The Daily Dig: Rush Week (1989)

Add some “Animal House”, “Scream”, “Porky’s”, “PCU”, and throw in some Chainsaw and Dave, and you get “Rush Week”—plus a pretty good time.

College girls keep disappearing as the campus leads into rush week. On the case is a hard-nosed student reporter who’s suspicious of everyone from the school cook to her new lover. Let’s dig into 1989’s RUSH WEEK, directed by Bob Bralver!

As I See It

You’re going to get nineties, made-for-TV movie vibes right away, but don’t let that deter you if that’s not your thing.

A fraternity, which has caused trouble in the past, is back for another year of pledge rushes. The typical college shenanigans are at play with the boys of BDB, who have a troublemaker streak in their DNA.

I love the contrasting color palette. Muted, blue tones and then an explosion of reds and purples for the BDB house. It gives life to the party.

The direction isn’t excellent. What I mean by that is the performances delivered, or mis-delivered, don’t fall entirely on the actors. Whether some takes had to be used because of other technical issues or not, some of the dialogue (which isn’t fresh or original but would do its job just fine) that ends up on screen is executed in an extremely subpar manner, even for a B-Horror movie. That falls into the hand behind the camera, yelling action.

All that said, it does nothing to stop me from loving this movie. Those miscues just break up the flow.

We get a good serving of the tropes of the slasher genre, both past and future (post-1989), but I loved the film. It is an example of the exact type of movie I was looking for when I started this column. A hidden gem that brings me back to a simpler time in my life, where I could get lost in the land of make-believe.

This one is going to get a yearly rotation for sure.

Famous Faces

Gregg Allman (Cosmo). Yes, I’m talking about THE Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers Band. He plays a teacher with a mystic aura that doesn’t get all that much attention but is hip enough to be memorable.

Pamela Ludwig (Toni Daniels) was in the Matt Dillon, mutinous teen drama Over the Edge, as well as the 80s film Project X, not to be confused with the similarly titled teen comedy from 2012. The Project X, as mentioned, stars Matthew Broderick, and in my opinion, it’s a must-watch for any fans of that era, but be ready for the waterworks because it will tug on your heartstrings.

Kathleen Kinmont (Julie) was instantly recognizable, but I couldn’t figure out if it was because of her role as Kelly in Halloween 4 or Bride of Re-Animator.

The Dickies, the Los Angeles proto-pop punk band, plays themselves at the costume party during our finale. You may recognize them as the gents who did the theme song for Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

Of Gratuitous Nature

It’s a college horror film. Of course, it’s going to be sexually charged. One of my favorite little bits was using Michael Berryman’s cut-out eyes from the poster for The Hills Have Eyes as a peephole to watch friends have a go with an escort. Maybe Byron’s friends should have a talk with him, though, because tricking a girl into sleeping with a dead body is pretty messed up.

Heartthrob

It took me more than half the movie staring at Pamela Ludwig to realize why she looked so familiar, until it finally hit me that she looked like Rose McGowan. Ironic, being that some of the plot elements of this film seem to have inspired, even if indirectly, the seminal, meta Wes Craven hit Scream, which starred McGowan.

Ripe for a Remake

In a world where OnlyFans is making homeowners more reliably than college institutions, with their crippling student loans and perpetual debt, the time is ripe. A slasher with that angle and some good intentions and life lessons could work well, especially if you followed the motives of this film: strict morality.

Spawns

No progeny to report.

Where to Watch

Vinegar Syndrome released a Blu-Ray, but the limited edition slipcover version is sold out. It’s not currently streaming, so YouTube is your best bet.