Death Screams (1982): Deep Cuts #23

Death Screams is a movie I had never heard of before I got my buy one get one coupon for Vintage Stock. Imagine my surprise when I found Arrow editions of Death Screams, Death Walks on High Heels, and Death Smiles on a Murderer all on the shelves! Was this some sort of trilogy that I had missed? Alas, despite the similar names, the same company producing the Blu-rays, and the years of release lining up, they are all completely unrelated. But I bought them anyway. I guess I’m a sucker for films lined up in a row on a shelf all starting with the same first word. So, was it worth the buy? Has anyone even HEARD of this movie?  

Synopsis: 

In a small town in North Carolina, a group of friends are stalked by a mysterious, machete wielding maniac. 

IMDb: 4.4 

Rotten Tomatoes: NA 

Tagline: He wants their bodies…in pieces. 

AKA: House of Death 

IMDb warns me that there are several scenes of nudity, some of which are of the nether region variety, and we immediately see a couple doing it on a motorcycle and her boobius niceous majorus are on display. I have never tried doing the deed on a motorcycle, as I would imagine it takes good balance, and a well-choreographed horizontal mambo routine to avoid falling to the ground and risk ruining the mood. It’s kind of like boom-boom in a pool or shower, it sounds glamourous and provocative, but it’s actually pretty impractical and rather heavy on the splashing. 

The acting already feels much like a regional film where all the actors and extras are either townsfolk, or friends of the production. A lack of Wikipedia pages for all of the actors except for the Playboy Bunny pretty much solidifies that theory. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing though, as there can be a lot of fun in these slashers from different parts of the US. Low budget be damned! This one happened to be filmed in Shelby, North Carolina.  

There really are some great 80’s retro synth musical cues that truly bring me back to the golden era of slashers. The POV shots are great, too, and while the film itself may turn out to be generic, the throwbacks to my happy place in cinema history are much appreciated. There are many things in this film to be proud of, even though it may be one of the long since forgotten VHS era slasher films. However, one of the main male characters with his black eyebrows and brown hair are NOT one of those things.  

There’s a carnival in town and the college kids all go and do their thing that kids do, slamming hammers in tests of strength, riding the carousel, bounce houses (?) and participating in kissing booths. This is the part where we are supposed to get to know the fresh meat, but they’re all pretty generic, and I was taken aback to learn one of the actresses was Playboy Playmate of the month for January 1977, Susan Kiger.  

These kids are supposed to be college kids, but some of the men appear to be early thirties and one guy even looks like he is approaching 40. As per one of my earlier articles, people tend to look older than they were in years past, so I will go ahead and just close my eyes and squint at the screen and pretend. 

Overall, a solid little slasher. It won’t compete with the Halloween franchises of the world, nor even films like Happy Birthday to Me, but it serves its own little niche audience, which I am a proud card-carrying member of.  It has its shortcomings, but it’s a lot of fun with great music, great stalking scenes, good gore, nice nudity including some dude booty for the ladies, and a director that knows how to build suspense. 

I have a feeling it wouldn’t be remembered if it weren’t for the Arrow Blu-ray release, which I am always thankful for. So many great films have been lost over the years, and some will never see the light of day due to various issues, but Arrow picks these flicks up out of the dredges and breathes new life into them. These were movies we wouldn’t rent in the video store for 2 bucks 35 years ago, but in 2023, we will spend 30 bucks on a boutique Blu-ray re-release! Viva la Physical Media! 

 6.5/10 Stab Wounds  

About RetRo(n) 84 Articles
I like the 80s, slasher films, Italian directors, Evil Ed, Trash and Nancy, Ripley and Private First Class Hudson, retro crap but not SyFy crap, old school skin, Freddy and Savini, Spinell and Coscarelli, Andre Toulon, and last, but not least, Linda Blair.