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Girls Nite Out – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1982
Director: Robert Deubel
Writers: Gil Spencer Jr., Kevin Kurgis, Joe Bolster, Anthony N. Gurvis
Cast: Julia Montgomery, James Carroll, Suzanne Barnes, Rutanya Alda, Al McGuire, Lauren-Marie Taylor, David Holbrook, Laura Summer

Release Date: May 16th, 2022 (UK), May 17th, 2022 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 27 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK), R (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK) / $39.95 (USA)

"A host of familiar genre faces including Hal Holbrook (Creepshow), Rutanya Alda (Amityville II: The Possession), Julia Montgomery (The Kindred) and Lauren-Marie Taylor (Friday the 13th Part 2) rounds out the cast of this gloriously mean-spirited slice from the slasher golden age, Girls Nite Out! The students of DeWitt University are preparing themselves for a night of fun and frolics in the form of an all-night scavenger hunt. Little do they know that they are in fact the ones being hunted... An unhinged assailant, disguised in the college's goofy bear mascot outfit - and bearing knives for claws, two years before Freddy donned his famous gloves - is stalking the campus hellbent on carving up co-eds." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Girls Nite Out has been restored from the best available film elements, which were a selection of 35mm release prints from the producer's personal vaults.

The prints were scanned in 2K, after which the scans were reviewed and the highest quality sections selected. A few very brief sections which were not present in the film material were sourced from an SD tape master. The assembled shots were graded and restored in 2K to create a new and complete restored master.

This restoration stills exhibits many instances of film damage and wear, in keeping with the condition of the source materials, but represents the best possible presentation of the film. We hope you enjoy!"

The above disclaimer that plays before the film gives you an idea of what to expect from this transfer.

Girls Nite Out comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 27.9 GB

Audio: 3.75/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English, and included with this release are removable SDH subtitles. The audio is in good shape; the dialog comes through clearly and everything sounds balanced. That said, range-wise, things are limited.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a trailer for The Scaremaker an alternate title for Girls Nite Out (2 minutes 52 second, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a trailer for Girls Nite Out (1 minute 4 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), alternate title card ‘The Scaremaker” (23 seconds), an archival interview with actress Julia Montgomery (6 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actors Lauren-Marie Taylor and John Didrichsen titled Love & Death (16 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Paul Christie titled It Was a Party! (20 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Lois Robbins titled Alone in the Dark (8 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Laura Summer titled A Savage Mauling (15 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actress Julia Montgomery titled Staying Alive (15 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with genre film critic/author Justin Kerswell and film historian/author Amanda Reyes, reversible cover art, a limited-edition slipcover (limited to first pressing) and twenty-four page booklet (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Can You Bear It? The Story of Girls Nite Out written by Michael Gingold, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

The narrative revolves around a killer who stalks and kills college students who are collecting clues for a scavenger hunt. And to help conceal the killers’ identity, they wear the school's mascot costume.

After a solid opening sequence that takes place in an asylum, things quickly lose steam when the focus is shifted to a lengthy party scene where not much happens. And, while things have improved in the last thirty minutes, it is already too late.

The soundtrack is made up of songs from the 1960’s and 1970’s. These songs are connected to an oldies themed scavenger hunt. Some artists featured in the soundtrack include The Lovin’ Spoonful, Tommy James and the Shondells, and The Ohio Players.

From a production standpoint, despite its shortcomings, the positives outweigh the negatives. The performances are best described as serviceable. with no standout performance. Also, anyone expecting gory kill scenes will be disappointed. Ultimately, though, Girls Nite Out is filled with troupes that are synonymous with 1980’s slasher films. The result is an underwhelming slasher film that only diehard fans of this genre will enjoy.

Girls Nite Out gets a first-rate release from Arrow Video that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and an abundance of extras, recommended.