In the pantheon of the slasher boom of the late 70’s early 80’s there are some better known titles that caught the public’s attention right away, but for every “Halloween” or “Friday The 13th” that came down the pipeline, there was a little “gem” that followed in its footsteps. Some of these underappreciated titles truly deserve that status, I’m sure that we all could count about a dozen horrible “classics” that came in the wake of Carpenter’s blueprint. But the great thing about these movies is that no matter how bad they are, if you have a soft spot in your heart for horror, you are at least assured a smirk laughing at the conventions of the genre on display for your sarcastic comments. There is no better party film then the low budget 80’s slasher film.

With each new slasher film came a different gimmick that was designed to distinguish each film from their counterparts, Jason had his hockey mask, Leatherface had his chainsaw, and Angela Baker, well she um he had his…you know. As silly and absurd as most of these gimmicks may seem, they all pale in comparison to the gimmick used by the killer in Robert Deubel’s “Girls Nite Out”. A big ole hot plate of mess that never the less has its heart firmly in the right place. Where the demented lunatic stalks the nubile coeds of a college campus donned in a…..giant bear costume?? Furries beware; this is your ultimate nightmare come to life!!

Dewitt University’s basketball team has just won the homecoming game, and the annual scavenger hunt is about to begin. But, years ago a student named Dickie Cavanaugh went crazy and murdered a group of students in cluding the daughter of the school’s head of security Jim Mac Vey (The great Hal Holbrook, who must’ve really needed the money).  And tonight, Dickie may or may not have returned as a new group of students are picked off one by one by a new, seemingly unstoppable killer who has taken the guise of the student mascot. A giant fluffy bear, and fitted it with home made “claws” perfect for slicing and dicing.

For fans of trashy slasher films, this is one for the ages. Every hallmark of the genre is there. Wonderfully groomed early 80’s moustaches, horrible fashion on display with both the boys and girls equal offenders, and a neverending barrage of amazingly horrible pop songs of the period that hammer their way into your skull and burrow until you’ve completely lost your mind. It’s questionably paced, horribly lit and shot, and includes some of the most hilariously bad dialogue that I’ve ever heard, but lovingly so. And the characters are all here, the douchebag jocks try to get laid every which way they can. The comedy relief guys, who spend the entire movie making one liners are also present. The smart girl and the slutty girl check and check. Hell, there are even the usual obvious red herring suspects that pop up to get you to the inconceivable ending. Needless to say its trash that goes down the gullet like warm apple pie!!

Oh, Hal Holbrook, you old rascal, you can make even the most poorly written dialogue have a twinge of dignity. It’s clear to me that Hal's nearly 10 minutes of screen time were probably a favor to his son David who’s making his big screen debut here. And to his credit little Davy actually turns in a decent performance with what little time he has, at least on par with his memorable performance as Fatso Gribbens in "Creepshow 2", as impossible as that may seem. The other actors are horribly perfect in their roles. The girls are plucky, the guys completely doucebaggy and all cheese it up to the hilt!! But for the life of me, I can't remember a single character's name...go figure!!

This is not a good film by film standards, hell; it’s not a good film by slasher standards. But darn it all if I didn’t have a great time with it!!  The people who love these types of movies know who they are. And, trust me, if you’re having some friends over for alcohol and bad flicks, this one is guaranteed to make even the most sober person at the party chuckle. And for guilty pleasures, that’s saying a lot.

Beware the bear!!!