Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Girls Nite Out; before launching into my critique, here's a breakdown of my ratings:
Story - 1.00 Direction - 1.00 Pace - 1.00 Acting - 1.00 Enjoyment - 1.25
TOTAL - 5.25 out of 10
When I saw Hal Holbrook and Rutanya Alda on the roll call, I was hoping and praying this would be better than the usual slasher flicks. Sadly, it wasn't. Girls Nite Out has slasher mediocrity running through its veins.
The story is the worst perpetrator for this lacklustre approach. By 1982 writers were already starting to regurgitate others' ideas as their own. Refreshing the repetition was usually done by adding appealing characters and an absorbing storyline. Sadly, the writers of this University murderer did neither, causing the story to grow staler with every scene. Albeit, I have to pay respect to a few of the characterisations. Hagen and Dancer are superb. These guys are the Bill and Ted of their time. Clever and witty repartee that is timed and delivered with perfection. Well-written and performed vigorously. There are a couple of similar scenes between Teddy and Maniac. Regrettably, the remainder of the comedic dialogue gets weighed down with stereotypical college humour.
The director also takes the road most travelled, though it's littered with infrequent glimmers of hope. We have the standard shots such as the close-up of feet walking, a gloved hand holding a deadly weapon ominously, and a few jump scares. But then he slips in the murder victim reveal, and two of these are noteworthy - The hanged woman in the showers, the way the killer has trussed her up is ingenious, and the slashed teen in the belfry, the way the body is displayed is chilling. Even with these shining moments, the film doesn't lift itself out of the quagmire of averageness. The director even tries to vary the flow of the picture. At its worst, it's too slow, and at its best, it's only a smidgen faster. That, along with the banal college clowning, gives too many scenes the feeling of being overlong and tedious.
The cast is okay, but none are outstanding, not even Holbrook or Alda. In fact, there's one particular scene where Alda is truly terrible. The other performers range from mediocre to agreeable.
All of which produce an average film, worthy of one viewing - But only if there's nowt else on the telly. Girls Nite Out, like so many films of this ilk, could have been better. More was needed, but less was given.
Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chiller list to see where I ranked Girls Nite Out.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story - 1.00 Direction - 1.00 Pace - 1.00 Acting - 1.00 Enjoyment - 1.25
TOTAL - 5.25 out of 10
When I saw Hal Holbrook and Rutanya Alda on the roll call, I was hoping and praying this would be better than the usual slasher flicks. Sadly, it wasn't. Girls Nite Out has slasher mediocrity running through its veins.
The story is the worst perpetrator for this lacklustre approach. By 1982 writers were already starting to regurgitate others' ideas as their own. Refreshing the repetition was usually done by adding appealing characters and an absorbing storyline. Sadly, the writers of this University murderer did neither, causing the story to grow staler with every scene. Albeit, I have to pay respect to a few of the characterisations. Hagen and Dancer are superb. These guys are the Bill and Ted of their time. Clever and witty repartee that is timed and delivered with perfection. Well-written and performed vigorously. There are a couple of similar scenes between Teddy and Maniac. Regrettably, the remainder of the comedic dialogue gets weighed down with stereotypical college humour.
The director also takes the road most travelled, though it's littered with infrequent glimmers of hope. We have the standard shots such as the close-up of feet walking, a gloved hand holding a deadly weapon ominously, and a few jump scares. But then he slips in the murder victim reveal, and two of these are noteworthy - The hanged woman in the showers, the way the killer has trussed her up is ingenious, and the slashed teen in the belfry, the way the body is displayed is chilling. Even with these shining moments, the film doesn't lift itself out of the quagmire of averageness. The director even tries to vary the flow of the picture. At its worst, it's too slow, and at its best, it's only a smidgen faster. That, along with the banal college clowning, gives too many scenes the feeling of being overlong and tedious.
The cast is okay, but none are outstanding, not even Holbrook or Alda. In fact, there's one particular scene where Alda is truly terrible. The other performers range from mediocre to agreeable.
All of which produce an average film, worthy of one viewing - But only if there's nowt else on the telly. Girls Nite Out, like so many films of this ilk, could have been better. More was needed, but less was given.
Please feel free to visit my Killer Thriller Chiller list to see where I ranked Girls Nite Out.
Take Care & Stay Well.