Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

SPLATTER UNIVERSITY

Forbes Riley
SPLATTER UNIVERSITY (1984). Director: Richard W. Haines.

When new professor Julie Parker (Forbes Riley) arrives at St. Trinian's, a college run by priests, she is told by Father Janson (Dick Biel) that the woman she's replacing was murdered in her classroom the previous semester. As new murders, primarily of students, begin to occur, Julie begins to fear that fellow faculty member Mark (Ric Randig) may be responsible. But is Julie on the right path, or is she simply heading straight toward the real killer's knife? While the scenes of teens frolicking on campus are tiresome, this movie doesn't have a bad plot and actually manages to work up some suspense. While most of the actors are complete amateurs, Riley gives a decent enough performance, and Biel and Randig are okay as well. The ending isn't too much of a surprise. Despite the title and a couple of bloody sequences, this is fairly restrained for a slasher movie. Riley, who originally used the name "Francine Forbes," has racked up quite a number of credits since making this film, her second, and is still acting professionally today.

Verdict: Acceptable slasher film with some minor entertainment value. **1/2.

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