Hard to Die (1990)

User Rating:

3.4/10   

Director:

Jim Wynorski

Writers:

Mark Thomas McGee (writer)
J.B. Rogers (writer)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

While doing the inventory for a lingerie outlet in a high rise office building, five attractive women are terrorised by a series of bizarre killings...

Plot Keywords:

Erotica | Cult Favorite | Bloody Violence | Female Nudity | Extreme Violence

Cast

Gail Harris	...	Dawn Grant (as Robyn Harris)
Karen Mayo-Chandler	...	Diana (as Lindsay Taylor)
Deborah Dutch	...	Jackie (as Debra Dare)
Melissa Moore	...	Tess
Bridget Carney	...	Shayna
Toni Naples	...	Sgt. Phyllis Shawley (as Karen Chorak)
Jürgen Baum	...	Lt. Mike Block
Bob Sheridan	...	Cop In Lobby
Carolet Girard	...	Fifi Latour
Peter Spellos	...	Himself (as Orville Ketchum)
Don Key	...	Brad Plympton
Forrest J Ackerman	...	Dr. Ed Newton
J.B. Rogers	...	Messenger
Domonic Muir	...	Larry Bronkowski
Eric Baum	...	Agent
Amelia Sheridan	...	Helga
Don Peterson	...	Porno Husband
Kelli Maroney	...	Porno Wife (as D. Mason Keener)
Greg Lauoi	...	Porno Cameraman
Cirsten Weldon	...	Agent's Girlfriend
Monique Gabrielle	...	Chow Down Girl (as Lucy Burnett)
Ronald V. Borst	...	Pedestrian
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jim Wynorski	...	Porno Director (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim Wynorski		(as Arch Stanton)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Mark Thomas McGee		writer (as Mark McGee)
J.B. Rogers		writer (as James B. Rogers)

Produced by
Jim Wynorski	....	producer

Original Music by
Chuck Cirino

Cinematography by
Jürgen Baum

Film Editing by
Nina Gilberti		(as Neena S. Eisenstein)

Casting by
Jim Wynorski

Production Design by
Gary Randall

Art Direction by
Michael R. Serebreni

Set Decoration by
Michele Poulik

Makeup Department
Suzy Evans	....	key hair stylist
Suzy Evans	....	key makeup artist
Starr Jones	....	special makeup effects
Dana Williams	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Walter Canby	....	production manager
J.B. Rogers	....	production manager (as James B. Rogers)
Pamela Winn-Barnett	....	post-production supervisor (as Pamela Winn)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Walter Canby	....	first assistant director: second unit
Sluger Cusack	....	second assistant director: second unit
Frederick Graf	....	second second assistant director
Juan A. Mas	....	second assistant director
Swami Ram	....	second unit director
J.B. Rogers	....	first assistant director (as James B. Rogers)

Art Department
Herbie Brown	....	draftsman
Peachy Carnahan	....	swing
Madame Salena Dawn	....	sculptor
Daniel Dravot	....	swing
Wilbur Grey	....	art production assistant
Walter Knef	....	swing
Kim Kong	....	property assistant
Felicia Lavamore	....	assistant decorator (as Chick Young)
Patrick Lees	....	carpenter
Douglas Mortimer	....	stand-by plasterer
Bob Nesler	....	storyboard artist
Randy Pepprock	....	scenic
Michele Poulik	....	art swing
Gervaise Ravel	....	set designer
Slicker Smith	....	construction coordinator
Richard K. Wright	....	property master

Sound Department
John Adams	....	boom operator: underwater water
Don Anselmo	....	sound mixer
Frank Carter	....	boom operator
D.R. Hyde	....	sound designer
D.R. Hyde	....	sound re-recording mixer
Monette Jeykel	....	sound designer
Monette Jeykel	....	sound re-recording mixer
Butch Johnson	....	sound transferer
Jeffrey Kennith	....	foley mixer
Jeff Mar	....	supervising sound editor (as Jeff 'Too Far' Mar)
Bruce Murphy	....	stereo sound consultant: Ultra
Christopher B. Reeves	....	dialogue editor (as Chris Reeves)
D.J. Ritchie	....	sound mixer
Lev L. Spiro	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Michael Clark	....	special effects consultant
C.M. Day	....	special effects editor
Greg Landerer	....	special effects
Russel Mar	....	special effects editor
Cristina Patterson Ceret	....	assistant makeup (as Cristina Patterson)

