Killer hinter der Maske (1979)

Killer hinter der Maske: Directed by David Paulsen, John Mason Kirby. With Christopher Allport, Jim Doerr, David Gale, Devin Goldenberg. Several couples head upstate to the country to watch a boat being built. Unfortunately they are stalked by a murderer behind a ghoulish mask.

“Writer / director David Paulsen (u0026quot;Schizoidu0026quot;) got something of a head start on the slasher craze with this offering. It predates Carpentersu0026#39; u0026quot;Halloweenu0026quot; by two years; it was filmed in 1976, but not released until 1980. Itu0026#39;s just weird enough – and kinky enough – to be watchable, although it may not appeal to some hardcore devotees of the genre as it takes a long time to begin its murder spree, and even at that point thereu0026#39;s really no gore to speak of. Instead, what we get is a lot of odd touches and interesting character details, not to mention a fair bit of humour.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMarie (Marilyn Hamlin) goes on a weekend excursion to the country with her new husband Robert (Jim Doerr), her younger sister Shirley (Caitlin Ou0026#39;Heaney, u0026quot;He Knows Youu0026#39;re Aloneu0026quot;), and their openly gay friend Nicky (Christopher Allport, u0026quot;Dead u0026amp; Buriedu0026quot;). Soon, their good time is ruined by a psychopath wearing a goofy Halloween mask.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile there are no real A-list stars here, there are certainly some very recognizable faces. Ou0026#39;Heaney has some seriously sexy moments (viewers will definitely appreciate the doses of nudity in this film). Allport is amusing, even if his character is somewhat stereotypical. Itu0026#39;s great fun to see David Gale of future u0026quot;Re-Animatoru0026quot; fame as a lumber man providing wood for a boat that Robert is building with some associates. Top notch character actor William Sanderson is a vivid, unkempt redneck / red herring. A very young Yancy Butler makes her film debut. Itu0026#39;s not surprising that Hamlin never got much acting work, because sheu0026#39;s simply atrocious here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere might not be enough here to completely satisfy some slasher fans, but it remains rather offbeat for its 88 minute time and it is worth a look.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSix out of 10.”