Produced in 1987, Terror Night became the slasher movie equivalent of the Holy Grail for horror enthusiasts after it never secured its expected release, which therefore kept fans searching for almost twenty years until it finally crept out almost unnoticed on to budget DVD. The movie was covered in various horror media and fanzines during its production, meaning that when a launch date never arrived, fans were left wondering what exactly had happened. Rumours of bootlegs kept people searching, but it wasn't until the late nineties when I came across a subtitled copy in an exchange store in Nuremburg that I actually believed that it even existed.
It is rumoured that copyright wrangles with additional footage - that was 'borrowed' from classic movies for inclusion into the story - prevented Terror Night from gaining public exposure. A few bootlegs saw the light of day, which were then copied privately and passed around on the VHS black-market, but up until very recently, the film had remained locked in a studio vault. Its unfortunate production problems admittedly gave the film a somewhat mysterious and alluring edge and on top of that it boasts an interesting premise, a good cast and directorial assistance from legendary horror filmmaker Andre De Toth.
A group of youngsters decide to spend the night in the dilapidated Hollywood mansion of one-time screen idol Lance Hayward. Hayward has been missing for over forty years and despite rumours that he emigrated to Europe, it is believed that he died many years ago. The teenagers soon learn that this is not true as Hayward begins stalking and slaughtering the group one by one, whilst donning costumes of the characters from his previous cinematic adventures.
Had Terror Night been released as had been intended by the production team, I predict that it may well have been a relatively popular addition to the category and a good seller on the VHS and drive-in markets. The film boasts almost all the essential ingredients that made its more successful genre counterparts household names, including a young and attractive cast, some decent bloody deaths, credible gore and intriguing cameos from screen veterans like Cameron Mitchell.
The use of black and white movie footage to accompany the murders was an interesting touch; even though it almost certainly proved to play a key part in the film's downfall and ruined any chance of the ongoing franchise that the producers during this period predictably craved. Despite sticking closely to the slasher rulebook, which was in regular use during the eighties, the key source of influence seems to stem from the nineteen-eighty thriller Fade to Black. The premise is inexplicably similar, although Terror Night fashionably decides to stay true to its slasher roots as where Fade to Black has never been noted as a genre entry.
The cast do a good enough job with what they are given, especially the old-timers who seem to be having a ball with their small cameos. Cameron Mitchell turns up for a brilliant piece of scene-chewing and like all the senior screen veterans, he seems to be motivated to do more than just phone-in a few lines for the paycheque. The various choices of costume for the killer provide a good bit of fun (I especially enjoyed the maniacal knight-in-armour) and the murders are almost always energetic and gory. Popular screen queen Michelle Bauer comes along for her usual excuse to get naked and then viciously slaughtered and porn queen Jamie Summers is also included for a rare non-adult film role.
First (and last) time director Nick Marino creates little in terms of tension or suspense and his methods are that of the 'point and shoot' variety. Andre De Toth's involvement in the direction of a share of scenes is a rumour that has never been confirmed or denied and there's nothing exceptional here to be noted. However without the press package that would have accompanied Terror Night had it been released as intended, there is little way of knowing the exact percentage of his input.
Despite some excellent moments, Terror Night is knee deep in a puddle of flaws. It's inadequately lighted to the point of frustration in places and lacks the visual gloss and stylish direction/production that made its more popular counterparts memorable. The plot is also poorly handled and never gives a resolution to the mystery that it spends so much energy creating. We never find out what Lance Hayward actually is, or what was his motivation behind the murderous rampage? We never learn if the maniacal assassin is actually a ghost or just an extremely lucky ninety-year-old with the appearance of someone half that age. It could be argued that these problems would have been ironed out if the movie had been given the post-production that was intended and we will never know for sure when it was decided that Terror Night would not secure worldwide release. Perhaps the filmmakers never got the chance to add the finishing touches that would have given the film a more attractive sheen. However there is really no excuse for the laughable ending, which to be fair was perhaps typical of cheesy eighties slasher trash.
