Starring
Mary Page Keller, Andrew Stevens, David Ramsey, Josh Segal, Jackie
Davis, Nicole Fortier. Directed by Richard Friedman. (1987/83 min).
Review
by Josey, the Sudden Cat😾
Unlike the classic Martin & Lewis vehicle or an
identically-titled Hong Kong film released the same year, 1987’s
Scared Stiff is not a horror-comedy. Not intentionally,
anyway.
I
know a lot of older horror fans consider the 1980s some kind of
renaissance period for the genre. But aside from a handful of
bonafide classics,
any
resurgence in popularity was mostly thanks to the VHS boom. Along
with porn, most low budget horror found its audience on home video,
where undiscriminating fans were willing to watch just about anything with
a great title and suitably lurid cover art.
So
while there were probably more horror films released in the ‘80s
than previous decades combined, most were derivative, forgettable or
just plain bad. Still, strolling out of your local Mom & Pop with
an armload of atrocities was a great way to spend a weekend. Few have
really stood the test of time, and any enduring appeal of most of them is purely nostalgic.
Case-in-point,
Scared Stiff simply reeks of the decade from which it sprang,
from the synth score down to Mary Page Keller’s Sheena Easton
mullet. Some of you might recall this one, in which pop singer Kate
(Keller), psychiatrist/boyfriend David (Andrew Stevens) and her
weird kid, Jason (Josh Segal), move into an old southern home that is
haunted by the ghost of George Masterton (David Ramsey), a sadistic
slave owner. Strange shit starts happening, which only Kaye seems to
notice. And of course, David doesn’t believe her, even after two
100-year-old corpses turn up in the basement. A few other unfortunate
rubes die, such as the detective investigating the case and a guy
repairing their roof (the latter is hanged and literally dangles from
the house for days, yet nobody notices!). George eventually possesses
David, though it’s hard to tell at-first because acts like a dick
throughout the entire movie.
 |
| Kate's own song gets stuck in her head. |
Scared
Stiff liberally rips-off better recent films of the same era, its
dull story further hampered by dumb dialogue, bad acting and shoddy
special effects. Hence, there’s some unintentional humor to be
found in this daffy debacle, especially with such a dead-serious
tone. The scenes establishing Kate’s musical career are a real
hoot, namely the video shoot of her latest song, “Beat of the
Heart,” which sounds like a parody of every ‘80s power ballad
you’ve ever heard (and we get to hear it twice!). Then there’s
Andrew Stevens, whose attempts at dramatic intensity have always been
good for a few chuckles. The story takes a welcome turn toward the
surreal during the climax, and admittedly, the demon’s eventual
appearance is kind-of cool. However, unless having fun at a movie’s
expense is your thing, getting there is pretty tough sledding.
While
hardly a cult classic, Scared Stiff undoubtedly has its share
of fans, most of whom probably haven’t seen it since they were
kids. Arrow Video earns its usual high marks with a first-time Blu-ray release that should
spark plenty of nostalgic warm fuzzies, including a retrospective
documentary that paints the film as some kind of milestone (for
screenwriter Mark Frost, who’d go on to write Twin Peaks, I
suppose it was).
The
faithful few will certainly enjoy Arrow’s 2K restoration and great supplementary material, but the film itself is
unlikely to appeal to anyone else. A silly movie from a silly decade,
time has not been kind to this one. Scared Stiff is good for
some unintended chuckles, which I suspect a good number of its fans
already know. No one else should bother.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
“MANSION
OF THE DOOMED: THE MAKING OF SCARED STIFF” - An enjoyable
retrospective documentary which includes interviews with various cast
& crew, including director Richard Friedman, producer Dan
Bacaner, FX artist Tyler Smith, Andrew Stevens (who amusingly suggests he took the role to hang out in Florida) and Josh Segal (the kid, all grown
up).
INTERVIEW
– With composer Billy Barber.
AUDIO
COMMENTARY
TRAILER
IMAGE
GALLERY
SUPPLEMENTARY
BOOKLET – Includes a new essay.
REVERSIBLE
COVER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
MEH...THOUGH THE TRANSFER & EXTRAS ARE GOOD
No comments:
Post a Comment