Cameron's Closet (1988)

Director:

Armand Mastroianni

Writer:

Gary Brandner (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 January 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Pray the door remains locked, to...Cameron's Closet

Plot:

A father who experiments with his sons psychokinetic powers, is unaware that these experiments release a demon from hell...

Plot Keywords:

Demon | Mayan | Psychic

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Cotter Smith	...	Sam Talliaferro
Mel Harris	...	Nora Haley
Scott Curtis	...	Cameron
Chuck McCann	...	Ben Majors
Leigh McCloskey	...	Pete Groom
Kim Lankford	...	Dory Lansing
Gary Hudson	...	Bob Froelich
Tab Hunter	...	Owen Lansing
Dort Clark	...	Alan Wilson (as Dort Donald Clark)
David Estuardo	...	Capt. Navarro
Wilson Smith	...	Joe Crespy
Kerry Yo Nakagawa	...	Policeman (as Kerry Nakagawa)
Raymond Patterson	...	Physician
Skip E. Lowe	...	Newscaster
Bond Bradigan	...	Newswoman
Frank Pesce	...	Ed Wallace
Paul W. Zecevic	...	Reporter
Doc D. Charbonneau	...	Little Demon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Lustig	...	Ice Cream Eater (uncredited)

Directed by
Armand Mastroianni

Writing credits
Gary Brandner		(screenplay)

Produced by
Franc Caggiano	....	associate producer
Luigi Cingolani	....	producer
John S. Curran	....	line producer
Djordje Zecevic	....	executive producer (as George Zecevic)

Original Music by
Harry Manfredini		(music composed by)

Cinematography by
Russell Carpenter		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Frank De Palma

Casting by
Ann Remsen Manners		(as Ann Remsen)

Production Design by
Mike Bingham		(as Michael Bingham)

Set Decoration by
Sarah Burdick Stone		(as Sarah Burdick)

Makeup Department
Jilliane Bennett	....	hair assistant
Jilliane Bennett	....	makeup assistant
Rose Librizzi	....	makeup artist
Rose Librizzi	....	prosthetic makeup
Alex Rambaldi	....	prosthetic makeup

Production Management
Jason Clark	....	unit production manager: second unit
Kelly Van Horn	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Chitra F. Mojtabai	....	second assistant director
Richard Oswald	....	second second assistant director
Alexandra E. Perce	....	second second assistant director
Kelly Van Horn	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Curtis Baruth	....	carpenter (as Curt W. Baruth)
Steven Michael Casey	....	propmaster (as Steven M. Casey)
Daniel Chatterton	....	carpenter
Don 'Tex' Clark	....	carpenter (as Don Clark)
Charles Collum	....	construction foreman (as Charles W. Collum)
Raymond F. Cooper	....	painter
Randall L. Crocker	....	art department production assistant
Kim Dilonardo	....	art department assistant
Stan E. Dodd	....	carpenter
John Eaves	....	storyboard artist (as John M. Eaves)
Hal B. Forsen	....	carpenter
Paula Elizabeth Gertz	....	propmaster (as Paula E. Gertz)
Jeff Goff	....	carpenter
Rick Hart	....	carpenter (as Richard L. Hart)
Jeremias Lopes	....	carpenter
Carlos A. Lopez	....	painter
Michael J. McDonough	....	carpenter
Bruce Moessen	....	carpenter
Andrew Moore	....	carpenter
Andrew Moore	....	set carpenter
Jewel Myrow	....	art department liaison
Gregory Oehler	....	carpenter (as Greg P. Oehler)
Gregory Oehler	....	swing (as Greg P. Oehler)
Michael Ogle	....	carpenter
Mark A. Pelzman	....	carpenter
Amy Pestana	....	painter
Richard Rude	....	carpenter
Gina Scappaticci	....	set dresser
Gene Serdena	....	leadman
Ray Spadaro	....	carpenter
Chris J. Speer	....	carpenter
Jim Stewart	....	construction supervisor
Charles A. Stutts	....	carpenter
William Walker	....	painter
Norman West	....	set dresser
Norman West	....	swing

Sound Department
Ara Ashjian	....	sound recordist
Bruce Bell	....	supervising sound editor
Kenneth R. Burton	....	sound recordist (as Ken Burton)
Gregory Cheever	....	sound recordist (as Gregory 'Cheev' Cheever)
Thomas DeGorter	....	assistant sound editor (as Thomas de Gorter)
Robert Gravenor	....	production sound mixer (as Bob Gravenor)
Jeffrey J. Haboush	....	sound re-recording mixer
Craig Harris	....	special sound effects designer
Warren Kleiman	....	adr mixer
Warren Kleiman	....	foley mixer
Don Merritt	....	boom operator
Greg P. Russell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Richard Schexnayder	....	sound mixer: second unit
Jackson Schwartz	....	adr mixer
Jackson Schwartz	....	foley mixer
Bob Weitz	....	stereo consultant

Special Effects by
Greg Landerer	....	special effects
Carlo Rambaldi	....	creature constructor
Carlo Rambaldi	....	creature creator

Visual Effects by
Ermando Biamonte	....	visual effects supervisor (as Ermanno Biamonte)
Mentor Huebner	....	illustrator: opticals
Joseph Wallikas	....	blue screen compositing (as Joe Wallikas)

