''The Backlot Murders'' (also known as ''Death is Directing'' in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

) is a 2002 American

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

directed by David DeFalco. It stars

Priscilla Barnes Priscilla Barnes (born ) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Terri Alden in the ABC sitcom'' Three's Company'' between 1981 and 1984. Barnes also has appeared in films, including '' A Vacation in Hell'' (1979), ''Licence to ...

Charles Fleischer Charles Fleischer (born August 27, 1950) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, musician, and writer, best known for his recurring role as Carvelli in '' Welcome Back, Kotter'', and for appearing in films such as ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', ...

and

Corey Haim Corey Ian Haim (December 23, 1971 – March 10, 2010) was a Canadian actor who rose to fame in the 1980s as a teen heartthrob. He starred in '' Silver Bullet'' (1985), '' Murphy's Romance'' (1985), '' Lucas'' (1986), '' License to Drive'' (1988 ...

. The film follows a killer in an

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's sexuall ...

mask, murdering the cast and crew of a music video shoot.

Synopsis

When a rock band travels to a movie lot to shoot a music video, they aren't expecting much — especially since the main reason the band is getting the video is that its lead vocalist (

Brian Gaskill Brian Richard Gaskill (born January 22, 1970, in Honolulu, Hawaii, raised in Neptune Township, New Jersey) is an American actor. Career While living in Neptune, he attended Red Bank Regional High School as a drama major in the school's Academy o ...

) is dating the daughter (Jamie Anstead) of a big shot record producer (Tom Hallick). However, soon after they arrive, they find themselves sharing their stage with a serial killer in an

mask.

Cast

as Stephanie *

as Tony *

as Henry *

as Dez * Carrie Stevens as Chelsea * Ken Sagoes as Mike * Angela Little as Shayla

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed.

Bloody Disgusting Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast ...

panned the film overall, as they felt that the film was too cheesy for early 2000s fare and that it was overall "just too unimaginative". EFilmCritic.com reviewer Jack Sommersby was more positive, writing that it was "good, trashy fun, with the proper proportion of blood, nudity and humor."

References

External links

* 2002 horror films 2002 films American slasher films Films shot in California Films directed by David DeFalco 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2002 direct-to-video films Direct-to-video horror films English-language horror films {{2000s-horror-film-stub