Sweet 16 (1983)

Director:

Jim Sotos

Writer:

Erwin Goldman (writer)

Release Date:

September 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Why are all the boys dying to meet Melissa?

Plot:

A beautiful lonely girl named Melissa tries to make new friends from a town she's currently living in...

Plot Keywords:

Boyfriend | Serial Boy Killer | Archive | Investigation | Teenage Girl

Cast

Bo Hopkins	...	Sheriff Dan Burke
Susan Strasberg	...	Joanne Morgan
Patrick Macnee	...	Dr. John Morgan
Don Stroud	...	Billy Franklin
Dana Kimmell	...	Marci Burke
Don Shanks	...	Jason Longshadow
Aleisa Shirley	...	Melissa Morgan
Steve Antin	...	Hank Burke
Sharon Farrell	...	Kathy Hopkins
Logan Clarke	...	Jimmy
Michael Pataki	...	George Martin
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Greyfeather
Larry Storch	...	Earl
Michael Cutt	...	Frank
Glenn Withrow	...	Johnny Franklin

Also Known As:

Sweet Sixteen (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

Australia:90 min | USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Norway:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Norway:16

Trivia:

Patrick Macnee replaced Leslie Nielsen, who was forced to withdraw from the film because of scheduling problem.

Soundtrack:

Melissa's Theme

Surprisingly good eighties slasher!

On the surface, this would appear to be just another dreary slasher flick, but what separates this film from a lot of the crowd is the that director Jim Sotos (who also directed the rarer of the two 'Forced Entry' films) creates a real gritty atmosphere that makes the film feel a lot like a seventies exploitation flick and ensures that the film is somewhat nastier than the likes of Friday the 13th and Halloween. It has to be said that this one isn't as gory as some slashers, but the violence is much more realistic, which more than makes up for that fact. The plot isn't particularly original and focuses mainly on the theme of a young girl coming of age. Melissa is fifteen and coming up to sixteen. She's in a new town and lonely because she doesn't know anyone, but luckily for her; she's also quite fit and proves to be a hit with the local boys. However, there's a catch as every boy she goes out with ends up getting brutally slaughtered! The crimes are investigated by the town sheriff and his two kids, and naturally Melissa ends up on the suspects list.

The film was obviously made on a small budget but that doesn't hinder it too much as Sweet 16 more than sets out what it clearly intended to do. In fact, the production values are actually quite high for a small eighties production; the shortcomings in the form of the cinematography helps the film as it is rewarded with a real rough feel. The cast is good, with the likes of Bo Hopkins, Patrick Macnee and Susan Strasberg leading the film, while Aleisa Shirley is more than adequate in the title role. The film feels more like a seventies movie than an eighties flick and that's another positive element if you ask me. The plot flows well and since the film is only short at about eighty minutes, it doesn't have a chance to get old or tired before the ending. With slashers, a twist at the end is pretty much mandatory and this film adheres to that - except unlike a lot of slashers, the twist here is both interesting and believable. I can't say that this is brilliant or a classic, but I went into it expecting nothing decent and found a fairly good film so I definitely do recommend Sweet 16 to my fellow horror fans!