Killer's Moon (1978)

Four mental patients - who, due to unauthorized experiments, believe they're living in a dream and have shed all moral imperatives - escape and find their way to the nearest bus-load of stranded schoolgirls.

Director:

Alan Birkinshaw

Writer:

Alan Birkinshaw

Stars:

Anthony Forrest, David Jackson, Tom Marshall

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Forrest	...	Pete
David Jackson	...	Mr. Trubshaw
Tom Marshall	...	Mike
Georgina Kean	...	Agatha
Nigel Gregory	...	Mr. Smith
Paul Rattee	...	Mr. Muldoon
Peter Spraggon	...	Mr. Jones
Jane Hayden	...	Julie
Alison Elliott	...	Sandy
Joanne Good	...	Mary (as Jo-Anne Good)
Jayne Lester	...	Elizabeth
Lisa Vanderpump	...	Anne
Debbie Martyn	...	Deirdre
Christina Jones	...	Carol
Lynne Morgan	...	Sue

Storyline

Four mental patients - who, due to unauthorized experiments, believe they're living in a dream and have shed all moral imperatives - escape and find their way to the nearest bus-load of stranded schoolgirls.

---

Plot Keywords:

mental patient | dream | escape | hotel | teen | 

---

Taglines:

One endless night of terror!

---

Genres:

Crime | Horror

---

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1978 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Floresta do Medo

Filming Locations:

Barnes, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£170,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rothernorth

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actresses playing the schoolgirls stayed at the same hotel that their characters seek shelter in. Moreover, said hotel had guests in it during the shooting of the movie.

---

Quotes

Mr. Jones: Mr psychiatrist, are you there?
Pete: Go to hell you bastard you're mad!
Mr. Jones: What sort of reply is that from a National Health psychiatrist? I should have gone private.

---

Soundtracks

"The Beginning"
Written by Jayne Lester

User Reviews

Visit the beautiful Lake District: hiking, boating, mint cake, pencils, and mass murder.

When a coach carrying an all-girl school choir breaks down whilst en route to a competition, the girls' guardians decide that they should set off on foot to find a hotel for the night, thus providing a quartet of recently escaped homicidal maniacs with plenty of helpless young victims to rape and kill.

As far as I know, there are only two horror films that have been set in the English Lake District—cult zombie classic Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue, and this exploitative little psycho flick from director Alan Birkinshaw; I find it very surprising that more scary movies haven't capitalised on the remote nature of the area, its rugged terrain and low population density being perfect for the genre.

What I also find rather surprising is that, despite some really dodgy dialogue (from a script by none other than Fay Weldon), plenty of terrible acting, a spot of unconvincing day-for-night photography, a few badly painted studio backdrops, and the fact that the only other film I have seen by Birkinshaw, a jungle adventure called Horror Safari, was bloody awful, I actually enjoyed Killer's Moon a lot.

I particularly liked the quirky nature of the film's villains, four drooling loons who have been left in a permanent dream state by experimental drugs and who refer to each other by their surnames. The film also benefits from a cool, unreal atmosphere with a soundtrack influenced by nursery-rhymes and such off-the-wall elements as a three legged dog bearing a grudge and the gratuitous amputation of a cat's tail. Then, of course, there's the gore and sleaze: a few vicious murders and several assaults on teenage jailbait that usually begin with the victim having her nightgown torn open to reveal her breasts.

Whilst it ain't exactly sophisticated stuff, it sure is fun while it lasts! 7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.