Visual Effects by
Scott Carey	....	miniatures

Stunts
Alexander Freedman	....	stunts
Deborah Rosenstein	....	stunt coordinator
Smiley Rosenstein	....	stunt coordinator
Matthew Winfrey	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Antar Abderrahman Jr.	....	gaffer
Denetia Arellanes	....	best girl
Kirk Bloom	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit
Jacqueline Brennan	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit
Bill Carson	....	stand-by rigger
Ron L. Coons	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit (as Ron Coons)
Joseph Dunn	....	electrician
Gunner Flinch	....	electrician
Flash Fulton	....	grip
Brian Garbellini	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit
Homer Garity	....	grip electrician
George Gleep	....	gaffer
Scott W. Grille	....	key grip: underwater unit
Jon Hall	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit
Kevin Hanson	....	electrician: underwater unit
Bruce Heinsius	....	still photographer
William Holdsworth	....	electrician (as William T. Holdsworth)
Bruce Jagoda	....	electrician: underwater unit
Oresto Jones	....	electrician
Chick Larkin	....	grip
Tubby McCoy	....	grip
Steven Meizler	....	first assistant camera: underwater unit (as Steve Meizler)
Melvyn Milgrim	....	grip (as Mervyn Milgrim)
Jake Morrell	....	grip
Jim Pond	....	first assistant camera
William Russell	....	first assistant camera
Frank Smullins	....	second assistant camera
Duke Taylor	....	first assistant camera
Miles Thomas	....	best boy
Mat Toenniessen	....	grip: underwater unit (as Mat A. Toenniessen)
Tal Vigderson	....	still photographer
Doug Weinmann	....	best boy electric
Kerrec 'K-Man' Williams	....	key grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Greg LaVoi	....	wardrobe
Daphne O'Day	....	costume mistress
Joey Shearer	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Roderick Davis	....	post-production coordinator
Todd DeSade	....	first assistant editor
Arleen Goldenberg	....	negative cutter
Jan Kikumoto	....	post-production assistant
Rick Perkins	....	apprentice editor
Jon Stockton	....	apprentice editor
Chuck Winston	....	color timer (as Chuck "Amuck" Winston)

Music Department
Paul Di Franco	....	executive music supervisor
Odette Springer	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Nancy Ahschlager	....	production accountant (as Nancy Ahlschlager)
Waldo Brain	....	production coordinator
Bone-Bender Brodsky	....	location manager
Kiely Cronin	....	production assistant
Phyllis Diedrickson	....	director's mistress
Diane Fingado	....	assistant: Mr. Ketchum
Melanie Gorman	....	assistant production coordinator
Katharine Grieb	....	craft service
Thomas Irick	....	key production assistant
Nicola Kerridge	....	production assistant
William 'Bill' Kilgore	....	helicopter pilot
Happy King	....	script supervisor
Kevin Kutchaver	....	demon wrangler
Diane H. Newman	....	script supervisor (as Diane Newman)
Linda Obalil	....	stand-by demon wrangler
Marc Reynolds	....	production assistant
Nadine Story	....	assistant to director
Alex Tabrizi	....	stand-by and watcher
Michele Weisler	....	production coordinator (as Michelle Weisler)

Other Companies

• Bandit Studio  music mixer
• Cosmopoloop  looping
• G. Orwell's Animal Farm  livestock
• Hardbodies 4U  personal trainer for orville ketchum
• Laura and Katherine  foley artist
• Magic Film and Video Works  negative cutting
• McDougal's House Of Extras  extra casting
• Motion Opticals  titles and opticals
• Oh boy, Foods! Inc.  catering
• Santa Monica Municipal Bus Line  transportation coordination
• Xanthium Music  music supervision

Also Known As:

Nighty Nightmare II (USA) (working title)
Sorority House Massacre 3 (USA) (alternative title)
Tower of Terror

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Trivia:

Director "Arch Stanton" is actually Jim Wynorski. "Arch Stanton" was the name on the grave next to where the loot was buried in 'Sergio Leone''s _Buono, il brutto, il cattivo, Il (1966)_.

Goofs:

Continuity: All five girl get in the elevator to go to the basement, however while in the elevator Shayna isn't present. Yet she comes out into the lobby as if she was.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater: (1994-10-08)" (1994)

Brilliant filmmaking and writing...

The art of motion pictures is young, but in lieu of the fact that this ground breaking film was made so early on, one can only look ahead to a bright future on the silver screen. Really, only three films come to mind: Dr. Zhivago, Casablanca, and Hard to Die.

Perhaps it was the buckets of watered-down blood, the squeak of a naked breast being washed in an arbitrary shower scene, or the powerful screen presence of the acting giant "Orville Ketchum." Whatever it may be, it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me fall in love.

I am proud to say that I own a grainy, low quality copy of this piece of cinematic genius.