Killroy
June 6th, 2007, 05:01 PM
The Last Night (1983)
Director: Michael J. Murphy (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614543/)
Cast: Steven Longhurst, Catherine Rowlands, David Bruhl, Colin Efford
A forgotten, ultra low-budget slasher from the UK that involves a group of stage actors held captive by two psychopaths.
It is the last night of Murder in the Dark, a play performed by a local British theater group called The Prestidge Players. The turnout during the run of the play has been disappointing, the play continuously being performed in front of an empty house. Tonights show is expected have a higher than normal turnout as the final show coincides with one of the lead actresses birthday. Friends and family are expected to be in attendance for the party being held after the show. Unfortunately for these actors two escaped criminals, Mike and Gary, have decided to take refuge in the theater after having broke out of a maximum security facility. While they are in the theater, they start murdering the cast and crew while forcing the surviving members of The Prestidge Players to continue with the play under the threat of more death, the audience oblivious to what is going on behind the curtain.
Director Michael J. Murphy takes the phrase 'the show must go on' and twists it a bit, delivering a slasher film that attempts to show a mean, sadistic streak but ultimately fails on all counts. While not extremely gory, The Last Night does have head shots, impalements, stabbings, multiple strangulations, throat slashings, and dash of necrophilia. Don't get your hopes up though, as bad editing ruins some of these scenes and just overall bad movie-making ruins the rest. The entire film comes across extremely amateurish from every aspect. In the majority of scenes the lighting looks as if they were using a lamp without a shade. Other scenes are so dark you are wishing for the lamp back. The score to this film consists of a muffled, pulsing synth score that could quite possibly drive someone insane. The acting from all involved is borderline laughable with the only exception being the lead psychopath, Mike.
Some of the ideas in The Last Night were interesting, such as the killers forcing the team to perform in front of a live audience while they hold one of the female stagehands hostage. If Mike does not like any one of the performers acting, then Gary will be given the signal to kill the stagehand, all in plain view of the actors on stage. In one particular scene, a man is on his hands and knees, one of the killers slowly strangling him with a rope. While the man is slowly dying, gasping for air, the two killers carry on a nonchalant conversation about wine. This scene almost, almost reaches the level of disturbing had it not ended abruptly; a victim of terrible editing. In capable hands, it quite possibly could have made someones list of disturbing deaths in a movie.
The only thing The Last Night truly achieved, even through all of the many, many faults, was to create the illusion that these actors truly cared for each other, that they had long-standing personal relationships with each other. But with all the things wrong with the film, this can probably be chalked up to the fact these people did know each other outside of the film. The ending will make you laugh in a couple spots even though that was clearly NOT the intention. Overall, The Last Night is grade C slasher fare that dips its' toe into the sleaze, but ultimately not worth watching. Die-hard fans of the slasher film will definitely not be pleased with this film, but may want to track it down to round out their personal collection. Everyone else should just stay away.
Photos
http://img176.imagevenue.com/loc390/th_85429_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-57-96_122_390lo.jpg (http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85429_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-57-96_122_390lo.jpg) http://img183.imagevenue.com/loc472/th_85431_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-58-19-96_122_472lo.jpg (http://img183.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85431_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-58-19-96_122_472lo.jpg) http://img107.imagevenue.com/loc1159/th_85432_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-00-34-89_122_1159lo.jpg (http://img107.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85432_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-00-34-89_122_1159lo.jpg)
http://img101.imagevenue.com/loc1198/th_85433_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-34-42_122_1198lo.jpg (http://img101.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85433_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-34-42_122_1198lo.jpg) http://img128.imagevenue.com/loc343/th_85434_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-36-70_122_343lo.jpg (http://img128.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85434_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-36-70_122_343lo.jpg) http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc909/th_85441_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-01-57-60_122_909lo.jpg (http://img145.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85441_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-01-57-60_122_909lo.jpg)
http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc702/th_85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-56-40_122_702lo.jpg (http://img46.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-56-40_122_702lo.jpg) http://img103.imagevenue.com/loc980/th_85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-06-27-89_122_980lo.jpg (http://img103.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-06-27-89_122_980lo.jpg) http://img20.imagevenue.com/loc1162/th_85786_mplayerc_2006-02-11_14-27-12-01_122_1162lo.jpg (http://img20.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85786_mplayerc_2006-02-11_14-27-12-01_122_1162lo.jpg)
Director: Michael J. Murphy (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0614543/)
Cast: Steven Longhurst, Catherine Rowlands, David Bruhl, Colin Efford
A forgotten, ultra low-budget slasher from the UK that involves a group of stage actors held captive by two psychopaths.
