The thought of standing on a stage and performing is terrifying, to me at least. Indeed, as someone who has had to do precisely that on one of the biggest stages, it’s a nerve-wracking experience. I can only imagine what it’s like to appear in a production and having to perform in-front of live audiences, night after night. It’s natural to have performance anxiety, most people do, but in Stagefright the fear is on a whole new level.
Late at night a group of actors are rehearsing for a play about a fictional murderer known as the ‘Night Owl’. Peter (David Brandon) is the prickly director who demands 100% from his cast of waifs and strays. He expects them to pull an all-nighter and takes exception with his star, Alicia (Barbara Cupisti), who he fires after she leaves to get medical treatment. However, things become a trifle strained when a real mass killer escapes from a psychiatric hospital intent on doing an encore.
As you might well expect, Stagefright has more than a touch of the theatrics about it. Indeed, the propensity to overact at any given moment is one of the reasons it’s so much fun. While Michele Soavi’s screamer is very tongue-in-cheek and a little daft at times, there are some really impressive moments. One shot, in particular, will stay with me for a long time. Stagefright will certainly be a night to remember.
Special features:
- New 4K restoration
- ‘Staging the Fright’ – Interview with director Michele Soavi
- ‘The Theatre of Blood’ – Interview with actor Giovanni Lombardo Radice
- ‘The Last Performance’ – Interview with actor David Brand
- New subtitles
- Hard-of-Hearing Closed Captions
Stagefright is released on Blu-ray and digital on demand by Shameless Films on 27 December.
