''Slayground'' is a 1983 British

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...

directed by Terry Bedford. Starring

Peter Coyote Peter Coyote (born Robert Peter Cohon; October 10, 1941) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, author and narrator of films, theatre, television, and audiobooks. He worked on films such as ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (1982), '' Cro ...

Mel Smith Melvyn Kenneth Smith (3 December 1952 – 19 July 2013) was an English comedian, actor and director. Smith worked on the sketch comedy shows ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' and ''Alas Smith and Jones'' with his comedy partner, Griff Rhys Jones. S ...

and

Billie Whitelaw Billie Honor Whitelaw (6 June 1932 – 21 December 2014) was an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and was regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works. She was a ...

, the film is adapted from ''Slayground'', the 14th

Parker Parker may refer to: Persons * Parker (given name) * Parker (surname) Places Place names in the United States *Parker, Arizona *Parker, Colorado *Parker, Florida *Parker, Idaho *Parker, Kansas *Parker, Missouri *Parker, North Carolina *Parker, Pe ...

novel (although the main character has been renamed to "Stone" in this adaptation), written by

Donald E. Westlake Donald Edwin Westlake (July 12, 1933 – December 31, 2008) was an American writer, with more than a hundred novels and non-fiction books to his credit. He specialized in crime fiction, especially comic capers, with an occasional foray into ...

under the name Richard Stark.

Cast

as Stone *

as Terry Abbatt *

as Madge *

Philip Sayer Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

as Costello * Bill Luhrs as Joe Sheer * Marie Masters as Joni *

Clarence Felder Clarence Felder (born September 2, 1938) is an American character actor who has starred in films and on television, and co-starred in ten Broadway productions. He is also a playwright and director. His play ''Captain Felder's Cannon'' was adapte ...

as Orxel *

Ned Eisenberg Ned Eisenberg (January 13, 1957 – February 27, 2022) was an American actor known for his recurring role on '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' as Roger Kressler. Early life and education Eisenberg grew up in the Riverdale neighborhood of ...

as Lonzini * David Hayward as Laufman *

Michael M. Ryan Michael M. Ryan (March 19, 1929 – March 1, 2017) was an American actor. Ryan was best known for his long-running role as John Randolph on the serial '' Another World'', which he played from November 13, 1964, until his character's death ...

as Danard * Barrett Mulligan as Lucy *

Kelli Maroney Kelli Maroney is an American film and television actress. She appeared in the films ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'' (1982), ''Night of the Comet'' (1984), and ''Chopping Mall'' (1986), and also appeared on television in the soap operas ''Ryan' ...

as Jolene * Margareta Arvidssen as Grete *

Rosemary Martin Rosemary Martin (17 December 1936 – 14 August 1998) was an English actress, born in Birmingham. She appeared in dozens of films from 1964 to 1998 and is also known for television roles including Mrs. Partridge in ''Last of the Summer Wine'', ...

as Dr. King *

Malcolm Terris Malcolm Hope Terris (11 January 1941 – 6 June 2020) was an English actor. He acted in many television programmes, including possibly his best-known role as Matt Headley in ''When the Boat Comes In'', a popular 1970s series. His film career ...

as Venner * Jon Morrison as Webb * Cassie Stuart as Fran * Debby Bishop as Beth *

Stephen Yardley Stephen Yardley (born 24 March 1942) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1963, he became known for his many roles on UK television between 1964 and 2004. Career In the mid-1960s, Yardley was a per ...

as Turner *

P. H. Moriarty Patrick H. Moriarty (born 27 February 1939) is a British character actor and voice actor, known for his role as 'Razors' in John Mackenzie's ''The Long Good Friday''. Career Moriarty came to acting late in life; he had worked as a boxer and a ...

as Seeley * Zig Byfield as Sams * Erick Ray Evans as Malpas *

Bill Dean Bill Dean (born Patrick Anthony Connolly, 3 September 1921 – 20 April 2000) was a British actor who was born in Everton, Liverpool, Lancashire. He took his stage name in honour of Everton football legend William 'Dixie' Dean. Biography ...

as Compére *

Ozzie Yue Austin J. "Ozzie" Yue (born 12 August 1947) is a British actor and musician of Chinese heritage. His television roles include appearances in '' Father Ted'', '' All Quiet on the Preston Front'' and ''Coronation Street'' and roles in films inclu ...

as Waiter * Tony Devon as Joey

Production

The novel ''Slayground'' was published in 1971. In early 1983

Barry Spikings Barry Spikings (born 23 November 1939) is a British film producer who worked in Hollywood. Spikings is best known as a producer of the film, ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards. Biography Spikings was born in Boston, Lincoln ...

left

Thorn EMI Thorn(s) or The Thorn(s) may refer to: Botany * Thorns, spines, and prickles, sharp structures on plants * '' Crataegus monogyna'', or common hawthorn, a plant species Comics and literature * Rose and Thorn, the two personalities of two DC Com ...

and

Verity Lambert Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer. Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of ...

was appointed head of production. Lambert's first slate of films was ''Slayground'', '' Comfort and Joy'', ''Illegal Aliens'' (which became ''

Morons from Outer Space ''Morons from Outer Space'' is a 1985 British comedy-science fiction film directed by Mike Hodges and starring Griff Rhys Jones, Mel Smith, Joanne Pearce, Jimmy Nail and James B. Sikking. Plot The story begins on a small spaceship docking with ...

'') and ''

Dreamchild ''Dreamchild'' is a 1985 British drama film written by Dennis Potter, directed by Gavin Millar, and produced by Rick McCallum and Kenith Trodd. The film, starring Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher, Nicola Cowper and Amelia Shankley, is ...

''. Filming had finished by November 1983. "I believe all these films have international appeal," said Lambert.

Reception

''Monthly Film Bulletin'' called it "''

Flashdance ''Flashdance'' is a 1983 American romantic drama dance film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Jennifer Beals as a passionate young dancer who aspires to become a professional ballerina (Alex), alongside Michael Nouri playing her boyfriend ...

'' meets film noir".SLAYGROUND Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 51, Iss. 600, (Jan 1, 1984): 52.

References

External links

* * * *
''Slayground''
at British Horror Film
Review of novel
at the Westlake Review
Book
at Donald Westlake 1983 films 1980s crime thriller films British crime thriller films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Donald E. Westlake Films set in amusement parks EMI Films films 1980s English-language films 1980s British films {{crime-thriller-film-stub