Strange visions come to haunt a singer when she, her son, and her psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend move into an old colonial house that is haunted by the ghost of a ruthless slave owner.Strange visions come to haunt a singer when she, her son, and her psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend move into an old colonial house that is haunted by the ghost of a ruthless slave owner.Strange visions come to haunt a singer when she, her son, and her psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend move into an old colonial house that is haunted by the ghost of a ruthless slave owner.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
Bill Hindman
- Dr. Ben Brightman
- (as William M. Hindman)
Jackie Davis
- Detective Whitcomb
- (as Jakie Davis)
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Awful film about a family moving into a new house and falling prey to a rubber faced African voodoo monster that possesses Andrew Stevens and forces him to kill his family. The special effects are really that terrible, the entire cast is bland, and the situations that unfold in the film are a laugh riot. Good to watch and make fun of, otherwise avoid this piece of junk masquerading as a horror film. Rated R.
'80s supernatural horror Scared Stiff is, for the most part, a rather dull affair, but it is lifted somewhat by a final twenty minutes that completely throw logic and sanity out of the window. The lunacy is hinted at in an earlier scene where a young lad's toy cars come to life, engines roaring and wheels spinning, but it's not until the closing act that director Richard Friedman goes all out with the madness, chucking in time travel, a snarling monster, an exploding police car (it's amazing how easy the vehicle blows up), a mouldy corpse smashing through a window (having hung outside for several days unnoticed), a giant floating lampshade in the shape of an Indian, and Ivory Coast natives hurling spears through time and space.
The plot goes something like this: having recovered from a mental breakdown, pop star Kate moves into a new home with her boyfriend (and doctor) David Young (Andrew Stevens), and her seven year old son Jason (Josh Segal), unaware that the place is haunted by the malevolent ghost of a slave merchant. This hokey old set-up is rife with clichés, Friedman's attempts at atmosphere and foreboding fall horribly flat, his cast give uniformly bad performances, and certain scenes are horribly dated (such as the moment when Jason's computer projects a holographic 3D image or when David explains what diskettes are for). If you can, try and stay the distance for the mind-numbingly bonkers ending, which is just about worth the wait, but I wouldn't blame you if you gave up and found something better to do with your time.
2/10, plus a couple more points for the nutty stuff.
The plot goes something like this: having recovered from a mental breakdown, pop star Kate moves into a new home with her boyfriend (and doctor) David Young (Andrew Stevens), and her seven year old son Jason (Josh Segal), unaware that the place is haunted by the malevolent ghost of a slave merchant. This hokey old set-up is rife with clichés, Friedman's attempts at atmosphere and foreboding fall horribly flat, his cast give uniformly bad performances, and certain scenes are horribly dated (such as the moment when Jason's computer projects a holographic 3D image or when David explains what diskettes are for). If you can, try and stay the distance for the mind-numbingly bonkers ending, which is just about worth the wait, but I wouldn't blame you if you gave up and found something better to do with your time.
2/10, plus a couple more points for the nutty stuff.
If watched in the context of 1980's horror films this is a great little forgotten horror, fits in with films of the era such as 'House' & 'The Gate' movies, has the real film of USA middle budget horror films, it's a little surprise gem of that era .... enjoyable horror flick.
Scared Stiff should have been a better movie and it probably would have been with a bigger budget. I can see where they were going and they didn't have the proper sets and equipment to make it work.
It is rare that I watch a horror flick and am like aw dang I totally get this and would be into it if this weren't so bargain basement and slapped together by some low paid amateurs.
I also feel like there wasn't enough done with the connection between the slaves introduced in the beginning and the magical powers in the voodoo charm. Some things could have been improved by a more thoughtful execution with what they had, which is why I am still only giving this middling 80s mess five stars.
It is rare that I watch a horror flick and am like aw dang I totally get this and would be into it if this weren't so bargain basement and slapped together by some low paid amateurs.
I also feel like there wasn't enough done with the connection between the slaves introduced in the beginning and the magical powers in the voodoo charm. Some things could have been improved by a more thoughtful execution with what they had, which is why I am still only giving this middling 80s mess five stars.
This movie has a wild variety of practical and early computer effects. It is certainly over the top at times, and some probably laugh at it as a result, but I found it a pleasure to watch. The opening in the slave market sets the tone that we are in for something different. Yes, the male lead is bland as hell but the mom and kid do a pretty good job for a movie of this budget.
The final 30 minutes really ramps up and I kept saying "whoa!" out loud as things got wackier and wilder by the minute.
I've seen so many crappy movies getting reissued these last few years that it's always refreshing to actually see something that people put a lot of effort into.
Did you know
- TriviaAfter the film's underwhelming performance, it was released on VHS and then LaserDisc, but then fell into obscurity. In 2004, film historian Robert Ellinger was in one of the last video rental stores that still sold VHS tapes when the film caught his eye. He loved the film's music, especially "Beat of the Heart", but no soundtrack had ever been released. This began his long obsession with the film. He began acquiring everything he could from the film: test posters, various foreign VHS copies and even a promotional paperweight from when the film was released to home video. He was able to reach the film's costume designer Beverly Safier, who sent him a piece of fabric from one of the dresses that Kate wears in the film. He wanted to see if the film had other fans, so he uploaded "Beat of the Heart" to YouTube and discovered that there were fans who loved both the song and the movie. Because Ellinger works in the music industry, he was able to locate the film's composer The Barber Brothers (who was really just one person, Billy Barber) and asked him if he had the original masters for the soundtrack, but they were lost. Unwilling to give up, Ellinger contacted producer Daniel F. Bacaner, who had disowned the film and was surprised to hear someone mentioning the film so long after its release. Ellinger told Bacaner that he should re-release the film to introduce it to a new audience. They were able to locate the original negatives in an MGM vault in Pittsburgh, where it had remained for thirty years, as well as a treasure trove of unused promotional materials. Bacaner contacted director Richard Friedman and was able to secure a restoration by Arrow Video, who also gave the film a Blu-Ray release. They were able to get some of the cast and crew to provide some background information on the film, and Friedman, Bacaner and Ellinger made a commentary track. Billy Barber even performed a piano cover of "Beat of the Heart." As thanks for setting the restoration in motion, Bacaner gave Ellinger some negatives from the film out of his personal collection.
- GoofsThe workman's eyes clearly move after he is dead.
- Quotes
Michael Murphy: [as a hallucination to Kate] Hi Miss Christopher... I'm fine now... wanna see?
[unzips his forehead, causing his scalp to fall off, displaying his pulsating brain]
- ConnectionsReferenced in Robot Ninja (1989)
- SoundtracksBeat of the Heart
by Billy Barber
- How long is Scared Stiff?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $1,300,000 (estimated)
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