Silent Madness (1984)

After a computer glitch accidentally releases a homicidal maniac, his doctor and some hospital staff track a trail of bodies to the sorority house where the killer committed his earlier crimes.

Director:

Simon Nuchtern

Writers:

Bob Zimmerman (screenplay) (as Robert Zimmerman), Bill Milling (screenplay) (as William P. Milling)

Stars:

Belinda Montgomery, Viveca Lindfors, Solly Marx

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Belinda Montgomery	...	Dr. Joan Gilmore
Viveca Lindfors	...	Mrs. Collins
Solly Marx	...	Howard Johns
Sydney Lassick	...	Sheriff 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

Storyline

A homicidal maniac is accidentally released from a hospital because of a computer error and heads to the site (a sorority) of his past murders to continue his penchant for mayhem. Dr. Joan Gilmore takes off after him while the hospital administrators cover up the mistake and send some staff thugs out to get both the doctor and the escaped lunatic.

---

Plot Keywords:

murder of a girl | serial murder | mistake | computer | cover up | 

---

Taglines:

The Screaming Never Stops ...

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beautiful Screamers

Filming Locations:

Jersey City, New Jersey, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Earls, MAG, Selim Picture Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in New Jersey in 1983 under the title "Dark Sunday". Other alternate titles included "Beautiful Screamers", "The Omega Factor" and "The Nightkillers".

---

Goofs

When Dr. Gilmore checks the computer and realizes that Howard Johns was released by mistake, the information (list) on the screen completely changes in each shot.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Fright Show (1985)

User Reviews

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