THE SCAREMAKER

US, 1984, 96 minutes, Colour.
Julia Montgomery, James Carroll, Rutanya Alda, Hal Holbrook.
Directed by Robert Deubel.

The Scaremaker was one of numerous horror films made in the early 80s. With Halloween and Friday the 13th, audiences throughout the world were intrigued by gory thrillers with multiple murders and mysterious killers. Often these killers had aspects of the occult or were victics of brutalisation when young. Homage was paid to many of the horror film directors of the past. The makers of these films were young unknowns, sometimes student film-makers, sometimes exploiters.

This is rather a better entry in this hind of horror. It is a college campus-set thriller - very popular at the time. it provides a range of characters, staff and students and off-campus personalities. There is some attention to characterisation here. Strength of the film comes from Hal Holbrook as a Commissioner of Police and Rutanya Alda as a waitress serving behind a counter. In fact she is a kind of Psycho villainess and is revealed in disguise and mania at the end.

These are exercises in skill in shocking audiences and playing with traditional horror themes.