‘Cathy’s not scared. She should be… she’s one of THEM!’
Lurkers is a 1987 [1988 release] American horror film photographed, co-edited and directed by Roberta Findlay (Prime Evil; Blood Sisters; The Oracle; Snuff) from a screenplay by Ed Kelleher (Shriek of the Mutilated; Invasion of the Blood Farmers) and Harriette Vidal. Producer Walter E. Sear composed the film’s soundtrack score. It stars Christine Moore, Gary Warner and Marina Taylor.
The Lurker prosthetics and makeup effects were provided by Ed French.
Lurkers was released theatrically in 1988 by Crown International Pictures.
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In New York, a young female classical musician is haunted by flashbacks of her dead mother and visions of dead people floating…
Reviews:
” …lots of dialog padding, gratuitous nudity and special effects which actually aren’t too bad, given the obvious budget limitations associated with the film. Lurkers is almost interchangeable with any of Findlay’s latter day horror cheapies–see also Blood Sisters or Prime Evil–yet there’s this nebulous likability which surrounds the film’s visual style…” George Pacheco, 10K Bullets
” …Roberta Findlay was a hell of a photographer and editor, obviously hampered by low budgets and bad production conditions, yet still doing the best with the things she had, arriving at a nearly documentary feel, a naturalistic look on New York that can suddenly dissolve into a backyard version of surrealism.” The Horror!?
“Besides the Kill Baby, Kill-esque sinister girl in white (whose creepiness dissipates with each utterance in her thick Bronx accent), Findlay throws together a set-piece involving a sledgehammer-wielding assailant (Tom Billett, Blue Vengeance) and a street gang who move in synch not only to terrify Cathy into entering her old apartment building, but surely also to further pad the film…” Eric Cotenas, DVD Drive-In
“Lurkers almost pulls itself together in about the last twenty minutes after Christine Moore goes into the party. Here Roberta Findlay creates a decadent atmosphere that seems to be harkening back to her p*rn days (albeit more mildly) – with her opening doors into people engaged in threesomes, lesbian scenes, S&M, a crucifixion, as well as a man being beaten up for a deal gone wrong.” Richard Scheib, Moria
” …Lurkers is moody, and deliberately paced (perhaps too deliberately), and has endearingly cheesy special effects. The performances aren’t great, but are typical for exploitation films of the eighties, even though this film isn’t particularly exploitive. It doesn’t really have a lot of scares, but it does have a nice mood…” Jeremy Biltz, DVD Talk
“Findlay is not known for having much use for story, which Lurkers actually possesses — okay, so it’s in piecemeal, but a start is a start. Her touch is all over this one: rough setups, questionable angles and unbalanced performances. For what it is, Lurkers looks pretty good, benefitting from the decade’s love of bright colors…” Rod Lott, Flick Attack
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“The film has a bit of a low-rent The Beyond or The Sentinel feel to it, but it’s a bit too meandering and overly long to keep my attention.” McBastard’s Mausoleum
“This is Findlay’s most effective horror film, and had a much higher budget than her previous efforts. Author Maitland McDonagh and actress Debbie Rochon make uncredited cameos.” Brian Albright, Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990
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Main cast:
Christine Moore, Gary Warner, Marina Taylor, Roy MacArthur, Peter Oliver-Norman, Nancy Groff, Tom Billett, C.K. Steefel, Dana Nardelli, Lauren Ruane, C.C. Banks, Gil Newsom, Eva Baumann, Ruth Collins, Annie Grindlay.
Choice dialogue:
“Really Steve, you’re just such a worthless f*ck!”
Filming locations:
Washington Heights, New York, New York, USA
