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Savage Weekend

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4.4/10 • 46

1979-03-091h 27m

HorrorThriller

You have been chosen. You are doomed. Prepare for a... SAVAGE WEEKEND

Several couples head upstate to the country to watch a boat being built. Unfortunately they are stalked by a murderer behind a ghoulish mask.

Directors
David Paulsen
Writters
David Paulsen
Editors
David Paulsen, Jonathan Day

Top Billed Cast

View Credits
  1. Christopher Allport

    Christopher Allport

    Nicky

  2. James Doerr

    James Doerr

    Robert Fathwood

  3. David Gale

    David Gale

    Mac Macauley

  4. Devin Goldenberg

    Devin Goldenberg

    Jay Alsop

  5. Marilyn Hamlin

    Marilyn Hamlin

    Marie Sales Pettis

  6. Caitlin O'Heaney

    Caitlin O'Heaney

    Shirley Sales

  7. Jeff Pomerantz

    Jeff Pomerantz

    Greg Pettis

  8. William Sanderson

    William Sanderson

    Otis

  9. Yancy Butler

    Yancy Butler

    Little Girl

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Sep 11, 2023

6/10

A masked slasher roams the sticks of Hudson Valley Two sisters and their beaus, as well as a male friend, venture to the backwaters north of the Big Apple for a retreat. A questionable yokel is building a yacht for one of the guys while a manly lumberjack is hanging about. The weekend takes a grim turn when someone in a fright mask starts slaying people. Made in 1976 but not released until 1979 (and later in countries outside America), “Savage Weekend” is a slasher Indie that only cost $58,000, predating "Halloween” by a year (which was made in 1977). Speaking of which, people mistakenly think the slasher started with "Halloween," but there were at least a dozen films that preceded it, starting with "Psycho" (1960) and followed by "Dementia 13" (1963), "A Bay of Blood" (1971), "Silent Night, Bloody Night" (1972), "Home for the Holidays" (1972), "Torso (1973), "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (1974), "Black Christmas" (1974) and "Schizo" (1976), amongst others. Even "The Toolbox Murders" (1978) debuted at theaters eight months before “Halloween.” During shooting, this was called “The Killer Behind the Mask” before settling on “Upstate Murders,” which was ultimately changed to “Savage Weekend.” It was obviously influenced by “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death” (1971) and “Deliverance” (1972). Some bits are also reminiscent of “Squirm,” which was released the year this was shot. It is probably the least of these due to the tedious backwoods goings-on, but it has its points of interest, like the early brouhaha at a bar involving the effeminate friend who tags along. Hillbilly Otis was fittingly played by William Sanderson, best known for the role of Larry on Newhart in the 80s (you might remember he had a brother Darryl and another brother Darryl). Caitlin O'Heaney stands out on the feminine front as Shirley in which she’s featured in an extended lingerie sequence in the last act. This was her acting debut in which she got her SAG card by appearing in the film. To be expected, there’s a little bit of tame nudity. The movie runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in the sticks of the Hudson Valley region, north of Yonkers and south of Albany, mostly at a remote lake. GRADE: B-/C+

Media

  • Savage Weekend poster
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  • Savage Weekend poster
  • Savage Weekend poster
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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
slasher