My review was written in June 1984 after a screening at Rialto theater on Manhattan's 42nd St.
Filmed in 1982, "Girls Nite Out" is a routine slasher picture, offering little entertainment to already jaded horror pic fans. Film was test-released last year by Independent-International Pictures under the tiel "The Scaremaker", but reverted to its producers and is now playing more widely under the "Girls" moniker.
Yawn of a storyline has a mad killer on the loose on the campus of Dwight University set in Westville, Ohio, during a sorority scavenger hunt held at night. Cliche gimmick has history repeating itself: many years ago Dickie Cavanagh was jilted by his girlfriend and killed her during a scavenger hunt, for which he was incarcerated in the local Weston Hill Sanitarium. The victim's father Mac (Hal Holbrook) is the campus security guard trying to catch the killer.
Film is divided drearily into about four opening reels emphasizing youthful hijinks (somewhat overage for their roles players are silly rather than funny here), followed by deadly dull police investigation footage, headed by a detective played by Richard Bright. Bright's real-life wife Rutanya Alda is cast as a friendly waitress.
Killer dresses up in a bear suit stolen from the male mascot to Dewitt's basketball team, and murders cast members in bloody, repetitive fashion with several knives strapped together as a makeshift claw. Lacking the nudity or special effects diversions common to this genre, film's only point of interest is a surprise ending. After planting fair clues (re: age and facial resemblance) the revelation of who the killer is proves to be a satisfying switch.
Tech credits and acting are unimpressive, with Holbrook's son David making his film debut as an outsider figure and prime suspect.
