Hey all, it's the first VHS Friday of the year, and this is one I've been meaning to watch for a really long time. Let's take a look at William Malone's 1980 creature feature
Scared To Death.
An ex-cop (John Stinson) is coersed out of retirement to help solve a string of brutal murders.
Full disclosure, I don't have a Betamax so I didn't watch the tape above (though I do own it). No, I spoiled myself with the Vinegar Syndrome Blu meaning I at least watched the best possible incarnation of it for better or worse.
I did have fun with this one. While it is super low budget, it has a lot of charm. Malone goes against the general rule of writing locations you have access to, meaning that he ended up having to bribe and steal his way into many of the spaces (and sometimes even electricity) used in the film. He did a lot with his budget, a meager $74,000 and was even able to save some money on casting.
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| Bill Malone coming to you live from Glendale, CA. |
And while a lot of Scared To Death feels familiar, the first crime scene exchange between the two cops seem to use every clichéd Dirty Harry line except “loose cannon” and everyone would agree that the creature resembles H.R. Giger's Alien, but I would also maintain that for everything Malone borrowed, others later responded in kind. The cinematography of the opening along the storm drain is remarkably similar to It, and I also recall another antagonist meeting a similar end in James Cameron's The Terminator four years later.
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| John Stinson & Diana Davidson in Scared To Death. |
Despite its similarity to the Xenomorph, it still looks pretty good. Malone's background as a sculptor meant that he knew that he'd at least be able to deliver on the monster. I'd say there are only a few shots where it looks rubbery, but even Ridley Scott's creature had limitations, he was just better at hiding them. Malone's Syngenor was the first of many silicone nightmares he has delivered over the course of his career and was obviously memorable enough for producer Jack Murphy to re-use in an orphaned sequel.
Structurally, Scared To Death plays out like your average procedural slasher, but if the killer was a Synthesized Genetic Organism. However, I will say I was thrown by the leading lady switch halfway through, with Diana Davidson making way for Toni Jannotta.
Overall, an entertaining creature feature that paved the way for William Malone's ascent to
Master of Horror.
