The Stay Awake

**_An all-night fundraiser at a Catholic girls’ school turns horrific_** This is a slasher reminiscent of the Italian "StageFright" from several months earlier (also known as "Aquarius”), which involved actors stuck in a theatre facing a slayer. It’s a great basic plot for a slasher, but “StageFright” is quite a bit superior. What went wrong here? To start, the exposition on the American serial killer in the opening is lacking. It’s insinuated he’s possessed by a demonic entity, but why does this being wait almost twenty years to strike again? And why a girls’ school across the Atlantic Ocean in the generically cited “Europe”? I suppose such distances wouldn’t matter to a malevolent spiritual entity and it’s simply interested in easy feminine prey. Speaking of which, Shirley Jane Harris works well as the chaperone of the girls, Miss Walton. And Tanya Gordon is notable as one of the teens, Samantha. Unfortunately, the director didn’t know how to shoot women (no pun intended). To be expected, boys from a neighboring school crash the all-nighter, which stirs up the dull proceedings. Regrettably, the flick is hampered by a pedestrian approach. And many of the scenes needed better lighting; they’re just too dark. When the sinister being is finally unveiled, it’s not bad in a pre-CGI 80s’ kind of way, just kind of cheesy. Michele Carey, the beautiful actress from the late 60s/early 70s is sometimes wrongly cited in listings of the cast. The actress in the movie is actually Michelle Carey (notice the difference in spelling). Despite the negatives, those who appreciate second tier 80s' slashers will likely find some entertainment value. Originally released in 1987 (and not reaching America on video for two years), it runs 1h 25m and was shot in South Africa, presumably in the area of Pretoria in the northeast region of the country, which is where Heyns Films is located. Pretoria is located 37 miles north of Johannesburg. GRADE: C-