The Majorettes

The Majorettes
Directed by S. William Hinzman
Produced by John A. Russo
Screenplay by John A. Russo
Based on The Majorettes
by John A. Russo
Starring
  • Kevin Kindlin
  • Terrie Godfrey
  • Mark V. Jevicky
  • Thomas E. Desrocher
Music by Paul McCullough
Cinematography Paul McCullough
Edited by
  • S. William Hinzman
  • Paul McCullough
Production
company
Major Films[1]
Distributed by Vestron Pictures
Release date
  • August 17, 1987 (1987-08-17) (U.S.)
Running time
 93 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $85,000[3]

The Majorettes (released in the United Kingdom as One by One) is a 1986 American slasher film directed by S. William Hinzman,[4] written and produced by John A. Russo, which he adapted from his own novel.[5] Its plot follows a string of serial killings centered on the majorette squad of a small-town high school.

Plot

The movie is about a murderer who has been mysteriously killing the members of the school's majorette squad.

The Majorettes is relatively noteworthy for its midway plot shift during which the protagonist, Jeff Halloway (Kevin Kindlin) arms himself and besieges a biker gang (metaphorically "going Rambo" on them) to avenge crimes that they, not the slasher, committed. Such a twist is atypical of slasher films, which tend to follow a strict plot pattern.

Production

The Majorettes was filmed between October and November 1985, with principal photography occurring at Cornell High School in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis, with additional filming at the Fox Chapel Yacht Club.[3] Its production budget was estimated at $85,000.[3] The football coach was played by then head-coach of the Cornell Raiders, Wilbert Roncone (billed as "Wilbur Roncone").[3]

Release

The film was released theatrically in Europe in March 1987 under the title One by One, though as of February 1987, the film had not secured a theatrical distributor in the United States; at the time, Russo and Hinzman were in negotiation for a home video distribution deal with Vestron Video.[6] Vestron released the film on VHS on August 17, 1988.[7]

Critical response

Critic Jim Harper wrote of the film: "About halfway through...  the film stops being a slasher movie and swings into action-thriller territory, with chase sequences explosions and gunfights. Not that it makes the film more interesting. The kills are mostly bloodless and the suspense non-existent. Bill Hinzman (the first zombie in Night of the Living Dead) handles the direction pretty well but the script is pretty dumb."[8]

References

  1. ↑ Willis 1997, p. 306.
  2. ↑ Harper 2004, p. 124.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Tiech 2012, p. 51.
  4. ↑ Dyess-Nugent, Phil (February 7, 2012). "R.I.P. Bill Hinzman, Night Of The Living Deads original zombie". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  5. ↑ Kane 2010, p. 159.
  6. ↑ Blank, Ed (February 7, 1987). "Ghoul-masters ponder the living dead". Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. Valparaiso, Indiana. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "The Majorettes [VHS]". Amazon. ASIN 6301049888. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  8. ↑ Harper 2004, pp. 124–125.

Works cited

  • Harper, Jim (2004). Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies. Manchester: Critical Vision. ISBN 978-1-900-48639-2.
  • Kane, Joe (2010). Night of the Living Dead: Behind the Scenes of the Most Terrifying Zombie Movie Ever. New York: Citadel Press. ISBN 978-0-806-53331-5.
  • Tiech, John (2012). Pittsburgh Film History: On Set in the Steel City. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-6142-3589-7.
  • Willis, Donald C. (1997). Horror and Science Fiction Films. IV. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-810-83055-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.