| Review | Girls Nite Out (1982) | Director | Robert Duebel |
|---|---|
| Writers | Gil Spencer Jr., Kevin Kurgis and Joe Bolster |
| Cast | Julia Montgomery, James Carroll, Suzanne Barnes, Rutanya Alda, Lauren-Marie Taylor, Laura Summer, Mart McChesney, Lois Robbins, David Holbrook and Hal Holbrook |
“The twins are together again” – Caller
At Dewitt University a scavenger hunt is about to begin. The game, which takes place at night, takes the contestants all over the campus looking for clues. The terror begins as one by one the female players are slashed by a maniac…dressed as the basketball team’s mascot bear!
The people we get to know are couple Teddy and Lynn (Carroll & Montogomery) and their friends as they prepare for the big scavenger event. Some interior drama is revealed as Teddy strikes up a sexual encounter with another girl, Teddy’s best friend “Maniac” (McChesney) is hurting from a break-up and Sheila (Taylor) dumps her overbearing boyfriend Mike (David Holbrook).
Also there’s a gruesome bit of history revealed about Dewitt University as the legend of a former student and killer “Dicky” Cavanough looms over the campus.
Once the scavenger hunt begins the maniac, after each kill, dials the local DJ with ominous messages and later security guard Mac (Hal Holbrook) with threats and claims to be “Dicky”.
When you feel like you’ve probably seen all the best and most influential slashers then you’re saddled with the rest. When I was mining this ground as a teen I used to read countless reviews and watched interviews where it was always said that there were literally hundreds of slashers released in the late 70’s to mid 80’s. Apart from the classics in the genre and some others that gained popularity these lesser known efforts weren’t that readily available. But thanks to some fantastic niche labels in the physical media market these lesser films are not only getting a second lease on life but also looking better than they possibly may have during their brief theatrical run.
“Girls Nite Out” certainly fits into this category. It’s not a neglected slasher gem worthy of some grand re-appraisal but it is a perfectly serviceable entry in the sub-genre that plays it’s suspense straight, genuinely tries to entertain and supply some T&A and mild grue and go a little wild in the denouement. There’s a twist here that you won’t necessarily see coming and makes for a memorable finale.
It also features a decent maniac in an even more memorable costume that does his rather nasty slashings with knives taped to his fingers and that should ring a bell for most horror fans. Don’t know whether or not Wes Craven saw “Girls Nite Out” in the theatres but this beat the razor clawed look by a full two years before “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984). That’s about as far as ingenuity is concerned as the stalk and slash scenes are fairly pedestrian yet also more than passable. There’s an admirably sustained mood here as the film is fairly covered in darkness and the look of it fine; decently lensed by Joe Rivers (his only credit) and competently directed by Duebel (his only feature film credit).
Performances are fairly good here. Montgomery is both likeable and convincing and would cement her 80’s film status two years later with a prominent role in “Revenge of the Nerds”. Carroll and McChesney are spirited as basketball buddies, Barnes is quite lovely as a seductress and Taylor and Sumner are good as well. This is a fairly likeable bunch of youngsters and that always helps. Rutanya Alda seems a little overqualified for such a small role but she’s fine and veteran Hal Holbrook does solid work as security guard Mac.
“Girls Nite Out” was a little bit better than I expected and further viewings helped me appreciate it even more. It’s even fairly logical (stress: fairly – these films are inherently illogical) with some involvement from law officials late on and an ending that, while a bit out there, isn’t too far-fetched.
Physical Copy
My copy of “Girls Nite Out” is the region free Blu-ray issued by Arrow Video in 2022. It’s looks perfectly splendid in Hi-Def with an appropriately grainy, yet clear looking, image for a film of this vintage. Some wear and tear does pop up but that also just adds some flair. Audio quality is good too. It’s fairly loaded with features as there are five new actor interviews, one archival interview, two trailers and a commentary. Also a booklet. Arrow continues to be a top notch label and really gives these cult titles the royal treatment. Think what you will about the film but this release is simply terrific.
Why physical copy?
I always encourage the acquisition of physical copies as I dread the day when films will only exist as files on computers and through streaming services. The companies that put the effort into making the discs, create new artwork or reproduce the originals, issue booklets and much more deserve all the financial support they can. Therefore I will always mention the Blu-rays or DVD’s (and yes; also if I review something streamed through Netflix or the like) even though I gain nothing from it personally.
