Endless HackArtober #27: Katie Cavanaugh

Characters from obscure horror movies don't excite too many people, but I figure if the damned thing's out on Bluray someone will get a kick out of the deep cut, grade C-to-Z slashers, monsters and madmen. If I could sculpt I'd be making custom figures or little resin statues of all these (often rightfully) overlooked horror jobbers.

So, anyway. The movie is Girls Nite Out (1982, aka The Scaremaker). The killer inside this ridiculous mascot suit has a proto-Freddy Krueger claw device that's used to tear up some DeWitt University "kids" while a highly contrived scavenger hunt is going on. Clues are given to the students over the college radio airwaves by a deejay. Hal Holbrook is the name actor looking tired and in need of money, playing a security guard who sits at a desk and not interacting much with the other characters until close to the end of the movie.  His scenes were likely shot in a day. it's fascinating to see who shows up in these things, sometimes it's a little sad. But work's work. I'd rather work on some junky low-budget movies to help pay the bills than a lot of things people are paid to do. That being said, this is a pretty junky movie, but it's better than the bottom of the barrel, if that's damning with faint praise then so be it. I can't say this is a good film but I didn't think it was unwatchable, it had some interesting moments and at least two scenes that kind of worked, more or less. More faint praise.  

Whether that's good enough to recommend it is highly debatable, I certainly wouldn't enthusiastically push it on anyone. I'm feeling pretty wishy-washy on this one, it sticks out mainly for the stupid bear suit and a lot of bad college comedy hi-jinks before the slasher movie kicks in. It was partially shot in New Jersey, doubling for Ohio (because that's where the investors came from, that's why) at Upsala College, so if you're a WFMU fan you get to see a little bit of their former campus location. It's hard to completely forget since it's the only bear suit mascot slasher movie out there. 

Maybe.