Star Time (1992) User Reviews

Interesting concept ..... not fully developed .....

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 8 August 2016]

"Star Time" has an interesting concept, going inside the mind of a depressed young man who's delusions result in serial killings. Unfortunately the small budget does not allow the idea to be fully developed. This is really just a three character play, stretched into 84 minutes running time. John P. Ryan as "Sam Bones", the devil inside the mind of the "Baby Face Killer" is excellent. He is always an intimidating presence, and here Ryan does his thing, pushing the right buttons to turn an already disturbed man into a hatchet wielding killer. There is very little blood, some nudity, and even a taste of "black comedy". More a psychological drama than a slasher, fans of John P. Ryan should see this. - MERK

Bland and Depressing

[martinscrimm · 5/10 · 24 June 2020]

There's nothing wrong with a depressing horror film. A lot of really good ones are, but when you're as unappealing and downbeat as Star Time is, it becomes a real chore to get through.

The surprising part is that this movie doesn't look like some long lost, crummy straight to video production. It looks fairly glossy with some striking shots and good production design. The acting isn't awful either, but there's nothing very gripping about it and the film never allows us to develop any major feelings for its characters.

You have a wannabe star who is convinced by an agent to start killing people to make himself famous, which sounds like an interesting enough concept, but it's hard to care what happens when the lead character is neither intimidating enough to scare us or pathetic and well developed enough for us to be on his side.

*NOT A SLASHER FILM-VERY ATMOSPHERIC*

[horror7777 · 30 August 2001]

I expected STAR TIME to be yet another "expired" early nineties horror film. And the box cover and tagline suggests that too, unfortunately. BUT I WAS VERY WRONG! STAR TIME is a perfect example of what a lot of eighties slashers wanted to be. It's more of an adult slasher, as it really wouldn't appeal to a teenage audience. This film, most of all, is very atmospheric. I agree. A lot of it is boring. But the whole idea behind it is ingenious. ***out of****STAR TIME is a pretty good horror film that I think horror fans, even casual ones, should see.

Dark, boring, and not very scary

[BlueFormicaHalo · 4/10 · 28 May 1999]

Some no-name actor stars in Star Time as a twentysomething guy who becomes suicidal after his favorite television show gets canceled. Yes, you read that right. So then John P. Ryan takes advantage of our vulnerable main character pretending to work for TV and having him kill people. The rest is long, boring, and surprisingly unappealing. Star Time has no rating (unless Unrated counts), but the box rates it EM, meaning Extremely Mature. (But what they don't realize is that mature audiences can't take this junk seriously)

Waste of time and money (thankfully little of both though). One-and-a-half Stars out of Four.

Underrated Gem

[wheresjoeysmovie · 8/10 · 7 November 2014]

This movie was one I ran across via an old video store going out of business. Michael St. Gerard plays a guy who gets upset because his favorite TV show has been taken off the air and he gets a little homicidal. John P. Ryan gives a stunning performance as a mysterious character on TV who is giving our main character some interesting direction. You won't see another movie quite like this one. I also wish I knew how to get a copy of the song at the end of the movie, also titled "Star Time". Overall, it is worth a look indeed if you can actually find it. I was lucky enough to. It is a tense film with a little satire, a little disturbing commentary and a little mystery- all accentuated by some good performances.

Well worth your time

[colinmcmasters · 8/10 · 23 April 2018]

If you really enjoy slasher movies like "Halloween" or "My Bloody Valentine," you'll probably hate this film. It's an arthouse thriller examining mental illness and just happens to feature a mass murderer as the protagonist. You won't find any gory deaths or teenager cliches in this movie.

My only major complaint was that it was so short. 84 minutes just wasn't enough.

I just don't know what to spoil.

