It's gotta say something for how uninspired this run-of-the-mill slasher flick is when the opening sequence rips-off a bunch of death scenes from 1981's Graduation Day (yes, that is Linnea Quigley running from the killer in the fencing suit) before offing the people watching it with a couple of stabbings at the hands of a small child (who's never seen and proceeds to play "chopsticks" on a piano with bloody fingers).

We flash forward to present day at a high school football game and are introduced to our football hunk hero Joe Manno, who's a popular student but is suffering from weird mood swings which are stopped by medication. At the same time they decide to throw in a subplot involving two escaped convicts (one who babbles all sorts of non-sense) who, after killing a few cops and torching a restaurant, decide to hide out at a remote house.

Turns out said house is our hero's place and this weekend he just happens to be having a party there. This being a slasher movie you can only guess what happens next as all the guests start getting killed off one-by-one in various "creative" ways (such as poison being thrown on sauna rocks and someone going face first into a grill).

Packed with stereotypical characters (there's even the "fat comic relief" guy), lots of lame red herrings, and pointless nudity that looks like it was cribbed from another movie; Night Screams is certainly a uncreative venture that doesn't even try very hard with its various red herrings (the "unveiling" at the end is totally predictable if you pay minimal attention), but if you're looking for a passable slasher movie I suppose you could do worse and there's not many other places you'll get to see a policeman who's on fire being shot gunned or that features an appearance of "The Sweetheart Dancers" - I'm still perplexed about that one... (Chris Hartley, 2/15/05)

Directed By: Allen Plone.
Written By: Mitch Brian, Dillis L. Hart II.

Starring: Joe Manno, Ron Thomas, Randy Lunsford, Megan Wyss.