Strange visions come to haunt a singer when she, her son, and her psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend move into an old colonial house that is haunted by the ghost of a ruthless slave owner.Strange visions come to haunt a singer when she, her son, and her psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend move into an old colonial house that is haunted by the ghost of a ruthless slave owner.Strange visions come to haunt a singer when she, her son, and her psychiatrist-turned-boyfriend move into an old colonial house that is haunted by the ghost of a ruthless slave owner.
Bill Hindman
- Dr. Ben Brightman
- (as William M. Hindman)
Jackie Davis
- Detective Whitcomb
- (as Jakie Davis)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAfter the film's underwhelming performance, it was released on VHS and then LaserDisc, but then fell into obscurity. In 2004, film historian Robert Ellinger was in one of the last video rental stores that still sold VHS tapes when the film caught his eye. He loved the film's music, especially "Beat of the Heart", but no soundtrack had ever been released. This began his long obsession with the film. He began acquiring everything he could from the film: test posters, various foreign VHS copies and even a promotional paperweight from when the film was released to home video. He was able to reach the film's costume designer Beverly Safier, who sent him a piece of fabric from one of the dresses that Kate wears in the film. He wanted to see if the film had other fans, so he uploaded "Beat of the Heart" to YouTube and discovered that there were fans who loved both the song and the movie. Because Ellinger works in the music industry, he was able to locate the film's composer The Barber Brothers (who was really just one person, Billy Barber) and asked him if he had the original masters for the soundtrack, but they were lost. Unwilling to give up, Ellinger contacted producer Daniel F. Bacaner, who had disowned the film and was surprised to hear someone mentioning the film so long after its release. Ellinger told Bacaner that he should re-release the film to introduce it to a new audience. They were able to locate the original negatives in an MGM vault in Pittsburgh, where it had remained for thirty years, as well as a treasure trove of unused promotional materials. Bacaner contacted director Richard Friedman and was able to secure a restoration by Arrow Video, who also gave the film a Blu-Ray release. They were able to get some of the cast and crew to provide some background information on the film, and Friedman, Bacaner and Ellinger made a commentary track. Billy Barber even performed a piano cover of "Beat of the Heart." As thanks for setting the restoration in motion, Bacaner gave Ellinger some negatives from the film out of his personal collection.
- GoofsThe workman's eyes clearly move after he is dead.
- Quotes
Michael Murphy: [as a hallucination to Kate] Hi Miss Christopher... I'm fine now... wanna see?
[unzips his forehead, causing his scalp to fall off, displaying his pulsating brain]
- ConnectionsReferenced in Robot Ninja (1989)
- SoundtracksBeat of the Heart
by Billy Barber
Featured review
'Scared Stiff' is guaranteed to give 80s splatter fans a fearsome fright to their member!
Before bloodily unleashing the gallopingly gruesome, bone saw-slashing SPFX gross-out 'Doom Asylum', director Richard Friedman fearfully formulated his visually gut-punching, reality-spinning, 'Scared Stiff' aka 'The Masterson Curse' (1986). A young couple who have only just recently moved into a rather grand 19th century property, replete with musty, boarded-up secret room, fully furnished with its very own en-suite, 24/7 hyperactively hallucinatory haunting! Scared Stiff breathes fresh fetid life into the historical horror staple of anciently slumbering, aggressively awakened house haunting, Hoodoo-voodoo-bug-a-boo curse.
Not long after handsome Dr. David Young (Andrew Stevens), pretty pop star, Kate Christopher (Mary Page Keller) and her young son, Jason (Josh Segal) settle into their new home when the macabre discoveries unveiled within the cobwebbed attic begin to disturb the sensitive sensibilities of singer Kate. She is adamant that these increasingly threatening, music-spawned manifestations of an ancient evil originate from a demonstrably more malign source than her over fertile imagination!
'Scared Stiff' is sliced n' diced from the very same sinister celluloid as similarly lurid portmanteau shockers of the 70s, featuring some additionally grisly grist from vintage E. C Comics 'Tales from the Crypt'. The plot adheres to an enjoyably pulpy Gothic formula, whereby a great and grievous misfortune shall befall any poor souls that deign to seek solace in the malefic Masterson house! All its inhabitants fated to be relentlessly assailed by psychedelic, supernaturally-inclined monstrosities, no less heinously imagined than those manifested by, Poe or Lovecraft!
'Scared Stiff' is far from being an 80s anachronism, seen today, Friedman's hyperbolically colourful, roller-coaster rapid descent into mind-tripping, spook-raddled delirium has much to recommend it to horror fans. Our two photogenic protagonists gruesomely overwhelmed by a malevolent maelstrom of black magic madness is given fearsome verisimilitude by the compellingly off-kilter, brain-boggling kaleidoscope of vividly eye-stalking special FX make-up by Tyler K. Smith. 'Scared Stiff' is guaranteed to deliver splatter fans a fright to their member!
Not long after handsome Dr. David Young (Andrew Stevens), pretty pop star, Kate Christopher (Mary Page Keller) and her young son, Jason (Josh Segal) settle into their new home when the macabre discoveries unveiled within the cobwebbed attic begin to disturb the sensitive sensibilities of singer Kate. She is adamant that these increasingly threatening, music-spawned manifestations of an ancient evil originate from a demonstrably more malign source than her over fertile imagination!
'Scared Stiff' is sliced n' diced from the very same sinister celluloid as similarly lurid portmanteau shockers of the 70s, featuring some additionally grisly grist from vintage E. C Comics 'Tales from the Crypt'. The plot adheres to an enjoyably pulpy Gothic formula, whereby a great and grievous misfortune shall befall any poor souls that deign to seek solace in the malefic Masterson house! All its inhabitants fated to be relentlessly assailed by psychedelic, supernaturally-inclined monstrosities, no less heinously imagined than those manifested by, Poe or Lovecraft!
'Scared Stiff' is far from being an 80s anachronism, seen today, Friedman's hyperbolically colourful, roller-coaster rapid descent into mind-tripping, spook-raddled delirium has much to recommend it to horror fans. Our two photogenic protagonists gruesomely overwhelmed by a malevolent maelstrom of black magic madness is given fearsome verisimilitude by the compellingly off-kilter, brain-boggling kaleidoscope of vividly eye-stalking special FX make-up by Tyler K. Smith. 'Scared Stiff' is guaranteed to deliver splatter fans a fright to their member!
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- Weirdling_Wolf
- Jan 10, 2021
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Box office
- Budget
- $1,300,000 (estimated)
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