‘The finishing school that finished them off!’
Girls School Screamers is a 1984 American supernatural slasher horror film written and directed by John P. Finnegan [as Finegan] from a storyline written by Katie Keating and Pierce J. Keating. The movie stars Mollie O’Mara, Sharon Christopher and Mari Butler.
The movie was edited by Thomas R. Rondinella who went on to direct Blades in 1989.
Seven college girls spend the weekend at an elegant estate that starts as fun filled adventure, but ends in wretched terror after they get caught up in the morbid atmosphere of the estate and hold a seance. After a seance the girls begin to disappear one by one and all the old horror stories about the estate begin to come true again…
Reviews:
“It often cuts- or just turns away, so basically all you’ll be seeing is a bunch of fake looking blood dripping down death people’s bodies. Again, the movie could had really distinctive itself, or at least had made itself somewhat more interesting or entertaining if it had some decent killings in it, which just isn’t the case unfortunately.” Boba_Fett1138
” …Girls School Screamers is of the “kids show up at a scary house, and a bunch of random creepy stuff happens” school, along the lines of Norman J. Warren’s Terror and Class Reunion Massacre. The movie seemingly starts off as a low rent slasher, but descends into surreal gothic territory (still low rent) as it moves along.” Cinema Gonzo
” …it’s just too run-of-the-mill and ponderous to satisfy. But it’s too cheap and amateurish to be anything else really (although you do get the impression that the makers thought they were making a mystery thriller of note). Its mongrel nature – it’s not really a slasher (although it borrows plenty from the subgenre’s toybox) and it’s not really a ghost story – means it ends up being pretty much nothing at all.” Hysteria Lives
“The methods of mayhem in the film include a hook, meat cleaver and a pitchfork, although we never get to see much of the good stuff. Similarly, the lack of nudity in a movie with such a lurid title is a bit of a letdown, but unlike their characters, the actresses must have been a little prudish. Like many slashers of the mid-eighties, Girls School Screamers boasts some fun music.” Oh, the Horror!
“There’s the odd atmospheric moment that comes courtesy of a truly superb score and it’s funny to see college girls played by actresses the wrong side of their thirties, but is it enough? I really wanted to like Girls School Screamers and find a defence for it, but it is, unfortunately, a bit of a mess.” A Slash Above…
Cast and characters:
Mollie O’Mara … Jackie / Jennifer
Sharon Christopher … Elizabeth
Mari Butler … Kate
Beth O’Malley … Karen
Karen Krevitz … Susan
Marcia Hinton … Adelle
Monica Antonucci … Rosemary
Peter Cosimano … Paul
Vera Gallagher … Sister Urban
Charles Braun … Tyler Welles
Tony Manzo … Doctor Robert Fisher
John Turner … Bruce
James W. Finegan Sr. … Paul’s Father
Release:
Originally titled The Portrait, the movie was picked up for distribution by Troma Entertainment who insisted on adding some minor gore before releasing it in 1986 with an ad campaign that made it seem like a slasher.
Trailer:
