PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Synopsis:
“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.”
The guys over at Vinegar Syndrome are extremely adept at releasing obscure films that you never knew you needed. The 4K/Blu-ray release of 1987’s Night Screams fits firmly into that category.
The brainchild of aspiring filmmaker Dillis C. Hart II (who wrote the story and co-wrote the script with Mitch Brian (Transformations) a Wichita, Kansas native, Night Screams is the kind of nostalgic, “comfort food,” film that many fans of this particular sub-genre, me included, overlooked during the home video glut of 80s slasher flicks. Overlooked no more. Consider me a convert!
Directed by Alan Plume (Phantom of the Ritz, and a bunch of Earth, Wind & Fire concert films) and indicative of the late period “maniac killer” flicks of the time, Night Screams treads a pretty familiar path: teens (played by painfully obvious twenty-somethings) on a sex & booze binge meet a bad end. However, with some inventive kills, above-average effects, fresh faces, a well-developed story (despite the short run-time, more on this later…) and some clever plot twists, Night Screams emerges as a fine example of horror very well done (pun intended).
Troubled football star David (Joeseph Manno; Savannah) is under a lot of pressure – all the guys want to be him, all the girls want to be with him, he has a major college scholarship offer, his overprotective mom (Leslie Thomas) is way concerned about his health, and his overbearing father (Dennis Arnold; The Parade) is living vicariously through him. All poor David wants to do is chill with his teammate/bestie DB (Ron Thomas; The Karate Kid, Cobra Kai) and pine for the mysterious new redhead at school, Joni (Megan Wyss; Amazing Stories). After a night out at the local (teen?!?) nightclub, David heads home (his parents conveniently out of town) for a night of booze and pre-marital sex with his fellow high schoolers in tow: the moody jock Mason (Dan Schramm), gorgeous blond Lisa (Janette Caldwell; Forget Paris), his bitchy ex Chris (Susan Lyles; Blameless), the nerdy Russell (Randy Lundsford), the perpetually horny Doug (Jerry Goehring; Be More Chill), Chuck (Mike Roark; Matlock) and Brenda (Barabra Schoenhofer; The Birdhouse). Unbeknownst to our young revelers, two escaped inmates on a murderous rampage, Snake (John Hines) who is prone to oratory dialogues and goofy hats, and Runner (Tony Brown; The Manson Family) are hiding out in the basement. Soon the stage is set for an evening of blood-soaked mayhem, but who is really the killer? Rubber duckies and sauna sex be damned!
Night Screams – cliché title notwithstanding – is a really fun, entertaining slasher flick. All of the hallmarks are present and accounted for: not-so-latent misogyny, “rapey” male leads, ridiculous fashion choices, terribly dated music, and plenty of sex and violence! Filmed in Wichita, it features, according to the producers, a 50/50 mix of local and Hollywood talent and the plot is a cut above from most of the “also rans” from the period. Some actual, believable “red herrings” and a really original, yet oddly familiar in a sense, twist ending leaves Night Screams open for the requisite sequel (that never materialized, evidently). While not some undiscovered gem that will mesmerize horror fans for the next year, Night Screams is a very pleasant find for those waxing nostalgic for a simpler time when boozy, half-naked, sex crazed co-eds get murdered for no apparent reason.
Vinegar Syndrome did an excellent job with this release: three discs (2 Blu, 1 4K-Ultra), excellent transfers, with an alternate version, interviews, and a really in-depth documentary about the making of the film that clocks in at only 5 minutes less than the feature. The exhaustive chronicle of Night Screams only serves to make the film even more charming when you hear the great stories behind the production. Remember the short run time mentioned above? When the film was presented to the distributors, they basically told Dillis Hart II “too short, and needs more tits and blood,” so the wide release edit had footage from Graduation Day with additional footage from an actual porn film spliced in (and loosely shoehorned into the plot) to add 5-7 minutes. While more Linnea Quigley is never a bad thing, the Seka/John Holmes footage just seems out of place. The alternate cut presented in the package is the original 80-minute cut, sans porn, that the producers originally intended. Definitely recommended viewing as many of the people who worked on the film tell their personal experiences (still a knockout, Megan Wyss just recently returned to acting after a 35 YEAR hiatus). In the interest of keeping this “spoiler free,” I’ll stop here, but suffice to say, the doc is very eye opening.
Entertaining, and very well crafted (especially by a group of relative rookies), Night Screams is a great selection for your next “blind buy” when you’re looking for a late-night popcorn movie, and with a strangely comprehensive release for an obscure little film, Vin Syn knocked it outta the park on this one! Just watch out for those burgers, man!
Night Screams is available in 4k-Ultra/Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome and fine retailers now.
