Savage Weekend (1979)

Several couples head upstate to the country to watch a boat being built. Unfortunately they are stalked by a murderer behind a ghoulish mask.

Directors:

David Paulsen, John Mason Kirby (uncredited)

Writer:

David Paulsen

Stars:

Christopher Allport, Jim Doerr, David Gale

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Allport	...	Nicky
Jim Doerr	...	Robert Fathwood (as James Doerr)
David Gale	...	Mac Macauley
Devin Goldenberg	...	Jay Alsop
Marilyn Hamlin	...	Marie Sales Pettis
Caitlin O'Heaney	...	Shirley Sales (as Kathleen Heaney)
Jeff Pomerantz	...	Greg Pettis (as Jeffrey David Pomerantz)
William Sanderson	...	Otis
Yancy Butler	...	Little Girl (as Yancy Victoria Butler)
Adam Hirsch	...	Jeremy Pettis
Don Plumley	...	Pool Player
Ben Simon	...	Lumberman
Geraldine Chapin	...	Woman at Bar
Rae Chapin	...	Lumberman
Claude Paulsen	...	Waitress at Bar

Storyline

Several couples head upstate to the country to watch a boat being built. Unfortunately they are stalked by a murderer behind a ghoulish mask.

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Plot Keywords:

female nudity | serial killer | slasher | broken beer bottle | masked killer | 

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Taglines:

You have been chosen. You are doomed. Prepare for.... SAVAGE WEEKEND

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Sanderson went to his audition in character as Otis.

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Goofs

Although the boom mike is visible in some shots, this may not be a mistake by the film makers. The film was shot for widescreen, so the top an bottom of the frame would be cut off and the boom mike would not be in the shot. Some DVDs have been issued which do not properly crop the frame for wide screen, and thus improperly reveal the boom in the top of the full frame presentation.

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Connections

Referenced in Bloody Moon (1981)

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Soundtracks

The Upstate Man
Lyrics by David Paulsen
Music by David Broza
Sung by David Broza

User Reviews

Odd, but not unwatchable

"Savage Weekend" is a weirdly disjointed, almost dreamlike experience. Its plot is impossible to follow. It is called a "slasher", but I don't know if I agree with this classification. Sure, there's a killer with a mask, but he only appears in one or two scenes. There are also scenes of violence where non-masked people kill each other and beat each other up.

The mask is a weird addition. In slashers and gialli, the mask is worn for two reasons: one, to scare the audience, and two, to provide a sense of surprise when we find out who's behind it. Here, I don't think the killer was even unmasked. There was more than one. I think.

The movie is not without a certain charm. There is a surprising scene where an openly gay man is threatened by some homophobes in a bar and beats them up. Not something you'd expect from a Seventies flick. It also has quite a bit of nudity - even of the full-frontal male variety.

It's an unusual experience, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but is actually entertaining and interesting at times.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Killer Behind the Mask

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Cannon Group, Upstate Murder Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1