Organized owl outlaw overtakes and obliterates obstinately obtuse onlookers in overtly outrageous outings.

Stage Fright aka Deliria from 1987 is the story of how the cast and crew of a musical based on a “real” serial killer only known as the Night Owl are picked off one by one during a dress rehearsal. Will they survive a night with the masked killer?

Director Michele Soavi cleverly uses various camera tricks to keep things interesting visually. The first-person point of view of the killer is especially effective and it’s a shame it’s not used more in modern movies. I love the cheesy, schlocky campiness of older movies that are severely lacking in modern horror except for the recent Malignant. The way he stages certain scenes is different than the typical slasher so it doesn’t feel generic. Light and shadow are also used effectively to create silly yet still scary moments keeping things fresh. Most slashers suffer from giving more of the same as opposed to Soavi trying to approach each scene with new ideas. The chilling score is full of atmospheric musical cues adding tension.

Writers George Eastman and Sheila Goldberg know their audience, showing how the calculated slasher can work when you try to have fun with the subgenre instead of taking the material too seriously. They make a menacing villain in a scary situation but realize the ridiculousness of the scenario too. By doing so, they respect the audience because they know they’re smarter than the characters involved. The best slashers do this, in my humble opinion. It contains clever kills too. No two deaths are the same. With a kill count of eight, that’s an impressive feat. Some kills were shockingly gory, always a welcome surprise. I never understood people who say they love horror but cover their eyes during the best parts.

The entire cast has fun playing larger-than-life characters in a horrifying albeit wacky premise. Barbara Cupisti plays Alicia, whom the film centres on. She portrays her as a likeable aspiring actress who is more than just a victim. She outsmarts the villain and fights back too, making a character to root for. Her storyline is compelling with a satisfying conclusion. David Brandon plays Peter, the play director, an Ed Wood type character. A showman in every sense of the word, he determined that the show must go on despite all setbacks. While unlikeable at first, his redeeming qualities outlay the negative. His performance is both charming and sinister as the cutthroat desperate director is willing to do whatever it takes to make his vision come to life. His story arc builds toward his inevitable turn changing his motivations and is played exquisitely by him. Giovanni Lombardo Radice is Brett, the actor cast as the Night Owl. His flamboyant persona is hilarious. The rest of the cast is around more to have a body count. They don’t get as much screen time so we don’t get to know them as well. Therefore they’re one-dimensional with the way they’re killed off being more memorable than their less distinct personalities.

Overall, I love a good slasher, it’s my absolute favourite subgenre so reviewing one that’s new for me is always extremely exciting. Stage Fright doesn’t disappoint. With good writing, acting, and directing a generic subgenre is transformed into a funny full-blown fright-fest with huge entertainment and rewatchability value. I’m not sure how I missed this one over the years but enjoyed going into it cold, without any knowledge of it. Personally, for me even the worst slasher is great. Being one of the better ones, I highly recommend Stage Fright for horror fans because of these reasons. Rather than being so bad, it’s good, it’s good at being self-aware of how bad other slashers are and making it work. And remember, there’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned slashing.

10 out of 10