Saturday the 14th
Encyclopedia
Saturday the 14th is an American horror
-comedy film
released in 1981, directed by Howard R. Cohen and produced by Julie Corman
. The film was followed by Saturday the 14th Strikes Back
in 1988.
) and Mary (Paula Prentiss
) together with their daughter Debbie (Kari Michaelsen
), and son Billy (Kevin Brando) then move into the house. Waldemar (Jeffrey Tambor
), a vampire figure, and Yolanda (Nancy Andrews
), his wife, want desperately to get into the run down house because it contains a book of evil.
Billy finds the mysterious book Waldemar and Yolanda are after. He opens it and reads of a curse hanging over the date of Saturday the 14th. As he turns the page a monster is unleashed, and with each turn another disappears from the page and is materialized within or outside the home. The house is soon swarming with monsters. Soon strange things start happening: eyes appear in John's coffee, sandwiches are eaten, the television tunes into The Twilight Zone
only, dirt is found in Mary's bed, dishes get done by themselves, neighbors disappear. As this is happening, neither John or Mary suspect anything, blaming things on a lack of curtains.
Waldemar gets into the house by turning into a bat. Mary keeps hearing noises at night which she thinks are owls, but are the sounds of Waldemar as the bat outside her window. John hires an exterminator to get rid of the owls. The exterminator is actually Van Helsing
(Severn Darden
), who is also after the book of evil in the house.
John and Mary begin planning a house warming party on Saturday the 14th. Guests arrive but cannot leave. When they try, a large storm appears outside the door. As the night unfolds the monsters begin to off the guests one by one. Eventually a duel between Van Helsing and the vampire erupts where it is discovered that Van Helsing is after the book in order to rule the world. The vampire Waldemar is actually trying to prevent this from happening. Good wins over evil, as Van Helsing and the monsters are defeated. The family ends up in an upscale all-American looking home while Waldemar and Yolanda keep the original house as their own.
theatrically in the United States
by New World Pictures in October 1981. It was later released on VHS
by Embassy Home Entertainment
.
The film was released on DVD
by New Concorde Home Entertainment
in 2001. This release is currently out of print
.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
-comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
released in 1981, directed by Howard R. Cohen and produced by Julie Corman
Julie Corman
Julie Corman is an American film producer. Corman is married to film producer and director Roger Corman.-Career:Julie Corman began her career in the film industry by she marrying legendary film director/ producer, Roger Corman. Her first feature producing credits consisted of a series of "Night...
. The film was followed by Saturday the 14th Strikes Back
Saturday the 14th Strikes Back
Saturday the 14th Strikes Back is a 1988 comic-horror film, directed by Howard R. Cohen and produced by Julie Corman. It is a sequel to Saturday the 14th....
in 1988.
Plot
An all-American family inherits a deceased uncle's house. John (Richard BenjaminRichard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
) and Mary (Paula Prentiss
Paula Prentiss
Paula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation...
) together with their daughter Debbie (Kari Michaelsen
Kari Michaelsen
Kari Michaelsen is an American actress. She is most associated with the role she played from 1981 to 1986 as Katie Kanisky on the television sitcom Gimme a Break!....
), and son Billy (Kevin Brando) then move into the house. Waldemar (Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Tambor
Jeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
), a vampire figure, and Yolanda (Nancy Andrews
Nancy Andrews
Nancy C. Andrews is an American biologist noted for her research on iron homeostasis. Andrews is currently Dean of the Duke University School of Medicine.-Biography:...
), his wife, want desperately to get into the run down house because it contains a book of evil.
Billy finds the mysterious book Waldemar and Yolanda are after. He opens it and reads of a curse hanging over the date of Saturday the 14th. As he turns the page a monster is unleashed, and with each turn another disappears from the page and is materialized within or outside the home. The house is soon swarming with monsters. Soon strange things start happening: eyes appear in John's coffee, sandwiches are eaten, the television tunes into The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
only, dirt is found in Mary's bed, dishes get done by themselves, neighbors disappear. As this is happening, neither John or Mary suspect anything, blaming things on a lack of curtains.
Waldemar gets into the house by turning into a bat. Mary keeps hearing noises at night which she thinks are owls, but are the sounds of Waldemar as the bat outside her window. John hires an exterminator to get rid of the owls. The exterminator is actually Van Helsing
Abraham Van Helsing
Professor Abraham van Helsing is a protagonist from Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula.Van Helsing is a Dutch doctor with a wide range of interests and accomplishments, partly attested by the string of letters that follows his name: "M.D., D.Ph., D.Litt., etc." The character is best known as a...
(Severn Darden
Severn Darden
Severn Teakle Darden, Jr. was a comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players...
), who is also after the book of evil in the house.
John and Mary begin planning a house warming party on Saturday the 14th. Guests arrive but cannot leave. When they try, a large storm appears outside the door. As the night unfolds the monsters begin to off the guests one by one. Eventually a duel between Van Helsing and the vampire erupts where it is discovered that Van Helsing is after the book in order to rule the world. The vampire Waldemar is actually trying to prevent this from happening. Good wins over evil, as Van Helsing and the monsters are defeated. The family ends up in an upscale all-American looking home while Waldemar and Yolanda keep the original house as their own.
Cast
- Richard BenjaminRichard BenjaminRichard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
as John, the father of the family. - Paula PrentissPaula PrentissPaula Ragusa , better known by her stage name Paula Prentiss, is an American actress well-known for her film roles in Where the Boys Are, Man's Favorite Sport?, The Stepford Wives, What's New Pussycat?, The Black Marble, and The Parallax View and her co-starring role in the television situation...
as Mary, the mother of the family. - Severn DardenSevern DardenSevern Teakle Darden, Jr. was a comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players...
as Van Helsing, evil genius disguised as an exterminator. - Jeffrey TamborJeffrey TamborJeffrey Michael Tambor is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles as George Bluth Sr. and Oscar Bluth on Arrested Development and Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show.-Early life:...
as Waldemar, vampire figure looking to buy the house. - Kari MichaelsenKari MichaelsenKari Michaelsen is an American actress. She is most associated with the role she played from 1981 to 1986 as Katie Kanisky on the television sitcom Gimme a Break!....
as Debbie, daughter of John and Mary. - Nancy AndrewsNancy AndrewsNancy C. Andrews is an American biologist noted for her research on iron homeostasis. Andrews is currently Dean of the Duke University School of Medicine.-Biography:...
as Yolanda, wife of the vampire Waldermar. - Kevin Brando as Billy, son of John and Mary.
Release
The film was given a limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
theatrically in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by New World Pictures in October 1981. It was later released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
by Embassy Home Entertainment
Embassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures Corporation was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate, The Lion in Winter, This Is Spinal Tap and Escape from New York.-Founding:The company was founded in 1942 by producer Joseph E...
.
The film was released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by New Concorde Home Entertainment
New Concorde
New Concorde is a Los Angeles, California based film distribution company founded by Roger Corman. NC got its start in 1983 when Corman formed the production and distribution Concorde-New Horizons as one of the first production companies to develop and take advantage of video as a distribution...
in 2001. This release is currently out of print
Out of print
Out of print refers to an item, typically a book , but can include any print or visual media or sound recording, that is in the state of no longer being published....
.