Stage Fright (1987 film)

Stage Fright
American DVD Release Poster
Directed by	Michele Soavi
Produced by	Joe D'Amato Donatella Donati
Written by	George Eastman Sheila Goldberg
Starring	David Brandon Barbara Cupisti
Music by	Simon Boswell Guido Anelli Stefano Mainetti
Cinematography	Renato Tafuri
Editing by	Kathleen Stratton
Distributed by	Anchor Bay Entertainment
Release date(s)	February 8, 1987
Running time	94 min
Country
Language	English/Italian
Budget	$1,000,000 (estimated)

Stage Fright (Italian title: Deliria) is a 1987 Italian horror film directed by Michele Soavi. The film stars Barbara Cupisti, David Brandon, Giovanni Lombardo Radice, Loredana Parrella, Martin Phillips, Robert Gligorov, Jo Ann Smith, Ulrike Schwerk, Piero Vida, Mary Sellers, and Clain Parker. Written by George Eastman (writing as Lew Cooper), the story combines elements of the giallo and slasher genres. Joe D'Amato served as the film's producer.

Plot

The film takes place in a theater late at night as a troupe of actors are rehearsing a musical about a mass murderer known as the Night Owl. The show's leading lady, Alicia (Cupisti), sprains her ankle and she and the wardrobe mistress, Betty (Schwerk), sneak out of the rehearsal to go to a doctor. But the closest medical facility is a mental hospital. The psychiatrist on duty is only happy to help, but the wardrobe mistress notices a restrained patient on a bed lying in a room behind bars. The doctor tells them that it is Irving Wallace, a former actor who went berserk and killed over a dozen people. Unbeknownst to any of them, Wallace has killed one of the attendants with a syringe and sneaked out of the asylum, hiding in the back of Betty's car.

Once they arrive back at the theater the over-bearing director (Brandon) fires Alicia for leaving during rehearsal. She packs her things and gets ready to leave, but makes a terrifying discovery in the parking lot...Betty's murdered corpse.

After the police have taken the body away and stationed two patrol officers in the parking lot to keep an eye on the premises, the director has one of his actresses hide the theater's key so no one can leave, as he has decided to alter the play's script. Instead of being an anonymous killer, he renames the show's antagonist Irving Wallace, and he wants everyone to stay the night and begin immediate rehearsals with the new material. But things become even more nightmarish when the real Wallace disembowels the actress who hid the key, and the remaining members of the cast and crew realize that there is no way to escape the psychopath's clutches.

Cast

• David Brandon as Peter
• Barbara Cupisti as Alicia
• Domenico Fiore as Police Chief
• Robert Gligorov as Danny
• Mickey Knox as Old Cop
• Giovanni Lombardo Radice as Brett
• Clain Parker as Irving Wallace
• Loredana Parrella as Corinne
• Martin Philips as Mark
• James Sampson as Willy (as James E.R. Sampson)
• Ulrike Schwerk as Betty
• Mary Sellers as Laurel
• Jo Ann Smith as Sybil
• Piero Vida as Ferrari
• Richard Barkeley as Dr. Porter

Alternate Titles

• Deliria
• Bloody Bird
• Stagefright
• Aquarius

Alternate versions

• The DVD release from Anchor Bay Entertainment is the complete and uncut film.

• The original 1986 UK Avatar video release was pre-cut before submission. Later issues on the Redemption and Vipco labels were fully uncut.

• The Australian VHS release of Stage Fright is edited for content, among the cut footage is:

- Under shot of Mark with the driller through his chest is cut

- Close up of the drill wound gushing blood is cut

- Wide shot of Danny pulling up Cybil with the intestines showing is cut

- Close up of chainsaw cutting through Danny's chest

- Wallace sawing off Peter's arm remains for a few seconds but bleeding from the severed arm is cut

- A second shot of Peters head rolling across the floor is cut

Production notes

• This was Soavi's first feature film as director. He had previously worked as an assistant director for Joe D'Amato, Dario Argento, and Lamberto Bava. He directed the music video The Valley for Argento's Phenomena, as well as the documentary Dario Argento's World of Horror.
• George Eastman (real name Luigi Montefiore), wrote the screenplay under the name Lew Cooper, one of his many pseudonyms.
• During a showing of the film at a late 1990s annual Fantasia Film Festival, audience members tossed feathers from the upper balcony during the film's finale, which features feathers dropping onto a stage ornamented with the killer's victims.^{[citation needed]}
• Director Michele Soavi cameos as the young cop staked out in the patrol car outside the theater.
• Co-writer Sheila Goldberg plays the nurse that tries to turn Betty and Alicia away at the psych ward.

External links

• Stage Fright (1987 film) at the Internet Movie Database
• Stage Fright at AllRovi