Hide and Go Shriek 4K 1988 Ultra HD 2160p

The year 1988 was a very successful one for slasher films, standing out with some of the genre’s most memorable examples against the backdrop of 1987, which had been even more packed with genre releases. That year saw the release not only of the excellent seventh installment of “Friday the 13th,” but also of two horror films as similar as twin brothers: “The Uninvited Guest” and this one—“Hide and Go Shriek” (or “Hide and Scream” in other dubbed versions). Both are set in a supermarket, where a group of young people gets caught up in a massacre orchestrated by an uninvited maniac.

Unlike *The Guest*, the challenge here isn’t to figure out who the killer is. The events are presented in such a way that there’s only one suspect, and given how obvious it is, you find yourself trying to dismiss any accusatory thoughts directed at him. Fortunately, it’s not all that predictable, and by the intense finale, the horror film has a few surprises in store. The killer’s sudden appearances, his pronounced psychosis, and the multitude of corpses instill terror and keep you on edge. And the visuals entertain with plenty of scantily clad women.

The film essentially lacks a main heroine or hero; while the filmmakers initially tried to develop certain characters, by the middle of the film everyone becomes equally insignificant, and the creators seem to have completely forgotten what genre of film they’re making. The young people have fun, joke around, have plenty of sex, play hide-and-seek in the vast spaces of a nighttime department store, chat about their own interests, and couples flirt whenever they get the chance. The film is presented in the style of everyday youth life, without much comedy or drama. Things really heat up somewhere in the last quarter of the film, but you’ll have to wait until around the 40-minute mark for the first murder.

And it’s not as if there’s any standout acting to be found in all this chatter and fun. The characters are natural and sincere—and that’s all that’s needed. The overwhelming amount of erotic content will please the male audience with frequent shots of women’s breasts, while the toned torsos and men’s buttocks will try to appeal to the female audience. Having gotten carried away with adolescent urges, director Skip Skolnik and screenwriter Michael Kelly completely forget that they’re making a slasher film. The vast majority of the murders take place off-screen, and even during the most intense moments, there’s never any gory spectacle on screen—until, toward the end, we’re finally treated to a spectacular decapitation scene, as well as a scene with a knife in the throat.

But even though it isn’t as gory, “Hide and Scream” remains just as tense. The entire plot—with its stalking, wandering through the shadows, and other atmospheric visual techniques—pulls the film deeply into the genre’s framework after the first murder, ultimately presenting the slasher at its best. The further it goes, the scarier, bloodier, and more intense it gets! The characters react to the disappearances and deaths with a very realistic mix of shock and horror; they logically try to escape and call for help; and rather than passively surrendering to the brutal clutches of impending death, they work together to put up a worthy fight, and generally stick together as a team rather than scattering off alone to meet a swift end.

The plot of this horror film is also top-notch. The concept of this kind of killer works brilliantly and plays out perfectly; there’s no need to rack your brain trying to figure out who was where at any given time, as the frequent plot twists are seamlessly tied to the logic of the unfolding story. As for the supermarket massacre, aside from the aforementioned “The Uninvited”, the only other films that come to mind are “The Blood Initiation” and “Robot Killers: Supermarket Massacre”—both of which, by the way, are also excellent examples of slasher films. So the theme isn’t new, and yet it doesn’t rely on such settings so often as to make the film seem unoriginal.

For Skulnik and Kelly, this is their only feature-length film for the big screen; for Kelly, it’s actually his last, as the director subsequently decided to devote himself to TV series. And that’s a shame, because their first foray into the genre wasn’t just a flop—the final quarter, in fact, beautifully made up for all the拖延 and shortcomings of the film’s first half. And you certainly can’t call this horror flick boring—even though you’ll have to wait quite a while for the gory action, that’s not the only thing that makes the film interesting. The casting also deserves praise, as the actors successfully brought their roles to life on screen.

The well-executed ending brings the film to a satisfying conclusion in the most impressive way, and despite its relative obscurity, the film isn’t a rare find or hard to come by—any fan of this subgenre of horror will be able to appreciate this well-made movie, and will surely rate it positively. ‘Hide and Go Shriek’ is sure to be memorable and impressive; it will immerse you in its atmosphere and leave you with pleasant memories of the viewing experience. A great horror film from the late ’80s that sets an example of how it should be done. Awesome!