This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray from Arrow Video is now available at retailers.
Girls Nite Out is one of the more unusual low-budget “slashers” to have been released in the early 80s. Like other films of its era, it features plenty of young students being stalked and sliced up by a maniac. But what differentiates it from other titles is the appealing cast (who more often than not seem to think they’re actually in a comedy) and the killer’s incredibly bizarre appearance.
The story is jarring early on. After spending a great deal of time with guys from a college basketball team and focusing on their relationship problems, it eventually becomes clear that the central character is Lynn Connors (Julia Montgomery). She’s in a relationship with star player Teddy Ratliff (James Carroll), who appears to be playing the field when he isn’t with Lynn. In fact, many of the players, who are jovial on the surface, are all dealing with feelings of resentment and frustration towards the opposite sex. The school itself also has a notorious history – years ago, one student murdered his girlfriend in a jealous rage and was institutionalized. The following night, female pupils compete at a campus scavenger hunt. As this occurs, a murderer puts on a costume of the campus mascot (in this case, a fuzzy bear) and begins causing stalking victims.
It’s a crazy movie filled with red herrings and subplots that aren’t always clearly resolved. The filmmakers play some tricks with the identity of the killer that often results in more confusion than fear on the part of the viewer. And there are a couple of odd tangents involving supporting characters. The most notable may be a subplot involving a security guard (played by the great Hal Holbrook) with a connection to the original slaying. Most of his interactions are with student Mike Pryor (played by his son, David Holbrook), who has a temper and suspicious demeanor. The bits are well-handled, but feel far removed from the story of Lynn and Teddy.
The appearance of a villainous, big-eyed bear-figure is almost ridiculous at times, but it does make a strong impression. There are plenty of jumps between playful flirting and corny jokes between characters to more effectively rendered and gruesome slayings. In many ways, it’s a head-scratching experience, but one that is hard to look away from. The leads, who for much of the movie are completely unaware of the looming threat around them, are likable and more authentic than many characters in these types of movies.
Despite the outrageous scenario and some awkward story elements, the movie offers a strong and distinguished finale, ultimately standing out as a unique slasher flick. It also boasts an impressive soundtrack with plenty of great tunes by notable bands. The movie is so peculiar that one could get lost trying to figure out exactly what the intent was (to be honest, this reviewer thinks that the director and producers were simply trying to cram in too much contrasting material), but it’s intriguing from beginning to end and stands out as unique.
This low-budget feature isn’t one that is ever going to look crystal clear, but Arrow has managed to put together a solid presentation of the movie with a 2K restoration from vault elements. It looks much improved on Blu-ray and the fine grain that is still present really adds to the fun drive-in movie vibe of the picture.
Of course, there are also plenty of added bonuses worth checking out. The first is a commentary track with a pair of historians discussing the picture, as well as the careers of those involved. It’s a fun listen, especially as the pair clearly have a deep affection for the movie. They note elements that were forward-thinking (particularly in relation to the female characters), while attempting to come to terms with the sometimes sudden shifts in tone from comedy to violent horror. Occasionally, claims about the filmmaker intentionally presenting tropes as being playful winks come across as a bit of a stretch. Regardless, their interpretations are thought-provoking and there is plenty of fascinating information delivered.
And there’s more to enjoy. The Blu-ray includes a recently recorded interview with lead Julia Montgomery (a second, archived discussion is also included). Over the two segments, she recalls her time working on the film. Her recollections include shooting certain scenes with less-than-stellar written material, dealing with the relative inexperience of a few of the producers, as well as improvising scenes with other cast members. All of her memories are actually very positive, stating that everyone involved, including screen legend Hal Holbrook, were wonderful to work with and that the on-set camaraderie likely benefited the picture. She also goes into detail on other films in her resume, including the comedy Revenge of the Nerds.
This positivity seems to be a running theme through all of the discussions. Laura Summer, Lois Robbins and Paul Christie also share memories of enjoying the shoot. According to some, the producers wanted a cross between Friday the 13th and Animal House. As actors, they described having to convey terror during the murder scenes and then focus on the interpersonal relationships and delivering laughs. Many describe the making of the movie as having a party-like atmosphere. These talks also detail their careers after wrapping the picture. Perhaps the sweetest anecdote comes from cast members Lauren-Marie Taylor and John Didrichsen. While their characters didn’t interact much in the film itself, they ultimately fell for each other during the shoot and eventually married… the pair have been together ever since.
Other bonuses include footage from the opening with the movie’s alternate title, The Scaremaker. There are also a couple of trailers, including one that prominently features a young woman (who also appears on the movie’s poster). Curiously, she doesn’t appear in the picture at all. It seems that the distributor had their own strange ideas for promoting the picture, using the actress as a narrator of sorts for the trailer and then placing her prominently in the publicity materials.
Girls Night Out isn’t exactly a classic, but it is a curious oddity with reasonably well-developed characters and a memorably unique killer and an impressive final pay-off. One can see how it has developed a cult following. The movie looks better than it ever has before thanks to this Blu-ray and arrives with a good critical analysis of its themes, in addition to great interviews with cast members. This “slasher” was missed by many horror fans during its original run – most will be pleased to discover this eccentric effort, as will those who did see it on VHS and have been waiting for a high-definition presentation.