Survival Quest (1988)

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Writer (WGA):

Don Coscarelli (written by)

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

In the wilderness you can't dial 911

Plot:

A bunch of city slickers from different backgrounds go into the wild mountains to be one with nature...

Plot Keywords:

Survival | Mountain | California | Wilderness | Hiking

Cast

Lance Henriksen	...	Hank
Mark Rolston	...	Jake
Steve Antin	...	Raider
Michael Allen Ryder	...	Harper
Paul Provenza	...	Joey
Ben Hammer	...	Hal
Dominic Hoffman	...	Jeff
Traci Lind	...	Olivia (as Traci Lin)
Dermot Mulroney	...	Gray
Catherine Keener	...	Cheryl
Ken Daly	...	Checker
Reggie Bannister	...	Pilot
Ken Smolka	...	Olivia's Father
Brooke Bundy	...	Olivia's Mother
Dean Scofield	...	Olivia's Fiancé
Carol Kottenbrook	...	Hank's Assistant
Marina Ferrier	...	Hal's Wife
Corey Young	...	Cheryl's Husband
Scanlon Gail	...	Deputy
Timothy Dean Wiles	...	Nomad (as Timothy Sean Wiles)
Ron Johnson	...	Larson
David Butler Ross	...	Deputy
Leroy Quisby	...	Baggage Handler
Anthony Verdekel	...	Additional Blue Legion
Brian Marler	...	Additional Blue Legion
Michael Davis	...	Additional Blue Legion
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tyler Bowe	...	Man (uncredited)

Directed by
Don Coscarelli

Writing credits (WGA)
Don Coscarelli		(written by)

Produced by
Samuel Benedict	....	executive producer
Dac Coscarelli	....	executive producer
Aaron A. Goffman	....	associate producer
Roberto A. Quezada	....	producer (as Roberto Quezada)

Original Music by
Fred Myrow
Christopher L. Stone

Cinematography by
Daryn Okada

Film Editing by
Don Coscarelli

Casting by
Denise Chamian

Art Direction by
Andrew M. Siegel

Costume Design by
Carla Gibbons

Makeup Department
Aleta Ashley	....	hair style consultant
Katie Douthit	....	additional makeup artist
Katie Douthit	....	hair stylist
Melanie A. Kay	....	makeup artist
Debbie Zoller	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Elizabeth Fitzmaurice	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lisa Patten	....	first assistant director
John Stolfi	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Kristen Deem	....	storyboard illustrator
Erik Haraldsted	....	property master
Michael Kelly	....	art director: second unit
Timothy S. Wiles	....	set: second unit

Sound Department
Nick Alphin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Izak Ben-Meir	....	production sound mixer
Martin J. Bram	....	sound editor
Stuart Chasmar	....	sound editor (as Stu Chasmer)
Paul B. Clay	....	supervising sound editor
Jim Cook	....	sound re-recording mixer
Denis Dutton	....	sound editor
Robert L. Harman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Allen Hurd	....	sound recordist
Diane Marshall	....	foley artist
Linda Moss	....	sound editor
Michael P. Redbourn	....	supervising sound editor
Gail Steele	....	foley artist
Dov Schwarz	....	sound recordist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Dean R. Brown	....	special effects
Joe Quinlivan	....	special effects

Stunts
Bob Bragg	....	stunts
Bob Brown	....	stunts
Bill Erickson	....	stunts
Salomon I. Marx	....	stunt coordinator
Paul E. Short	....	stunts
John Stewart	....	stunts (as John Michael Stewart)

Camera and Electrical Department
John Bradley	....	assistant camera
Michael Bratkowski	....	first assistant camera
Raul Chamorro	....	grip
Ken Chen	....	still photographer
Bruce Dorfman	....	grip
Jean-Pierre Marangokis	....	grip
Marcus Noble	....	assistant camera
Kevin Proulx	....	best boy grip
Roberto A. Quezada	....	additional photographer
Rohn Schmidt	....	key grip
Charles Schner	....	second assistant camera

Editorial Department
Celeste Beard	....	assistant editor
James Carter	....	color timer
Scott Magill	....	assistant editor
Sharon Streich	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Jo Distante	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Tristan M. Brighty	....	production coordinator
Roxanne 'Rocky' Meyers	....	production assistant
Cynthia Upstill	....	script supervisor
King Wilder	....	location manager

Thanks
Donald Loker	....	dedicated to the memory of
Scott Magill	....	dedicated to the memory of

Production Companies

• Starway International Inc.

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Excalibur Benelux (1992) (Belgium) (VHS)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Norway:15 | USA:R (certificate no. 30000) | Iceland:16 | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Starway International Inc.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Jake:Take a good look around you. Because when you come back from this trip, nothing will look the same to you again.

Formulaic, Corny, yet 'Quest' survives.

Don Coscarelli should be a little embarrassed, I think. Not of the film altogether, because it's a fun timewaster, but of the really textbook formula characterizations he heaps onto his protagonists. I would've expected more from the creator of PHANTASM, but just the same, I enjoyed this movie. Six city slickers sign on to Survival Quest, which will teach them how to survive in the Great Outdoors for four weeks. A paramilitary group is sharing the woods with them and soon it's THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME.

Lance Henriksen is always cool to watch; he gives any film class. A young Catherine Keener has one of the aforementioned embarrassing roles, going from a pathetic girl to a Ripley-styled woman. Ben Hammer weighs in to let you know geriatrics can do anything you youngsters can do (provided you don't get shot), and Dermot Mulroney makes the most of the bad-boy-from-jail-on-probation shtick. Apparently Mulroney and Keener are married (or so a friend told me-check this fact yourself)so this would explain where they met. Ah, true love. Traci Lin is also in it and let's just say I've always had a thing for Miss CLASS OF 1999. Looks like a gore effect involving a hunting knife was trimmed for the R rating judging by a quick, jarring cut at the right time. As for the direction...truthfully, anybody could've wrote or directed this. It's very pedestrian, but credit Coscarelli for keeping it moving and watchable. I liked it, so sue me.