Girls Nite Out

Plot synopsis:
At Weston Hills Sanitarium, Dickie Cavanaugh is found hanging in his cell. Cavanaugh's sister gives permission to two gravediggers to bury the body. While the two men are digging the hole for Cavanaugh's body, they are attacked and murdered by an unseen killer who throws their corpses into the burial plot and buries them.
At DeWitt University, the basketball team won a championship game, and an all-night scavenger hunt will take place the next evening for the female students. Lynn and her boyfriend/star player Teddy Ratliff celebrate the victory at the diner, and the waitress Barney is thrilled for the team. Lynn, Teddy, and other students attend a party that evening, where the story of Dickie circulates among freshman who are unaware of his recent death; they are told that Cavanaugh murdered his girlfriend Penny in a jealous rage and is locked away in the sanitarium. Lynn becomes jealous over Teddy's attraction to Dawn Sorenson and misfit Mike Pryor gets into a fight with his girlfriend Sheila. Soon, school mascot Michael Benson is stabbed in his dorm room after arriving back from the party, and his bear mascot costume is stolen by the killer.
The following day, Mike Pryor is questioned by campus security officer Jim MacVey over the fight with his girlfriend; MacVey's daughter Penny was Dickie Cavanaugh's girlfriend. Later that evening, the campus radio DJ broadcasts the clues to the scavenger hunt, which are received by the girls on their portable radios. Meanwhile, the killer who is dressed in the bear costume, is armed with serrated knives mimicking bear claws.
Jane is brutally killed in the girls' locker room after finding the first item of the hunt, and her body is tied up in the showers. Her friend Kathy discovers her body and tries to run before getting murdered by the killer. The DJ at the radio station begins receiving phone calls from the killer, who tallies his victims; the killer also calls officer MacVey and claims to be Dickie Cavanaugh before hanging up. Sheila goes down to the pond to search for another item and runs into the bear-clad killer, whom she believes to Benson. Teasing the killer, she goes into a shed by the pond and she is murdered by the window. Lynn is searching for items on the scavenger hunt and Teddy has sex with Dawn. Lynn's friend Leslie goes to search for an item in the attic of the old chapel, where she is murdered and her body is discovered by Lynn. After calling, the police arrive and find all of the bodies, where they are suspicious of Mike Pryor and question several of the students. Dawn gets into an argument with her boyfriend, who kicks her out of their house after he tells her he knows about her affair with Teddy. Officer MacVey studies the phone calls placed to the radio station as well as files and photographs of Dickie Cavanaugh, whose death he became aware of by Dickie's doctor.
Dawn senses that someone is following her and she makes a call from the cafeteria phone to Teddy's house, where he is consoling Lynn. Teddy leaves Lynn to get Dawn, and finds her bloodily wounded in the cafeteria. As Teddy is comforting her, he is then stabbed by the Barney, who was the killer all along. Officer MacVey enters the cafeteria and confronts her, who he addresses as Dickie's twin sister named Katie Cavanaugh. She suffers from multiple personalities (with her speaking in different voices) and claims to be Dickie. After MacVey tells Katie that Dickie had committed suicide, she calmly tells him that he Dickie ins't dead and that he brought him from the hospital. The film ends with her opening a freezer door, showing Dickie's frozen body clothed in a wheelchair and having the bear-claw weapon in his hand.

Tags: cult, murder, violence

Review:
Sure, this isn't "Gladiator" but it's one of the better teen slashers from the eighties and doesn't deserve the mauling it's received here.The plot - a menacing killer picking off university co-eds during a scavenger hunt - is just a credible as the more popular storylines in slashers like "Prom Night" and "Friday The 13th" and the direction from Robert Deubel generates many decent jolts and suspense.
Everything moves at an entertaining pace upto a satisfying finale with a neat little twist.I'm a big fan of these campus slasher pics - other fine examples being "Final Exam" and "Graduation Day" - and, for me, this was one of the best ones from the eighties.
"Girls Nite Out" focuses on an isolated Ohio college campus where a group of cheerleaders are preparing for an annual all-night sorority scavenger hunt after the university's victory basketball game.
What would be a fun evening for these young women is everything but when a killer dressed in the school's mascot bear suit is stalking and murdering them throughout the night, and the suspicious death of a local asylum patient and former student has the campus security guard (Hal Holbrook) on high lookout.I had been curious about this film for a long time, and when I finally decided to get a hold of it, my expectations were low due to an overwhelming amount of negative reviews on the internet.