It is the last night of Murder in the Dark, a play performed by a local British theater group called The Prestidge Players. The turnout during the run of the play has been disappointing, the play continuously being performed in front of an empty house. Tonights show is expected have a higher than normal turnout as the final show coincides with one of the lead actresses birthday. Friends and family are expected to be in attendance for the party being held after the show. Unfortunately for these actors two escaped criminals, Mike and Gary, have decided to take refuge in the theater after having broke out of a maximum security facility. While they are in the theater, they start murdering the cast and crew while forcing the surviving members of The Prestidge Players to continue with the play under the threat of more death, the audience oblivious to what is going on behind the curtain.
Director Michael J. Murphy takes the phrase 'the show must go on' and twists it a bit, delivering a slasher film that attempts to show a mean, sadistic streak but ultimately fails on all counts. While not extremely gory, The Last Night does have head shots, impalements, stabbings, multiple strangulations, throat slashings, and dash of necrophilia. Don't get your hopes up though, as bad editing ruins some of these scenes and just overall bad movie-making ruins the rest. The entire film comes across extremely amateurish from every aspect. In the majority of scenes the lighting looks as if they were using a lamp without a shade. Other scenes are so dark you are wishing for the lamp back. The score to this film consists of a muffled, pulsing synth score that could quite possibly drive someone insane. The acting from all involved is borderline laughable with the only exception being the lead psychopath, Mike.
Some of the ideas in The Last Night were interesting, such as the killers forcing the team to perform in front of a live audience while they hold one of the female stagehands hostage. If Mike does not like any one of the performers acting, then Gary will be given the signal to kill the stagehand, all in plain view of the actors on stage. In one particular scene, a man is on his hands and knees, one of the killers slowly strangling him with a rope. While the man is slowly dying, gasping for air, the two killers carry on a nonchalant conversation about wine. This scene almost, almost reaches the level of disturbing had it not ended abruptly; a victim of terrible editing. In capable hands, it quite possibly could have made someones list of disturbing deaths in a movie.
The only thing The Last Night truly achieved, even through all of the many, many faults, was to create the illusion that these actors truly cared for each other, that they had long-standing personal relationships with each other. But with all the things wrong with the film, this can probably be chalked up to the fact these people did know each other outside of the film. The ending will make you laugh in a couple spots even though that was clearly NOT the intention. Overall, The Last Night is grade C slasher fare that dips its' toe into the sleaze, but ultimately not worth watching. Die-hard fans of the slasher film will definitely not be pleased with this film, but may want to track it down to round out their personal collection. Everyone else should just stay away.
Photos
http://img176.imagevenue.com/loc390/th_85429_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-57-96_122_390lo.jpg (http://img176.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85429_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-57-96_122_390lo.jpg) http://img183.imagevenue.com/loc472/th_85431_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-58-19-96_122_472lo.jpg (http://img183.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85431_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-58-19-96_122_472lo.jpg) http://img107.imagevenue.com/loc1159/th_85432_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-00-34-89_122_1159lo.jpg (http://img107.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85432_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-00-34-89_122_1159lo.jpg)
http://img101.imagevenue.com/loc1198/th_85433_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-34-42_122_1198lo.jpg (http://img101.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85433_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-34-42_122_1198lo.jpg) http://img128.imagevenue.com/loc343/th_85434_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-36-70_122_343lo.jpg (http://img128.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85434_mplayerc_2006-02-11_12-57-36-70_122_343lo.jpg) http://img145.imagevenue.com/loc909/th_85441_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-01-57-60_122_909lo.jpg (http://img145.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85441_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-01-57-60_122_909lo.jpg)
http://img46.imagevenue.com/loc702/th_85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-56-40_122_702lo.jpg (http://img46.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-02-56-40_122_702lo.jpg) http://img103.imagevenue.com/loc980/th_85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-06-27-89_122_980lo.jpg (http://img103.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85785_mplayerc_2006-02-11_13-06-27-89_122_980lo.jpg) http://img20.imagevenue.com/loc1162/th_85786_mplayerc_2006-02-11_14-27-12-01_122_1162lo.jpg (http://img20.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=85786_mplayerc_2006-02-11_14-27-12-01_122_1162lo.jpg)