Scream (1981)

A group of friends on a rafting trip down a river stop in at an old ghost town to spend the night. Soon their rafts disappear, and then they begin to be eliminated one by one by a mysterious killer.

Director:

Byron Quisenberry

Writer:

Byron Quisenberry

Stars:

Pepper Martin, Hank Worden, Ethan Wayne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pepper Martin	...	Bob
Hank Worden	...	John
Ethan Wayne	...	Stan
Ann Bronston	...	Marion
Julie Marine	...	Laura
Nancy St. Marie	...	Adriana
Joseph Alvarado	...	Rudy
Alvy Moore	...	Allen
Bobby Diamond	...	Rod
John Nowak	...	Jerry
Joe Allaine	...	Lou
Cynthia Faria	...	Janice
Bella Bruck	...	Maggie
Dee Cooper	...	Fred
Bob Macgonigal	...	Andy

Storyline

A group of friends on a rafting trip down a river stop in at an old ghost town to spend the night. Soon their rafts disappear, and then they begin to be eliminated one by one by a mysterious killer.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost town | ghost | small town | 1980s | rafter | 

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Taglines:

...no one ever returns from this phantom town of TERROR!

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller | Mystery

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Outing

Filming Locations:

Lake Piru, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$1,083,395 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Calendar International Pictures Inc., Cougar Films, Limited

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was shot in 12 days.

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Connections

Featured in Maria's B-Movie Mayhem: Scream/The Barn of the Naked Dead (2011)

User Reviews

Pretty Bad, But Has Some Redeeming Qualities

SCREAM is one of those movies that everyone hates, and it's perfectly understandable why (this is one of the only slashers I've seen where, so far, every single review on IMDb has been negative). However, I managed to find the good in this movie that everyone else is overlooking.

A group of people (it's never explained if they're friends, coworkers, family members, or what) are on a rafting trip down the Rio Grande when they decide to spend the night in an abandoned ghost town miles away from civilization. Soon, one of them is killed. Then another. And another. Could it be someone in the group? Or is it an outsider? Or could it even be something that isn't quite human?

Yes, SCREAM is indeed one of the slowest slashers of the decade. It is also one of the least bloody. But still, there's a certain charm under all the crap that doesn't quite make its way through to the audience. First off, SCREAM is a slow-burn in every meaning of the term. The film sets its own pace (that of a snail) and follows it all throughout. But you know what? I like that. It's a nice, mellow movie that I would pair with THE PREY (1984) as far as movies I would want to watch at three in the morning go. You fall asleep during HALLOWEEN? You miss plot points! You fall asleep during SCREAM? You miss absolutely nothing!

SCREAM is also a movie completely drenched in atmosphere. Any serious-minded horror flick featuring a ghost town is bound to be creepy, and this is no exception. The film opens on a rather creepy note with the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker wax figures all in row. The camera zooms in on a clock striking midnight, the camera pans back, the butcher's cleaver has blood on it, and the other two figurines' heads have been lopped off. Then the butcher's eyes move! Another standout scene is when one character finds he is trapped in a room with something in one of the sleeping bags and breathing heavily.

Both a good and a bad thing is that the characters are really stupid! They constantly go by themselves into dark rooms after people have been killed, and it is a good thing because it does manage to generate some suspense. I guess we're supposed to assume supernatural forces are making them do this, but it is never fully explained.

Another complaint people have is that nothing is ever explained in this movie. I'm guessing the audience is supposed to assume that the ghost of a pirate is killing off these people. Also, the film sets up a huge body count in this large group of vacationers, yet most of them survive, including every single female! That's certainly a rarity in the subgenre, and I liked how they at least mixed things up a little bit (as well as making a lot of the characters middle-aged).

The acting was a mishmash of good and bad, with some actors looking really invested in the film and others looking like they're reading their lines off a teleprompter. Some of the bad writing does lead to some pretty unintentionally funny moments (one character screaming is head off and running away when a spider crawls on his hand, then just standing there in a state of shock when one of the characters is murdered just one or two feet away from him), and some funny dialogue ("I won't let anyone tell me what to do, especially a FEMALE!")

This isn't really an accomplished film (it's obviously made by a first-time director, actors, and, well, basically everyone) by any means, but I found it to be an alright timewaster, especially if you're feeling drowsy but you need to watch a movie before you go to bed. Or if you have insomnia. Take your pick, but just watch it no matter what the case. Unfortunately, both of this film's titles (SCREAM and THE OUTING) have been taken by later and better films (THE OUTING was a great 1987 killer genie flick).