Slashers come and slashers go and 1982 would see the release of Girls Nite Out, a film that surprises as far as those in this particular genre go and while there was nothing overly fantastic about it, it was a solid picture that would end up quite amusing as viewers would see a giant bear would end up going around and killing people until a final surprise reveal at the end.

The biggest fault that this film suffers from is its pacing, taking the longest time for anything of note to happen as the teens within it go to school and party and so forth for what seems an interminable chunk of the movie. It was not bad per se, but there could have been so many more kills and horror present if the makers of this film had just sped it up a bit. Once it gets going though, things get interesting as the killer targets the man who plays the mascot for the school team and then, absconding with the costume, begins to kill off a lot of those the audience has been introduced to during the first half of the picture. The murders themselves are a little basic but there is a lot of blood and the killer targets both men and women as they go about their reign of terror. Also surprising is just how graphic some of the kill scenes are, not only in the amount of blood but in how brutal and disturbing at times it tends to get. If one was in doubt that this was a horror movie, they only have to wait until the bear starts killing to be proven otherwise.

As far as the cast goes, they would put in a good showing with screen legend Hal Holbrook taking a role as a security guard, lending it all a little more credibility and yet, even should he not have been present it would have been just as enjoyable. Despite getting to know these characters over the first half of the film, one cannot wait to see them cut down by the giant bear, partly due to the novelty of it all and partly as they inspire no connection to the viewer, much like many of the victims one finds in movies such as this. As for that ending, it was a little out of the blue but it worked and made the film much more interesting for it.

There is some ridiculousness to it all, such as why the school’s team mascot has giant claws on it that are able to rip a man open begging the question as to who would approve such a design, among others. Be that as it may, silly or not, it made for a fun time, at least once it really got going. If the first half had a little more pizazz, it might have made for a better time, yet when all was said and done, Girls Nite Out is worth a look for the sheer oddball nature of it when compared to other slashers.

3 out of 5