Strong and Moving!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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. Stupid jump scares and set ups that don't go anywhere aren't really my thing. Nor is watching a bunch of horny, drunk college students I don't really care about. It includes the obvious ploy to make you think that a certain person is the killer - that usually means it isn't, and this movie is no exception. As is common in a lot of slashers, there really isn't a plot to be had. It does have the generally mandatory back story though. GNO also has some audio problems here and there.On the plus side, this one didn't insult my intelligence by making me watch people do idiotic things. I hate stupid horror movies where everyone knows there's a killer but they decide to split up anyway, go for a walk at night in the forest, check out the attic on their own, etc. 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. I think that's probably where most of the budget went (along with hiring in Hal Holbrook). Most of the acting was okay with a few exceptions. 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 will say when the killer was revealed at the end, I was actually quite surprised. 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. You're college age 2. You don't want to see an excessive amount of gore or graphic violence and 3. You don't watch a lot of horror. For a seasoned horror fan, it was just okay.

What made this who dun it slasher enjoyable was the wide variety of zany characters to mull over. 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. At times you have are enjoying the comedic banter so much that the whole killing thing seems unnecessary. Other times the characters are too goofy or ambiguous for you to care about anyway. overall a kitschy good time.

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. Name actor Holbrook is clearly slumming here, and looks rather weary; his appearance certainly must have something to do with the fact that his son David is also in the movie playing the pivotal role of Mike Prior, a volatile athlete. But it is great novelty to see him here, and it's a treat to see the other adult actors, lovely Rutanya Alda as Barney (!), and her husband Richard Bright as the detective who shows up on the scene. Other familiar faces include some slasher alumni: Lauren-Marie Taylor ("Friday the 13th Part 2") and Carrick Glenn ("The Burning"), and of course ravishing lead Julia Montgomery was Betty Childs in "Revenge of the Nerds". The problem that this viewer has with this movie is that it gets a little tiresome after a while. 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. There is some atmosphere and suspense and a little bit of gore. However, in order to get to this movie's good stuff, one has to sit through a lot of dopey comedy & tomfoolery, and emphasis on character relationships before the pacing picks up at all. The beginning is pretty good, but the ending, once our psycho's identity is revealed, is fairly abrupt and not altogether satisfying. At least the calls that this person places to both campus DJ Kaiser (Larry Mintz) and MacVey are good for major amusement. Underwhelming overall, but does have its moments here and there. Five out of 10.

Frat brothers and Sorority sisters prove to be claw fodder for a serial killer dressed in the basketball team's bear mascot suit. See, at DeWitt college a few decades ago a dude killed a girl after he got jealous and said dude apparently just broke out of a mental hospital. So now Lynn (Julie Montgomery of REVENGE OF THE NERDS) has to deal with a killer and a cheating boyfriend. Thankfully, security guard MacVey (Hal Holbrook...no really, Hal Holbrook!) is on the case and it has special meaning to him as it was his daughter killed years prior. This is a pretty tame slasher entry. Originally shot in 82, it didn't see release until 1984 and it sorely lacks the requirements of the genre at the time (remember this was going up against heavy hitters like Friday THE 13th: THE FINAL CHAPTER). Even worse, the main characters are so annoying that you want the killer to off them. The attempt at mystery is a bust as you'll guess the killer when they say a key line and then disappear for a majority of the running time. The oddest thing about this is seeing freakin' Hal Holbrook here. His stuff was obviously shot solo and quickly as he appears with no other major characters in the same frame, but they manage to space his character out over the entire movie. I would love to hear how he got involved in this. Hal's son David - who is a dead ringer for Hal except chunkier - has a larger role as one of the suspects.