Girls Nite Out (Limited Edition): Blu-Ray Review
Arriving this week on Blu-ray is Robert Deubel’s 1982 slasher, Girls Nite Out, which features the late-great Hal Holbrook and his son David Holbrook, along with Rutanya Alda. Originally titled The Scaremaker before getting a wide-release, Girls Nite Out borrows elements from films like Halloween and Friday the 13th among other horror titles of its’ kind. Prior to Arrow’s new Blu-ray, I had actually never seen this one before.
Set in Ohio at DeWitt University, the students are getting ready to take part in their annual all-night scavenger hunt. What they are unaware of is that former DeWitt student Dickie Cavanaugh might have escaped the nearby Sanitarium and is out for blood, or someone is pretending to be Dickie. No matter who the deranged killer is, they have picked the school’s bear mascot costume as their slashing attire. To be honest, the bear costume does not look the least bit terrifying, but at least the killer decided to used long knives as its’ claws.
Just like with most early 80’s low-budget slasher flicks, we get a variety of forgettable teenagers played by actors in their late 20’s, including Julia Montgomery, Lauren-Marie Taylor, David Holbrook and more. While I liked the premise of students getting picked off during a scavenger hunt, there is little fun to be had with Girls Night Out. If the film feels like a rushed production, that is probably because it was shot over the course of a single weekend with only a couple takes at most per scene. Hal Holbrook is not given much to do as the campus security. It seems like most of his scenes are of him sitting in his office while on the phone.
Arrow Video has delivered a brand new 2K restoration from 35mm vault elements. However, there is a catch. They did use the highest quality elements they could find, but there are many instances of film damage and wear. Also, an SD tape master was used to fill in sections that were not available on film materials. There is a title card that plays before the feature mentioning this. The end result is essentially the best Girls Nite Out will ever look and Arrow did what they could to restore the film. As for the audio, we get the original uncompressed mono track that has held up surprisingly well, especially given the condition of the film elements. If you are a fan, this presentation is worth adding to your collection.
Bonus Materials:
- Brand new 2K restoration from 35mm vault elements
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Original uncompressed mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary with genre film critic/author Justin Kerswell and film historian/author Amanda Reyes
- Staying Alive – a brand new video interview with actress Julia Montgomery
- A Savage Mauling – a brand new video interview with actress Laura Summer
- Alone in the Dark – a brand new video interview with actress Lois Robbins
- It Was a Party! – a brand new video interview with actor Paul Christie
- Love & Death – a brand new video interview with actors Lauren-Marie Taylor and John Didrichsen
- Archival video interview with actress Julia Montgomery
- The Scaremaker Alternate Title Card
- Original Trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork and newly-commissioned artwork by Justin Osbourn
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Michael Gingold
By: Marc Ferman