Scared Stiff (1987)

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.

Director:

Richard Friedman

Writers:

Mark Frost (original screenplay), Daniel F. Bacaner (original screenplay)

Stars:

Andrew Stevens, Mary Page Keller, David Ramsey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Stevens	...	David Young
Mary Page Keller	...	Kate Christopher
David Ramsey	...	George Masterson
Josh Segal	...	Jason
Bill Hindman	...	Dr. Ben Brightman (as William M. Hindman)
Jackie Davis	...	Detective Whitcomb (as Jakie Davis)
Nicole Fortier	...	Elizabeth Masterson
Brian Smith	...	Director
Tony Shepherd	...	Wally
Tom Kouchalakos	...	Michael Murphy
Jennifer Hingel	...	Jennifer
Richard Jason	...	Elizabeth's Son
Pete Conrad	...	Short Man
Carol Gun	...	Sherry
Ellen Simmons	...	Claire

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

slave owner | mental asylum | possession | visions | feature film | 

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Taglines:

There's no place left to hide.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abraxas

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Manson International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Page Keller was not a "star" yet when this film was made. Andrew Stevens was the "bigger name" actor at the time.

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Goofs

The workman's eyes clearly move after he is dead.

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Connections

Referenced in Robot Ninja (1989)

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Soundtracks

Beat of the Heart
by Billy Barber

User Reviews

You won't be.

'80s supernatural horror Scared Stiff is, for the most part, a rather dull affair, but it is lifted somewhat by a final twenty minutes that completely throw logic and sanity out of the window. The lunacy is hinted at in an earlier scene where a young lad's toy cars come to life, engines roaring and wheels spinning, but it's not until the closing act that director Richard Friedman goes all out with the madness, chucking in time travel, a snarling monster, an exploding police car (it's amazing how easy the vehicle blows up), a mouldy corpse smashing through a window (having hung outside for several days unnoticed), a giant floating lampshade in the shape of an Indian, and Ivory Coast natives hurling spears through time and space.

The plot goes something like this: having recovered from a mental breakdown, pop star Kate moves into a new home with her boyfriend (and doctor) David Young (Andrew Stevens), and her seven year old son Jason (Josh Segal), unaware that the place is haunted by the malevolent ghost of a slave merchant. This hokey old set-up is rife with clichés, Friedman's attempts at atmosphere and foreboding fall horribly flat, his cast give uniformly bad performances, and certain scenes are horribly dated (such as the moment when Jason's computer projects a holographic 3D image or when David explains what diskettes are for). If you can, try and stay the distance for the mind-numbingly bonkers ending, which is just about worth the wait, but I wouldn't blame you if you gave up and found something better to do with your time.

2/10, plus a couple more points for the nutty stuff.