A football star throws a party for his friends. Two insane killers escape from a nearby asylum on that same night, and in their efforts to elude authorities, wind up at the party.A football star throws a party for his friends. Two insane killers escape from a nearby asylum on that same night, and in their efforts to elude authorities, wind up at the party.A football star throws a party for his friends. Two insane killers escape from a nearby asylum on that same night, and in their efforts to elude authorities, wind up at the party.
Joseph Paul Manno
- David
- (as Joe Manno)
Janette Caldwell
- Lisa
- (as Janette Allyson Caldwell)
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Somewhere in Wichita David is a potential college football star who's just won a four year scholarship to a college somewhere in Oklahoma.His mates decide to throw him a serious farewell party whilst his folks are out that night.Unfortunately three uninvited guests secretly gatecrash these nightly celebrations,two are convicts who've fled from lockup,now hiding out somewhere in the homes cellar while our third interloper is a mental patient escapee with a connection to the party guests and notably David himself.Soon the bodies start to pile up...Watchable slasher with gore,nudity and plenty of movie clips from Herb Freed's "Graduation Day"."Night Screams" tries to be a bit different than the rest of its low-budget neighbors.The action is slow and the bodycount includes ten murders or so.7 out of 10.
Behind the uninspired title lies an equally uninspired slasher that fails to deliver those essential ingredients of any good trashy horror: gratuitous nudity and gore. Initially, the film shows promise, opening with a girl getting topless in a changing room before being attacked by a masked maniac, but then it becomes apparent that this is actually a scene from 1981 slasher Graduation Day, as watched by two of this movie's characters before they are stabbed to death. Nudity borrowed from another film doesn't count (which also negates some T&A later on, which comes from a porn film being watched at a party), and the subsequent stabbings are lame.
The rest of the film continues in this disappointing fashion as a group of friends at a post-graduation party are bumped off in tame and uninventive ways off by an unseen maniac. Suspects include the escaped lunatics hiding in the basement, and football star David (Joseph Paul Manno), who is prone to outbursts of violence if he stops taking his meds. Of course, these turn out to be red herrings, but the real identity of the killer isn't hard to guess.
Of the numerous murders that occur in the house, we get a guy skewered with a fire poker, poisoning in a sauna, an axe in the head, a guy barbecued on a stove and stabbed in the neck, strangulation, suffocation, electrocution in a hot-tub, and choking with a pool cue, none of which are likely to satisfy gore-hounds. The best part of the film comes earlier on, when the escaped criminals are involved in a shootout with some cops and kill the staff of a diner in cold-blood: it's a surprisingly brutal scene, with some bloody squib-work.
2.5/10, rounded down to 2 for diabolical dance troupe The Sweetheart Dancers, whose terrible moves would get them four 'NOs' on America's Got Talent.
The rest of the film continues in this disappointing fashion as a group of friends at a post-graduation party are bumped off in tame and uninventive ways off by an unseen maniac. Suspects include the escaped lunatics hiding in the basement, and football star David (Joseph Paul Manno), who is prone to outbursts of violence if he stops taking his meds. Of course, these turn out to be red herrings, but the real identity of the killer isn't hard to guess.
Of the numerous murders that occur in the house, we get a guy skewered with a fire poker, poisoning in a sauna, an axe in the head, a guy barbecued on a stove and stabbed in the neck, strangulation, suffocation, electrocution in a hot-tub, and choking with a pool cue, none of which are likely to satisfy gore-hounds. The best part of the film comes earlier on, when the escaped criminals are involved in a shootout with some cops and kill the staff of a diner in cold-blood: it's a surprisingly brutal scene, with some bloody squib-work.
2.5/10, rounded down to 2 for diabolical dance troupe The Sweetheart Dancers, whose terrible moves would get them four 'NOs' on America's Got Talent.
My review was written in December 1987 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.
"Night Screams" is a subpar specimen of regional horror filmmaking (shot in Wichita). Slasher pic is loaded with cliches and the running time is padded shamelessly with footage from a porn film and endless end credits (intercut with "highlights" condemning the preceding pic).
A group of graduating high school seniors get together for a party at a remote house and are killed one at a time. Suspects include two vicious escaped criminals prowling nearby, plus the hero, an unbalanced football great who, hint, hint, has left behind his medication. Twist has an unlikely character proving to be the deranged killer, and getting away with it at film's end.
Film was edited by noted film doctor Herbert L. Strock and is spiced up by lengthy excerpts of softcore sex footage from a porn feature starring Seka, Honey Wilder and John Holmes. Acting, gore and tech credits are routine.
"Night Screams" is a subpar specimen of regional horror filmmaking (shot in Wichita). Slasher pic is loaded with cliches and the running time is padded shamelessly with footage from a porn film and endless end credits (intercut with "highlights" condemning the preceding pic).
A group of graduating high school seniors get together for a party at a remote house and are killed one at a time. Suspects include two vicious escaped criminals prowling nearby, plus the hero, an unbalanced football great who, hint, hint, has left behind his medication. Twist has an unlikely character proving to be the deranged killer, and getting away with it at film's end.
Film was edited by noted film doctor Herbert L. Strock and is spiced up by lengthy excerpts of softcore sex footage from a porn feature starring Seka, Honey Wilder and John Holmes. Acting, gore and tech credits are routine.
I think this is a really good slasher flick from the 80's that most people have never seen or heard of. There's a lot of 80's music, fashion, puns, etc. The plot is actually not that bad, and the acting is "mostly" very good considering this was filmed in Witchita, Kansas. Some of the killings are quite interesting in their method and approach. The ending was particularly well done in my opinion, it leaves the idea open for a sequel that never came. Not everyone will enjoy this movie, but if you like well executed slasher films from the 80's then you'll most likely be very pleased. On a side note the DVD which was put out by Image is above average, the picture is very clear and the sound is in Dolby 2.0 Surround. Sadly there are no special features besides scene selections and two trailers for other Image DVD releases.
NIGHT SCREAMS is underrated in the slasher genre. The premise works: Three escaped convicts head to a mansion where a teen party is taking place. These teens start to disappear one by one (ok they are brutally murdered). Later it's revealed that the escaped convicts had little responsability with the murders. Shocking!
The plot is a combination of the SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE and the 1982's classic ALONE IN THE DARK. NIGHT SCREAMS deserves a chance, watch it with low expectations and you'll have a good time!
3/10 -Terrible but tries to stand out of the garbage
"Welcome to Fright Night!...for real"
The plot is a combination of the SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE and the 1982's classic ALONE IN THE DARK. NIGHT SCREAMS deserves a chance, watch it with low expectations and you'll have a good time!
3/10 -Terrible but tries to stand out of the garbage
"Welcome to Fright Night!...for real"
Did you know
- TriviaContains scenes from "Graduation Day"
- Quotes
Beth: [Just before she's stabbed] You scared me!
- SoundtracksMad Enough
Written And Performed By Ken Brown (Uncredited)
- How long is Night Screams?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 25m(85 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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