Are you one of those people who found A Night In The Museum too tame? Well turns out back in 1987, moviegoers were treated to a group of teenagers who wanted to stay overnight in a museum and were treated to more than displays coming alive and celebrity cameos. The Lamp proved that things can get deadly when items on display come alive. Mostly because these items will go on a killing spree.
Late one night, three people break into an old woman’s house in search of money. The old woman has plenty of antiques, but they’re looking for her rumored loot. They threaten the old woman until they discover she’s hidden something in the wall. They bust up the drywall and recover a chest. The old woman tries to warn them, but she’s hit in the face with a hatchet. The murdering burglars open the chest and find an old lamp. After playing with the antiquity, something is unleashed that takes its revenge on those who killed the old lady. When the cops check out the crime scene, they send a bunch of the old lady’s relics to the local museum to get background on it. Alex Wallace (Andra St. Ivanyi) visits her dad at the museum and becomes fascinated with the lamp. The next day, Alex and her classmates visit the museum as part of a field trip that her father arranged. The classmates want to have a sleepover in the museum and Alex figures out a way to make it happen. But what she isn’t counting on is the school bullies sneaking in and the creature inside the lamp also wanting to come out to share in the fun.
The Lamp is perfect when you’re in the mood for some prime ’80s cheesy horror. By placing the film inside a museum, the filmmakers separated it from the usual teen kids getting slaughtered by a killer demon flicks. They’re not just running a summer camp or high school. The Lamp uses the location to its full horrific possibility as the creature inside the lamp turns the exhibits into killing devices. There’s a nasty bit where a poisonous snake goes up a person’s pants leg. The movie was released in the UK as The Lamp. But in America, the distributor swapped the name to The Outing. Nice to see the film restored to its original name. You have no idea who will survive the night since the movie is filled with unknown actors except for Deborah Winters who had been a in a few films including Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo (recently shown on MeTV’s Svengoolie). Everybody can be a victim on the screen. Next time the kids want to see Night At The Museum, pop in The Lamp. To truly appreciate The Lamp, you should rub the Blu-ray before pressing play.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. Vinegar Syndrome couldn’t locate the original negative so the transfer was taken from a 35mm Interpositive. They did uncover short scene extensions that were cut out of the negative so you’re getting more of The Lamp than previous releases. The film usually runs 87 minutes. The image looks fine for a indie flick. The audio is DTS-HD MA Stereo so you can hear people screaming on either side of the room. The movie is subtitled.
Group Commentary Track features writer/producer Warren Chaney, actress Deborah Winters, actor Barry Coffing and moderator Zack Carlson. Turns out that Warren and Deborah are now married. Everyone talks about getting to make a movie in Houston.
All In the Family: Taking An Outing In the Lamp (36:36) is a documentary with cast and crew. The various folks talk about how they ended up in a Houston-based horror film. Warren Chaney talks about how he didn’t want to do a pure slasher film.
Original Theatrical Trailer (1:49) promises the mysterious and unknown coming from The Lamp! Prepare to be scared by a night in the museum.
Vinegar Syndrome presents The Lamp. Directed by Tom Daley. Screenplay by Warren Chaney. Starring Deborah Winters, James Huston, Andra St. Ivanyi, Scott Bankston and Red Mitchell. Rating: Rated R. Running Time: 92 minutes. Release Date: August 31, 2021.