While the title "Girls Nite Out" doesn't exactly paint this movie as a class act, I was extremely surprised at how "usual" the film was in terms of slasher protocol, and un-trashy it actually was.
I went in expecting something along the lines of "Slumber Party Massacre", and ended up getting a film that had more in common with "Friday the 13th" and "Prom Night" than anything else.Despite its little-known reputation and apparent sleaze cinema status, the film benefits greatly from slick production values, decent camera work, and surprisingly good acting.
Add to that list a handful of unexpectedly bloody murder scenes at the hands of a bear mascot (wielding multiple claw-knives in hand, ala Freddy Krueger, no less), and this is actually a well-rounded slasher movie.Despite the film's quality production, I think what makes "Girls Nite Out" most unique (and successful) is the killer himself.
The dark college campus is a perfect setting for the film, and the accompanying score provides heavy doses of unease.While the film is actually something of a slow burner (the first murder doesn't take place until a good 45 minutes into the film, and the first act is made up of college kid charades which gives the audience a little time to understand the characters, and the writers to flesh out a couple of infidelity subplots), the murder sequences are a payoff for slice-and-dice horror fans.
The second murder actually caught me off guard by how graphic it was, and the fact that the killer screams at the female victims, calling them "sluts" and "whores" while digging serrated knives into their necks is pretty disturbing.
Like I said before, some of the scenes are surprisingly bloody, while a couple of others are suggestive rather than gratuitous (namely the scene in the chapel attic), but they are all equally effective.As I mentioned before, the acting in this film is surprisingly good, especially for a movie of this calibre.
Hal Holbrook plays a stern campus cop, and the rest of the cast is fleshed out by a group of lively college-aged kids who are more believable than they need to be in an '80s slasher flick.
That said, the absence of one discernible protagonist eliminates the clichéd "final girl", so there is equal playing ground.The reveal at the end of the film is slightly anticlimactic, but besides that is actually well-handled and bizarre, and greatly acted by the villain (whom I'm not going to name).
It stars Hal Holbrook (Creepshow), Rutanya Alda (Mommie Dearest)and Julia Montgomery (Revenge of the Nerds) and features a murderer wearing a dancing bear costume.
The film centers around a series of murders taking place on a college campus during their annual "scavenger hunt"...and just when you think you know who the murderer is, the film springs the classic horror movie "surprise" twist ending on you that makes you scratch your head and say "Huh?" This is an excellent "party" film since you really don't have to pay all that much attention to it.
It's good little slasher flick compared to most of the low budget teen horrors of the time.
A killer in a mascot bear costume with big round eyes and knives for paws (kinda like Freddy Krueger) is knocking off guys and gals on a late-night scavenger hunt.
When the story isn't following one lame relationship problem after another, we get to watch Hal Holbrook, as a campus security guard, sitting at a desk looking bored and out of place as he tries to figure out who the killer is.
The use of oldies rock and roll songs and some of the hair and clothing styles make the movie look like it was supposed to take place in the '50s (even though the annoying school DJ -- who for some damn reason gets his ugly mug shown about EVERY FIVE MINUTES in his studio -- tells us it's part of a some kinda '50s flashback weekend).HIGHLIGHT:  The final shot is pretty chilling, and it's a great leaves-you-hanging place for the movie to end.
A maniac in a bear suit with steak knives for claws (Freddy?) prowls around a college campus on the night of a coed scavenger hunt.
Then, an unseen killer, posing as the mascot for the basketball team, begins stalking and killing a number of young girls from the cheerleading squad.
Meanwhile, Mac (Hal Holbrook) is the campus security guard, looking very puzzled to what's going on, who wades through a series of red herrings.Not the best of the early 1980's slasher flicks, with the bear costume the only original thing about this one.
Worth a look for horror fans, with some nice touches to the low-budget.Contents: seven killings; inferior slaughter; one psycho in a bearsuit; no sex or nudity; lots of Golden Oldies on the soundtrack; much duller and dumber than usual.
The early '80s was a boom-time for slasher films, which is how a cheesy-kill fest like this one made it to the big screen.
Fox. Both movies centered around a late night college scavenger hunt and both featured a truly annoying oldies-style soundtrack (to this day I can't get that damn insidious theme song to Midnight Madness out of my head).