[lorddrewsus · 8/10 · 16 July 2019]

This movie, while superbly written, and acted in by top notch thespians, is kind of like The Twilight Zone on crack/cocaine. Alexander Cassini wrote and directed a masterpiece here. Easy as top notch, as TCM or Pyscho. Some aspects can't help but be repeated through-out the ages as there are 100's of suspense horror movies, but as everyone else typed, John P. Ryan is an excellent Devil/inner dark id. Brilliantly written accounts acted by St. Gerard as a scared and screwed up "psycho killer". The end is amazing too. Very much like The Twilight Zone or Tales From The Crypt. Repetition isn't always bad. The roles acted even with a lesser extent Teefy's character is awesome. They have this title on Amazon as of this writing. If you can't rent it, buy it. If you think it sucks sell it to me. I like it. I watch ten copies of it. This movie though is trippy. It almost drives you cooky as he is going to said place, in the beginning. The first thirty minutes of this movie is worth the watch. I agree with people before me. Hidden gem...

Henry just wants to be a star

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 23 May 2018]

Sadsack Henry Pinkle (an excellent and credible performance by Michael St. Gerard) sinks into a suicidal depression after his favorite TV show gets canceled. Sinister and mysterious agent Sam Bones (marvelously played with lip-smacking wicked relish by John P. Ryan) encourages Henry to follow his advice to becoming a star on the news by assuming the lethal persona of a psycho called "The Baby Face Killer."

Writer/director Alexander Cassini's offbeat and intriguing film not only serves as an intelligent and provocative meditation on American culture's obsession with celebrity, how the oversaturation of the media in the modern world can easily blur the fine line between fantasy and reality, and the basic human need to amount to something, but also makes a chilling central point on how loneliness and alienation can make someone dangerously unstable. Gerard and Ryan both do sterling work in their roles. Maureen Teefy lends sturdy support as concerned social worker Wendy. The handsome cinematography by Fernando Arguelles offers a wealth of striking surreal images. Blake Leyh's quirky score adds to the overall oddball mood. Recommended viewing for fans of idiosyncratic indie horror fare.

It held my interest

[Maka00000 · 24 April 2004]

This film was better then I expected. The story was a little predictable, but the acting held it together. I thought Michael St.Gerard was haunting in this role, and the cast was overall pretty good. I did find the film a little too bloody, even though there isn't much violence in it. The camera work is unusual and the soundtrack adds to the effect. The locations are very cold and isolated which takes you into the mind of the lead character. J.P. Ryan plays devil-like character, who lives in Henry's imagination. If you like strange, artsy films, this film might appeal to you.

not bad

[cmcain · 10/10 · 21 February 2002]

I recently watched Star Time on video at about 3:00 in the morning. I had never heard of it, and I had no idea what to expect. The movie held my attention and I really got into the (somewhat predictable) story. It moves slow, but I couldn't bring myself to turn it off. I thought the acting was good and the lighting was interesting. The script was a little obvious, and stupid at times. But, over all, I found it watchable.

Some Interesting Ideas

[Michael_Elliott · 31 March 2018]

Star Time (1992)

** (out of 4)

Henry Pinkle (Michael St. Gerard) is a troubled young man who takes a dark turn when his favorite television show is canceled. He then meets an agent who tells him that he could be a star but first he needs to kill certain people.

Alexander Cassini wrote and directed STAR TIME and I must admit that I give him a lot of credit for trying to do something new with the horror genre. This here very well could have taken the easy road and just delivered a bunch of gory death scenes as most slashers did but instead the director tried to do something different. I didn't think the film was a complete success but I at least tip my hat to the filmmakers for their attempt.

The film is basically a look at mental illness and the desire to have that "15 minutes of fame" that so many go after. The film has a lot of very interesting thoughts and ideas and especially the obsession of becoming someone famous. The problem is that the execution isn't what it needed to be because there were times where I just wasn't all that invested in what I was watching. I thought it was hard to connect with the lead character and his illness.

I did think St. Gerard gave a nice performance in the lead role. His performance wasn't great enough to really carry the film but he did a good job. The same is true for John P. Ryan who plays the mysterious man giving Henry all of his advice. The third cast member is Maureen Teefy as a friend of Henry's but her role wasn't the most interesting.

Visually STAR TIME looks quite good and I'd argue that it contains a nice atmosphere. Again, there are many interesting ideas floating around here but I don't think they all come together as well as they could have. STAR TIME is interesting but certainly flawed.