80s slash boom, but it's not the worst either. It's worth a look, if only for laughs.

** out of ****

(** out of ***** -- and I'm probably being generous) Well, if you can get past the first half hour, with drunk college guys joking around, mugging for the camera, and doing one irritating imitation after another (who's idea was that?), then you'll probably find the rest of this mystery slasher mildly diverting, at the least. A killer in a mascot bear costume with big round eyes and knives for paws (kinda like Freddy Krueger) is knocking off guys and gals on a late-night scavenger hunt. When the story isn't following one lame relationship problem after another, we get to watch Hal Holbrook, as a campus security guard, sitting at a desk looking bored and out of place as he tries to figure out who the killer is. Not all of the acting's bad, and there are some fairly scary moments, but there's hardly any blood and too many mindless, coed shenanigans. The use of oldies rock and roll songs and some of the hair and clothing styles make the movie look like it was supposed to take place in the '50s (even though the annoying school DJ -- who for some damn reason gets his ugly mug shown about EVERY FIVE MINUTES in his studio -- tells us it's part of a some kinda '50s flashback weekend).

HIGHLIGHT: The final shot is pretty chilling, and it's a great leaves-you-hanging place for the movie to end. Still, probably not worth the rental (assuming you can actually find this anywhere).

A pretty by-the-numbers slasher entry from the early '80's. A maniac in a bear suit with steak knives for claws (Freddy?) prowls around a college campus on the night of a coed scavenger hunt. There's a small body-count, a really dumb ending and a little blood. The film is pretty dark-looking, but there are some good atmospheric shots, and the acting is above average for this type of film. The story moves fast enough, but the murder scenes seem poorly executed, leaving little to offer slasher fans. The bear costume is original though. Too bad the ending is incredibly stupid (that dubbed-in voice just does not work). Features a few messy neck shreddings, but little else. Two Stars.