jadavix
"The Outing" is a humdrum slasher movie with supernatural overtones. Its confusing plot isn't helped by the fact that the bad guy isn't really shown until the very end. We watch people dying but don't know what's supposed to be killing them. It would be a bit like "Final Destination", if not for the fact that each death is shown in typical slasher style, so we're supposed to be scared of something, but don't really know what. The plot is something to do with a magic lamp that lets out an evil genie. The genie appears to be able to control things, such as spears, and possess creatures like snakes. It takes a while for the movie to get to its typical slasher scenario: a group of teens camp out in a museum's basement and get offed one by one. Why this would seem like a fun way to spend an evening is unexplained.The movie basically has too many characters, and too much of a convoluted set-up before it gets to the main set piece. With so many people introduced, you wonder why they didn't bother with a villain. It's true it doesn't look realistic when it finally shows up, but it's not like the other effects looked realistic either.
d_m_s
There are a couple of cool death scenes and nice demon puppet towards the end but overall this is a really dull film. The acting is terrible and difficult to watch, the script is pathetic and there are too many daft sequences and poor character decisions to make this enjoyable.None of the characters were interesting or likable and I only kept watching because of a review that said it all gets good once they are inside the museum. Unfortunately it did not.It's not even a film I would put into the 'so bad it's good' category as it contains no genuine or accidental funny moments. In fact, for a crappy 80's horror film, it just isn't much fun at all. I did like the demon at the end though.
Woodyanders
A deadly and powerful evil genie terrorizes a handful of high school kids trapped inside a closed museum at night after it gets unleashed from its lamp. Director Tom Daley maintains a brisk pace throughout and makes good use of the central museum location. The cheesy gore, tacky (not so) special effects, plenty of laughably lousy acting from a lame no-name cast, Warren Chaney's silly script, an opera-singing security guard, and a giant hokey demon puppet all give this honey a certain lovably rinky-dink charm. Moreover, the murder set pieces are quite gruesome and imaginative, with the definite splatter highlights being when one hapless lass is attacked in a bathtub by a gaggle of poisonous snakes and a reanimated mummy biting a guy's throat out. Better still, three fetching females all bare their boobs in the name of leering exploitation. The attractive Andra St. Ivanyi makes a favorable impression with her winningly perky portrayal of the spunky heroine. The bouncy ooga-booga synthesizer score by Bruce Miller and Joel Rosenbaum hits the spirited shivery spot. Herbert Raditschnig's sound cinematography provides a neat polished look. A fun slice of prime low-budget junk.
lost-in-limbo
Robbers break into an elderly lady's house, and uncover an exotic artifact in the shape of lamp. They murder her, and then they unknowingly unleash a Djinn from the lamp and they would follow her fate. Soon the lamp finds itself at a museum, where a bunch of students secretly decide to spend the night and would become the next targets of the rampaging djinn.The Lamp (aka The Outing) has an unusually sound (if simple) concept, largely brought down by its mediocre execution and formulaic inclusions. It starts off decent to only have its interest slowly fade due to its low scale plot developments and lumpy mid-section (focusing on a bunch of rather boring kids), but then the final third erratically erupts (rather gruesomely and incoherently) with a baffling freeze frame closing. However, gladly the numerous (some silly, but a couple remained effective) death scenes provided some inventiveness with a certain splash of nastiness and blood. While the special effects (glowing green mist) and make-up FX can be on the hokey side (a stiff, but towering Djinn), they still had a lively charm to them that reeks of its decade. Director Tom Daley's creaky direction doesn't use the compact locations (and a museum would be such a great setting for this carnage) all that well with little in the way of suspense, due to the uneven pacing that didn't help much in the build-up and atmosphere is barely evident with only a few lasting pockets. At least the quick, swirling camera work adds in some much needed verve and a sense of urgency, despite the routine POV framing. The performances are woeful, but not enough to destroy the viewing. Andra St. Ivanyi leads the way, with James Huston and Deborah Winters in lesser support.I didn't dislike it, but nonetheless it's completely average and cheap hokum that won't last too long in one's memory.
AD