But this movie had what the other film quite sorely lacked--a maniac dressed in a bear costume killing off all the idiotic characters.
There are over the top frat parties, great costumes, brat gossip, cheating whores, killer Mascots, and a residential DJ...what more could you ask for in a Midnight movie?...that being said its clear that this one lacked a little direction and was not the scariest nor the most suspenseful thriller to come out, but it was atmospheric if not formulaic in its filming.
A killer murders the college mascot and steals the bear costume as they go about murdering the girls who are taking part in an all-night scavenger hunt held by the campus radio-station.
Campus security officer Mac begins to get the feeling something isn't quite right, especially when he gets a strange phone call from someone who claims to be the guy who killed his daughter on these grounds many years ago.
The novelty of the killer in the bear costume is the most original aspect, as it goes on their own little scavenger hunt using its claws which are made of blades to cuddle then hack-up their victim.
Imagine yourself the type of flamboyant and outrageous party where the deejay plays irresistible hits like "Yummy, yummy, Yummy, I've got love in my tummy" and where the loudest, most annoying guy of the bunch tells eerie stories to petrify the girls.
Naturally the killer escapes right in time to join the fun, as the very next day the school's famous annual scavenger hunt contest kicks off.
The killer wears the basketball team mascot suit – a bear – and ingeniously replaced the fake plastic claws with genuine knives.
The acting is good for the most part, Hal Holbrook solidifies the cast as a stern campus security head.
AKA Girl's Nite Out. Watched this on an old British VTC VHS release, it's one slasher movie that I had so far missed.
The positives are that the killer goes around wearing a bear mascot costume, with blades inserted as claws (pre Freddie Krueger), pretty cool.
Girls Nite Out is yet another slasher flick that takes place on a school campus, and as such; all the characters in the film are your common set of teens.
I couldn't detect much comedy in the film, which is odd because the killer is one of the most ridiculous I've ever seen, in that he goes around slashing people while wearing a giant bear suit!
It is good for a chuckle here and there, especially when the killer is killing the sorority girls with his bear suit.
Wait a minute, HAL Holbrook plays the security guard in this movie.
Students at Dewitt University are all getting ready for the annual all night Scavenger Hunt unaware a psycho dressed as the bear mascot and armed with a fist full of steak knives is stalking the young ladies of Dewitt.
Her line "It hurts when I sit down." is one of the worst in the film.All in all I found this movie quite disappointing, no nudity which didn't really bother me, no gore, low on suspense and plus there is no final girl showdown with the killer a first in the slasher genre which I find a major letdown and what we're left with is a totally stupid ending which kind went out with a whimper instead of a bang.
Boring Nite In. I had high hopes for this slasher flick after learning that the killer wears a bear suit.
Afterall, there's not many slasher flicks out there where the killer wears a bear suit is there?
The ending is one of those that makes you think "huh?" - I imagine the film makers thought it was clever - but really it was just silly.If you're a slasher completist then you may want to seek this out, but for anyone looking for an Entertaining Nite In - avoid it..
Horrible film about a killer in a bear suit killing sorority members during a scavenger hunt.
The acting and direction isn't any worse then other slasher films of the 80's, but with no scares, and a laughable premise & death scenes this does stand out as one of the worst of its kind.
Frat brothers and Sorority sisters prove to be claw fodder for a serial killer dressed in the basketball team's bear mascot suit.
Sure, the killer's bear costume is dorky, but it doesn't harm the film of scares and cool death scenes..
That's pretty much all you need to know except it's important to point out that the killer has stolen the team's bear mascot outfit and that's about the only original thing you're going to find here.
For a slasher film it seems that the four writers knew how to throw in every cliché that they could yet they didn't seem to remember that fans of the genre wanted nudity, violence and gore.
With the security guard hung up with curiosity, the campus DJ harassed by the killer's incessant phone calls, and close friends dispatched of ruthlessly, the truth remains to be seen.I took notice that Hal Holbrook, the campus security officer, took a part in this film, after witnessing his appearance in The Fog from 1980 and 1982's Creepshow - in particular, the segment entitled "The Crate." I find him to be a suitable actor in Girls Nite Out in addition to the aforementioned titles.