Terror Night is one of the few slasher movies that had the potential to be a lot better than it eventually ended up, but somehow lost its way between the months of production and its release some twenty years later. It's a shame that we'll probably never find out how it might have turned out if it was given a real chance and it looks as if it might have suffered a nightmare production. Still, for fans looking for an extremely rare genre-piece, it does deliver the goods on a few levels. It's packed to the brim with hokey gore and there's some excessive nudity that always interests fans of exploitation. It's a good film that could have been so much more.
It is rumoured that copyright wrangles with additional footage - that was 'borrowed' from classic movies for inclusion into the story - prevented Terror Night from gaining public exposure. A few bootlegs saw the light of day, which were then copied privately and passed around on the VHS black-market, but up until very recently, the film had remained locked in a studio vault. Its unfortunate production problems admittedly gave the film a somewhat mysterious and alluring edge and on top of that it boasts an interesting premise, a good cast and directorial assistance from legendary horror filmmaker Andre De Toth.
A group of youngsters decide to spend the night in the dilapidated Hollywood mansion of one-time screen idol Lance Hayward. Hayward has been missing for over forty years and despite rumours that he emigrated to Europe, it is believed that he died many years ago. The teenagers soon learn that this is not true as Hayward begins stalking and slaughtering the group one by one, whilst donning costumes of the characters from his previous cinematic adventures.
Had Terror Night been released as had been intended by the production team, I predict that it may well have been a relatively popular addition to the category and a good seller on the VHS and drive-in markets. The film boasts almost all the essential ingredients that made its more successful genre counterparts household names, including a young and attractive cast, some decent bloody deaths, credible gore and intriguing cameos from screen veterans like Cameron Mitchell.
The use of black and white movie footage to accompany the murders was an interesting touch; even though it almost certainly proved to play a key part in the film's downfall and ruined any chance of the ongoing franchise that the producers during this period predictably craved. Despite sticking closely to the slasher rulebook, which was in regular use during the eighties, the key source of influence seems to stem from the nineteen-eighty thriller Fade to Black. The premise is inexplicably similar, although Terror Night fashionably decides to stay true to its slasher roots as where Fade to Black has never been noted as a genre entry.
The cast do a good enough job with what they are given, especially the old-timers who seem to be having a ball with their small cameos. Cameron Mitchell turns up for a brilliant piece of scene-chewing and like all the senior screen veterans, he seems to be motivated to do more than just phone-in a few lines for the paycheque. The various choices of costume for the killer provide a good bit of fun (I especially enjoyed the maniacal knight-in-armour) and the murders are almost always energetic and gory. Popular screen queen Michelle Bauer comes along for her usual excuse to get naked and then viciously slaughtered and porn queen Jamie Summers is also included for a rare non-adult film role.
First (and last) time director Nick Marino creates little in terms of tension or suspense and his methods are that of the 'point and shoot' variety. Andre De Toth's involvement in the direction of a share of scenes is a rumour that has never been confirmed or denied and there's nothing exceptional here to be noted. However without the press package that would have accompanied Terror Night had it been released as intended, there is little way of knowing the exact percentage of his input.
Despite some excellent moments, Terror Night is knee deep in a puddle of flaws. It's inadequately lighted to the point of frustration in places and lacks the visual gloss and stylish direction/production that made its more popular counterparts memorable. The plot is also poorly handled and never gives a resolution to the mystery that it spends so much energy creating. We never find out what Lance Hayward actually is, or what was his motivation behind the murderous rampage? We never learn if the maniacal assassin is actually a ghost or just an extremely lucky ninety-year-old with the appearance of someone half that age. It could be argued that these problems would have been ironed out if the movie had been given the post-production that was intended and we will never know for sure when it was decided that Terror Night would not secure worldwide release. Perhaps the filmmakers never got the chance to add the finishing touches that would have given the film a more attractive sheen. However there is really no excuse for the laughable ending, which to be fair was perhaps typical of cheesy eighties slasher trash.
Terror Night is one of the few slasher movies that had the potential to be a lot better than it eventually ended up, but somehow lost its way between the months of production and its release some twenty years later. It's a shame that we'll probably never find out how it might have turned out if it was given a real chance and it looks as if it might have suffered a nightmare production. Still, for fans looking for an extremely rare genre-piece, it does deliver the goods on a few levels. It's packed to the brim with hokey gore and there's some excessive nudity that always interests fans of exploitation. It's a good film that could have been so much more.