Silent Madness (1984)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Simon Nuchtern

Writers:

Nelson DeMille (additional dialogue)
Bill Milling (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Plot:

A homicidal maniac is accidentally released from a hospital because of a computer error and heads to...

Plot Keywords:

Maniac | Murder | Sorority | Blood | Rape Attempt

Cast

Belinda Montgomery	...	Dr. Joan Gilmore
Viveca Lindfors	...	Mrs. Collins
Solly Marx	...	Howard Johns
Sydney Lassick	...	Shriff Liggett
David Greenan	...	Mark McGowan
Roderick Cook	...	Dr. Kruger
Stanja Lowe	...	Dr. Anderson
Ed Van Nuys	...	Dr. Van Dyce
Dennis Helfend	...	Virgil
Philip Levy	...	Jesse
Tori Hartman	...	Pam
Katherine Kamhi	...	Jane
Katie Bull	...	Cheryl
Rick Aiello	...	Michael
Jeffrey Bingham	...	John Howard

Also Known As:

Beautiful Screamers
The Nightkillers
The Omega Factor

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:R (Ontario) (cut) | Norway:18 (1985) | Sweden:(Banned) | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Earls

Quotes:

Mrs. Collins: All right girls listen up. This is probably a simple prank. Just to be safe I want you to lock up and stay together.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fright Show (1985)

3 times more effective in 3-D

I recently saw a nice 35mm print of this in a collection of a friend who had a print that hadn't been run that he had held onto for 20 years. Appropriately enough, I saw it on Halloween.

The film itself is entertaining and keeps the viewer's attention. It's a generally psychological thriller about a killer that through the error of a psych ward that's been having seedy events behind the scenes. Most of the plot is predictable, and the acting is pretty mediocre, but the cinematography and good locations coupled with some clever moments make this one worth seeking out (even moreso in 3-D).

Some notes about the film: Apparently it opened in LA in 3D and pretty much did a roadshow tour. By the time it hit NY, it was being shown flat, which goes to show it really sort of hit the tail end of the 3D craze of the early 80s, which is too bad, because the photography in this one is tenfold that of anything else that was being done at the time (it was done with the over-under polaroid process, not anaglyph, and this was the way it was presented to me). Several murders have some great effects that really work well in the 3-D.

The film, while not being totally obscured with nobodies, does rise to the occasion with some character actors. The sheriff, a security guard and the housemother of the college make for some interesting roles and those actors/actresses stuck out in my mind as being some of the most memorable portrayals. Not too much gore, and everything is done well enough to leave the imagination up to the rest. My hands got sweaty during the show, so I was somewhat tense.

Worth catching if you can, particularly for an indie production. 7/10