Runtime: 88 minutes
Directed by: David Nelson
Starring: Susan Kiger, Martin Tucker, William T. Hicks, Jennifer Chase, Jody Kay
From: ABA Productions
Featuring references that only a few will understand.
Recently, I somewhere heard that Arrow was releasing this on Blu-that was the first I heard of this North Carolina regional slasher—just a few days ago they put this on their streaming service. There were laughs that someone better known in the past directed this. In the United States, either your parents or grandparents likely will be familiar w/ the 50's/60's television show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, starring the real life Nelson family. I've never seen an episode yet I understand it is the expected wholesome family entertainment. One son was Ricky, who had some big hits that you still hear on the 50's or 60's Sirius XM stations; another son was David, who did not have many directorial credits but amazingly this was one of those. Him directing a movie starring someone that not only was a Playboy Playmate but appeared in at least one XXX feature: hilarious.
The plot: in a rural North Carolina town, some “youths” hang out right before college begins. Even though they are supposed to be the age where they are attending university, more than one looks as if they are at least 30 years old! After a cold open where a couple are strangled to death, there are long stretches where it's just the group of protagonists chilling with each other or dealing with minor problems. I did laugh with and at the movie; it was at times so goofy I rolled my eyes yet I was also entertained by such aspects as the lead's grandma being a cantankerous character, one woman being promiscuous-by today's standards, she was “slut-shamed”, unfortunately-and the town sheriff is a large bearded man who always wore a hat and from all appearances should have been in a Charlie Daniels cover band! There's also a mentally handicapped character who is either the killer or a red herring; he was involved in one of a few dangling plot threads, unfortunately.
Most of the slasher action is reserved for the final act and at least there you'll get to see some adequate gore effects. This also has the expected nudity and some dialogue that hasn't aged so well. The finale feeling rushed is one of its issues and I wish that would have been done better. That said, for all its faults this managed to entertain me mainly due to the front half and all its characters/silly moments. The local North Carolina flavor also helps; as for a score I saw accurately described as “overwrought”... that provided more laughter. As for the cast/credits, it mainly has names that most won't know. However, I recognized the name Worth Keeter; to me, he's the director of the wildly entertaining The Order of the Black Eagle, where the sheriff here plays a baron character... some people I know described him there as “fat old Orson Welles.” As for Blood Screams, I am glad someone restored this oddity even if it has various low-budget flaws... at least there were such moments to counter-balance as a 12 year old trying to steal a Hustler, a redneck failing at trying to smooch w/ a cute blonde at a kissing booth, or an important character having the name NEIL MARSHALL.
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