Girls Nite Out

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

This film is an odd little piece of horror history. It stars Hal Holbrook (Creepshow), Rutanya Alda (Mommie Dearest)and Julia Montgomery (Revenge of the Nerds) and features a murderer wearing a dancing bear costume. The murder sequences are goofy but then again so is the entire film. Like a train wreck, you will not be able to take your eyes off of it and the bizarre musical score and odd sense of humor make this a fun little horror gem to have around the house. The film centers around a series of murders taking place on a college campus during their annual "scavenger hunt"...and just when you think you know who the murderer is, the film springs the classic horror movie "surprise" twist ending on you that makes you scratch your head and say "Huh?" This is an excellent "party" film since you really don't have to pay all that much attention to it. Recommended for fans of the "slasher film" genre.

"Girls Nite Out" focuses on an isolated Ohio college campus where a group of cheerleaders are preparing for an annual all-night sorority scavenger hunt after the university's victory basketball game. What would be a fun evening for these young women is everything but when a killer dressed in the school's mascot bear suit is stalking and murdering them throughout the night, and the suspicious death of a local asylum patient and former student has the campus security guard (Hal Holbrook) on high lookout.

I had been curious about this film for a long time, and when I finally decided to get a hold of it, my expectations were low due to an overwhelming amount of negative reviews on the internet. While the title "Girls Nite Out" doesn't exactly paint this movie as a class act, I was extremely surprised at how "usual" the film was in terms of slasher protocol, and un-trashy it actually was. I went in expecting something along the lines of "Slumber Party Massacre", and ended up getting a film that had more in common with "Friday the 13th" and "Prom Night" than anything else.

Despite its little-known reputation and apparent sleaze cinema status, the film benefits greatly from slick production values, decent camera work, and surprisingly good acting. Add to that list a handful of unexpectedly bloody murder scenes at the hands of a bear mascot (wielding multiple claw-knives in hand, ala Freddy Krueger, no less), and this is actually a well-rounded slasher movie.

Despite the film's quality production, I think what makes "Girls Nite Out" most unique (and successful) is the killer himself. The bear suit, which might sound corny if you haven't seen it, is actually quite eerie. With large, yellow/green cartoonish eyes, the image of it lurking around the campus is actually really terrifying. Of course, the girls all think that it's the jokester mascot who they know all too well, and that dramatic irony adds a sense of tension to the confrontation scenes. The dark college campus is a perfect setting for the film, and the accompanying score provides heavy doses of unease.

While the film is actually something of a slow burner (the first murder doesn't take place until a good 45 minutes into the film, and the first act is made up of college kid charades which gives the audience a little time to understand the characters, and the writers to flesh out a couple of infidelity subplots), the murder sequences are a payoff for slice-and-dice horror fans. The second murder actually caught me off guard by how graphic it was, and the fact that the killer screams at the female victims, calling them "sluts" and "whores" while digging serrated knives into their necks is pretty disturbing. Like I said before, some of the scenes are surprisingly bloody, while a couple of others are suggestive rather than gratuitous (namely the scene in the chapel attic), but they are all equally effective.

As I mentioned before, the acting in this film is surprisingly good, especially for a movie of this calibre. Hal Holbrook plays a stern campus cop, and the rest of the cast is fleshed out by a group of lively college-aged kids who are more believable than they need to be in an '80s slasher flick. The only real quip I have with the film is that it loses a focal point near the end— in fact, it's hard to tell if it had one in the first place. There are a lot of characters and the script keeps the audience well-acquainted with several of them, but it's difficult to pinpoint a central protagonist, which is mildly problematic once the police and investigators enter the film in the last half hour to try and solve the murders. That said, the absence of one discernible protagonist eliminates the clichéd "final girl", so there is equal playing ground.

The reveal at the end of the film is slightly anticlimactic, but besides that is actually well-handled and bizarre, and greatly acted by the villain (whom I'm not going to name). The final frame of the film is definitely up there as far as "creepy endings" go. Overall, "Girls Nite Out" is overlooked and underrated among its counterparts, and is a lot better than it should be and a hell of a lot better than its reputation. If you like slasher films and appreciate the genre, then give this one a go. 8/10.

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.

**** / *****

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.