Stunts
Kenny Bates	....	stunt person
Kurt Bryant	....	stunt person
Richard E. Butler	....	stunt person (as Dick Butler)
Doc D. Charbonneau	....	stunt person
Laura Dash	....	stunt person
Cheryl Wheeler Duncan	....	stunt person (as Cheryl Wheeler)
Chris Durand	....	stunt person (as Chris Duran)
Spiro Razatos	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Lawrence Bender	....	dolly grip
Daniel M. Berger	....	additional electrician
Alan Brownstein	....	gaffer
Damian Costa	....	additional grip
Jim Drewry	....	additional grip
Brett Drouet	....	additional electrician
Paul A. Edwards	....	additional photography: second unit (as Paul Edwards)
Rudy M. Fenenga Jr.	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as Rudy Feneger)
Andy Flaster	....	third assistant camera
Dan Golden	....	still photographer
Irv Gorman	....	rigging crew
Dennis Gould	....	additional grip
Donald Kane	....	rigging crew
Roger Lattin	....	best boy electric (as Roger Lloyd Lattin)
Michael LaViolette	....	rigging crew
Steve Manzanni	....	additional electrician (as Steven Manzani)
Damon Marcellino	....	electrician
Echol Marshall	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Chuck Mason	....	additional electrician
C. Dennis Mayer	....	additional photography: second unit
C. Dennis Mayer	....	first assistant camera
Alan McFarland	....	additional photography: second unit
Kevin McKnight	....	first assistant camera
Javier Munoz	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Christopher Dino Pecchi	....	grip
Christopher Dino Pecchi	....	swing electric
David Peters	....	first assistant camera: second unit
David Peters	....	second assistant camera
Gerry Polinsky	....	rigging crew
Dan Rottman	....	best boy grip (as Daniel Rottman)
Dirk Sanders	....	camera intern
Robert Stone	....	key grip
Tom Waisanen	....	electrician

Casting Department
Janet Cunningham	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Constance Buck	....	costumer
Sally Hankinson	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Chris Jackson	....	assistant editor
Jim Passon	....	color timer (as James Passon)
Pietro Scalia	....	assistant editor
Jacqueline Tager	....	assistant editor
Chris Worland	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Ron Capone	....	music engineer
Harry Manfredini	....	conductor
Bobby Muzingo	....	coordinator: synthesizer (as Bob Muzingo)
Bobby Muzingo	....	synthesizer programmer (as Bob Muzingo)
Arlon Ober	....	orchestrator: additional music

Transportation Department
John Bennett	....	driver
Chaz Merriam	....	driver captain
Griff Ruggles	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Willi Baronet	....	assistant: Mr. Cingolani (as Willie Baronet)
Steve Beeson	....	production auditor
Susan Bierbaum	....	script supervisor (as Susan M. Bierbaum)
Paul DiSalvo	....	production consultant (as Paul Disalvo)
Andrew Gellis	....	creative consultant (as Andy Gellis)
Kevin Harrop	....	production assistant
Linda Kandel	....	assistant: Mr. Mastrolanni
Douglas Kondo	....	production secretary
Lori Lamb	....	production coordinator (as Lori L. Lamb)
Adria Later	....	studio teacher
Alan McFarland	....	production assistant
Thomas F. Queally	....	craft service
Allan Riddle	....	caterer
Gerald Serota	....	craft service
Thomas P. Smith	....	location manager
Laleh Soomekh	....	production assistant
Donald H. Winslow	....	police liaison (as Don Winslow)
Paul W. Zecevic	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Smart Egg Pictures

Distributors

• SVS Films (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Alliance Communications Corporation
• Alliance Releasing Home Video
• Aquarius TV (1995) (Greece) (TV)
• CMV Laservision (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (laserdisc)
• Nordic Video (1988) (Finland) (VHS)
• Palace Entertainment
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Video (video)
• Videograph (1989) (Japan) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1989) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

Canada:87 min | UK:86 min | USA:88 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) | Belgium:16 (video rating)

Company:

Smart Egg Pictures

Movie Connections:

Featured in Gorgon Video Magazine (1989) (V)

rubber monster in the closet; good deaths, bad demon

A boy with telekinetic powers, and perhaps other psychic abilities as well as bowl-cut hair lives with his divorced father, a psychic researcher or something. The boy plays in his closet with a He-Man-like action figure, and a odd statuette he calls "Deceptor." His father hears a strange moan, makes an odd phone call to his research partner, and goes upstairs to the boy's room with a machete. He goes into the closet, vandalizes some things, and is in search of something. The machete moves by itself, and the father falls on it, decapitating himself.

The boy goes to live with his mother and her boyfriend. Meanwhile, a police detective who has sleeping problems has a reoccurring nightmare that is bothering him on the job, and is forced to see a shrink. More closet-related bizarre deaths occur. The detective befriends the boy, and the shrink helps him on the case.

The special effects are pretty uneven. The death scenes are fairly good. A pale grinning figure in the closet is pretty spooky. Dead people who reappear as zombies or as a demon appearing like them are pretty well done. The demon exerts its power by psychically dragging someone up a wall, and across a ceiling towards an out-of-control ceiling fan. The demon itself is pretty darn lame, however.