Night Visitor (1989)

User Rating:

4.2/10   

Director:

Rupert Hitzig

Writer:

Randal Viscovich (written by)

Release Date:

12 May 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

Demons. Hookers. Ritual killings. Billy has a very vivid imagination. But what is real and what isn't? Only Billy and his teacher know.

Plot:

A student known for telling stories witnesses a murder, the latest in a series of satanic killings of hookers. |

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Satanic Ritual | Teen | Peeping Tom | Retired Policeman

Cast

Kathleen Bailey	...	Dolan
Jovanni Brascia	...	Tony
Brooke Bundy	...	Mrs. Colton
Ann Dane	...	Theresa
Scott Fults	...	Sam Loomis
Allen Garfield	...	Zachary Willard
Henry Gibson	...	Jake
Elliott Gould	...	Ronald 'Ron' Devereaux
Bruce Kimmel	...	Townsend
Nancy McLendon	...	Reporter
Michael J. Pollard	...	Stanley Willard
Michael Jason Rosen	...	Bernstein (as Michael Rosen)
Richard Roundtree	...	Captain Crane
Derek Rydall	...	Billy Colton
Alain Silver	...	Thornhill (as Alain Joel Silver)

Also Known As:

Never Cry Devil

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Premiere Pictures Corporation

Soundtrack:

ROMANCE

Who wouldn't mind having Shannon Tweed for a neighbor?

Our plot here can basically be summed up as "the boy who cried Satanist". Handsome, affable high school senior Billy Colton (Derek Rydall) is known for telling stories, so when he claims that his grouchy jerk history teacher Mr. Willard (Allen Garfield) killed his sexy neighbor Lisa (Shannon Tweed) in a Satanic ritual, no-one's going to believe him. Least of all the cops. Desperate for some proof to validate his story, Billy turns to former cop Ron Deveraux (Elliott Gould) for help.

I wouldn't consider any of this "horror" either; it's ultimately lightweight stuff. It's watchable enough, but the story and presentation are pretty routine. There are no scares (even the "Boo!" moments are yawn-inducing), there's no suspense, and not too much in the way of gore, either. Some folks may find it worth their while for the amount of female flesh displayed (the victims are all hookers). Tweed is very easy to watch in her brief time on screen, with hardcore porn star Teri Weigel playing scared convincingly as another victim.

It's pretty much the cast, full of familiar faces, that give it any sense of value. Rydall and Teresa Vander Woude are likable as our hero and his love interest, although Scott Fults is just not funny as the obnoxious best friend and supposed comedy relief. Old pros Gould, Garfield, Richard Roundtree, and Michael J. Pollard are all worth watching; Garfield and the terminally weird Pollard make for a highly unlikely pair of brothers but their interesting relationship at least offered an unexpected twist to the story. References to "Psycho" here are barely worth mentioning.

Like I said, this is watchable, passable stuff; it doesn't have a lot going on but I didn't find it painful to go through either.

6/10