In the past I've thought to myself, "You know that movie was horrible but it had one killer ending, it might be worth owning just for that." If I had a dime for every time I've said that I'd be a rich man; spending carelessly on sub-par Slashers wouldn't be an issue for me.
Something about those 80's horror movies that gets me is the killer is almost always dressed in some animal costume.
After popping in the original VHS of the film that I recently acquired, the grainy, dark atmosphere was immediate.A college is having it's annual sorority scavenger hunt on campus, but someone is picking the girls off one by one.
There are multiple events leading up to the scavenger hunt that create quite a wide range of suspects, and I absolutely did not guess the killer, something that is rare for me after having seen so many movies in the genre.
The bear suit is comical, but is at the same time very twisted, lulling the victims into security and having "that look" to it.While the plot itself is not too out of the ordinary, character relationships, legitimate suspenseful moments and a dark atmosphere work for this film.
The tie in to the history mentioned throughout the movie of the other crime is fully realized, and I was not bored even though there are multiple extended scenes of partying, dialog and walking."Girls Nite Out" might just be THE most criminally underrated slasher film I've seen so far.
Most of the harder to find and obscure titles in the genre are buried deep for a reason, but "Girls Nite Out" is a shining example of what atmosphere, creativity, character development and a great ending can do for an otherwise basic film.
The story here is simple enough: on a college campus, coeds find their good-hearted fun, in the form of a scavenger hunt, hampered by the activities of a brutal killer who has murdered the basketball team's mascot, appropriated his goofy bear costume, and is using it to escape detection while slaughtering the participants.
To add to that, there's a melodramatic sub plot about the killing of campus security head Jim MacVey's (Hal Holbrook) daughter once upon a time, which is going to prove to be important to the story later.
Yes, it does have some things going for it: the addition of a scavenger hunt helps to create a somewhat playful approach, as well as the bear costume (it is a hoot to see a slasher villain wearing something like this), the soundtrack features golden oldies like "Summer in the City" and "Do You Believe in Magic", and the killer's weapon of choice automatically calls to mind the glove made famous by Freddy in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" two years later.
It takes a cheap slasher film to poke some fun at this, by subverting the supposedly 'friend to all the family' character and making them into a vicious and deranged killer.
An interesting idea and the very presence of this Dancing Bear, complete with razor paws, actually carries a degree of menace with mild panache.As for the plot, you'll be hard pushed to write it down in more than 3 sentences and this follows some familiar 80's slasher traits: a prior tragic event which sets off the killer's rampage, college students with sex, weed and alcohol their sole preoccupation, some gratuitous slayings of women with the camera fixated on their terror and a twist ending with a Scooby Doo style whodunnit.The premise of this all stems from the story of a former student referred to as Dickie Kavanaugh, whom you see at the very beginning, at least his legs which are suspended from an apparent suicide, in a mental hospital and then at the very end, in a truly arresting final shot.
I have such mixed feelings about this movie.GIRL'S NITE OUT has a little bit of gore - not as much as you'd see in a normal slasher movie and not nearly as graphic as most I've seen, but it has some.
It was executed (in a manner of speaking) about as well as you'd expect for an average 1980's slasher film.In places, the movie annoyed the you know what out of me.
At least in this film the characters didn't know there was a murderer on the loose and most of the time, they had a reason to be alone - a nice change.The soundtrack is pretty good overall, and there is also a fair amount of licensed music from the 1960's.
The film starts out slow (again, watching college students partying and dealing with their dramas) - it picks up in the second half when most of the killing occurs.
I knew it wasn't the person the movie was trying to lead me to believe it was and I thought I'd figured it out - and I was wrong.One quick note about the plot line such as it is - There is a costume party at the beginning of the movie and it would have made much more sense to have the slaughters happen then because the killer wears a bear costume (the school mascot's), but it is what it is.This movie would be a great introduction to slasher films if 1.
There's no "girls' night out" type thing going on, and a lot of the movie focuses on male characters.Someone is found hanging in a hospital.
The mystery is, was he not really dead or did someone else come along?A bunch of college students are having a scavenger hunt with clues given by the campus radio DJ.
The killer steals the goofy-looking bear mascot uniform of the college, adding large serrated knives into the claws.
A vicious psycho wearing a beat suit stalks and slaughters cheerleaders on a college campus during a scavenger hunt.
Soon, a killer stalks a group of college students who are having an all-night scavenger hunt.