 
A divorced woman named Susan Jeremy (Barbi Benton) goes to a local Los Angeles hospital for a routine exam performed by a man named Jack (John Van Ness) but finds herself being there alot longer than planned in which she feels that everyone is trying to trap her there.
Meanwhile a killer in a disguise as an operation doctor slays employees there one by one till he tries to reach for Susan and everyone there is suspect in which she feels even more unsafe. She tries to warn others but no one believes her.
It seems that 19 years ago on that very day she mocked a boy's Valetine's Day card as this kid killed her sibling to make her grieve and might be back for revenge.
I remember seeing this film years ago renting at my local 24 hour video store but read it in the movie guide that it was a Halloween clone. I decided to recently watch it for myself to see what it was like and the only Halloween movie it resembles to is the very first sequel since it takes plance in a hospital. Otherwise most of the story is very different.
The beginning of course starts off with two kids being mean about a Valentines Day card since kids are naturally mean as this could come across as very disturbing to a poor kid who likes one of them but yet on how this was all done it looked way too cheesy to be taken seriously. One of the kids is murdered on some sort of a coat hanger and I just rolled my eyes thinking to myself "Yeah really original. NOT!" It didn't look at all creepy.
Then 19 years pass with the girl who's name is Susan all grown up and a divorced Mom checking into a hospital with the janitor eyeing her mysteriously in which this was way too corny and not at all scary like it was supposed to making you wonder if he's the killer in the story in which we have these types in horror films.
There's another moment that psychs you out is when Susan is in an elevator and next to her is a guy named Ned looking dead and blodied next to her in which she doesn't seem startled and then he was eating a hamburger with ketchup that we find out later on. I was thinking that this is such a joke.
The killer is stalking the hospital hallways disguised as a medic which seems to be suitable so while watching the film anyone could be the killer but there's a moment where he kills his first victim with a pair of scissors which looked incredibly fake but the gruesomeness may impress slasher fans.
Then Susan has to be checked for some sort of an X-ray type of thing along with having her blood sampled by one of the doctors named Jack which makes you wonder if he is tempting to seduce her while doing all of this that it leaves you that impression. Of course this is a drawing card to any slasher film making you wonder what's going to happen. It does seem pointless however.
There's alot of twisted writing in the film that she is forced to stay in the hospital and making you wonder if she will go crazy or not. You also think to yourself that this is NOT a normal hospital at all which seems to bring on the horror in the story for anyone's fear of an awful place like going to one where there's sick people, mental patients or others dying around you. The story does explain itself towards the end when the killer is revealed and it has a happy ending too as well as an excitment to find out what happened to the killer in the end and not leaving a door open for a sequel like most horror films do. I doubt one would rise regardless.
Bottom line is during certain years like 1980 there were top slasher films like Friday the 13th, Terror Train and Prom Night.... A year later were not as mainstream and slightly cheesy one's such as My Bloody Valentine, The Burning, Graduation Day and Happy Birthday to Me.... The year after that were really trashy one's like Slumber Party Massacre, Don't Go in the Woods and of course this one. However, this film wasn't over the top terrible since it was mysterious and twisted which can be fun at times but then it goes in a slump and doing nothing. The film was considered obscure and could see why since there was no inspiration to it and was extremely corny too since it's been done before.
The acting is half good and half bad. Let's take a look here.... Barbi Benton (Susan Jeremy) portrayed the scream queen type of role in which at first she seemed to come across as someone who is trying to learn how to portray a character and being inexperienced by doing so but she seems to get with the flow in what she does. She certainly knew on how to draw her anger and frusterations in very well and being incredibly energetic while she does. I must say she was quite impressive with what she did for this film. However in a scene where she's screaming and banging on an elevator door she was low on energy. However she does a a nice energetic moment while being strapped down with her screaming in rage.
Charles Lucia (Harry) really knew how to portray someone very calm and light headed in which he comes across well to the screen as well as showing his other side by acting aggressive insane and crazy. He proved to be a versatile actor without a doubt. He also had the right looks for this type of character too.
Jon Van Ness (Jack) was a total attention getter as a seemingly sleazy type of doctor in the flick with his sneering attitude along with being believeably controlling by what he did in the film. He certainly portrayed a nice suspect in the film but yet we all know that it would be too obvious. Does well getting sneering towards someone in a hospital hallway.
Gloria Jean Morrison (Nurse Dora) comes across as beautiful looking but seemingly wicked and very forceful in which she does a passable job with all of this. She's not over the top great but can do the job nonetheless. She seemed to be a nice drawing card to the story as one of those types of nurses in a horror flick.
Michael Frost (Ned) was the main key role in the film as a patient in the hospital but he seems a little too corny with his performance init at times and too over the top. However he does show certain spots on coming across a little too strange and seeming to be a possible suspect. So there are some good pointers there.
Barbi Benton (Or a body double) is lying on a chair bare breasted while a doctor does some X-Ray researches on her as well as doing other tests.
The killer stabs someone and blood splurts out
A face is scarred by a tub of liquid type of acid
A knife is stabbed through someone's neck
A bloodied dead body is revealed
A axe is whacked in a guy's head
Arlon Ober has alot of cheesy sharp violin music high and low as well as some horn playing too for alot of the slashing moments but yet it sounds like he's trying to borrow heavily from Friday the 13th with his music. There's also cheesy chanting music too for when the killer apporaches ready to do in his next victim as this seemed fairly corny and not fitting in at all. |
