Verdict
Summary
I tend to not analyze slashers too closely, but Death Screams took me by surprise and considering I’d never heard of it before, it emerges as a contender for one of the better ones to come out of the post-Halloween / Friday the 13th era. It saves most of its brutality for the nonstop slashing finale, and it has quite a few shocking moments in it.
Plot:
A killer is slaughtering young people in a small town, but why and who is it?
Review:
A couple having sex on a motorcycle (?!) in a make out spot are brutally killed by an unseen killer one night, and their bodies are thrown into the nearby lake, where they drift … A small town nearby is preparing to put on a carnival, which will attract all kinds of people, but the demographic seems to be a group of horny young people. Several young couples in high school (all played by twenty-somethings) goof around, go on the rides, and then retreat later that evening to a secluded cabin, where the killer comes to kill them all one-by-one, and while there are a handful of suspects (including a mentally disabled man who plays with trains), it all comes down to the shocking realization that the killer is known to them all but won’t have mercy!
An underrated slasher film from a beautiful time in America’s history, Death Screams almost resembles a slice of life (no pun intended) of Middle America life with gorgeous scenes of suburban existence in a time when everything seemed to be perfect, which is pretty great considering that it almost feels like a metaphor when you realize that there’s a psycho killer out there, ready to tear it all to shreds. I tend to not analyze slashers too closely, but Death Screams took me by surprise and considering I’d never heard of it before, it emerges as a contender for one of the better ones to come out of the post-Halloween / Friday the 13th era. It saves most of its brutality for the nonstop slashing finale, and it has quite a few shocking moments in it. Star Susan Kiger was an adult film star before becoming a Playboy Playmate, but you’d never guess it as she plays the “good girl” or the “final girl,” as they say. David Nelson, of Ozzie and Harriet fame, directed this, and it’s a very solid piece of horror.
Arrow Video has just released a Limited Edition Blu-ray of Death Screams, and it comes fully loaded with special features. The new 2K transfer was excellent, and this is the best the movie has ever looked (the VHS is reportedly almost unwatchable with dark scenes that are hard to discern). Special features include two new audio commentaries, a newly produced “making-of” feature, which I watched. Some other bonus features, including image galleries, two versions of the screenplay, an alternate opening, and more are included.
