The Outing (1987) User Reviews (39)

He's a genie in a bottle, better rub him the right way!

[Aaron1375 · 5/10 · 16 February 2017]

Watched this film for the first time since the 80's when it was released. I remember watching this one as a kid and the thing I remember the most is the scenes of the jinn floating around the museum chasing the last few survivors of the film. It is not bad, but at the same time it is not all that good either. Better pacing would have helped immensely, especially in terms of the kills within the film. We get three deaths right off the bat and then a period of nothing. n another death and another somewhat long stretch of nothing and then we get like seven or eight deaths in like a ten minute span. I would have preferred the deaths be space out more as it kind of takes awhile for the teens to break into the museum so the horror could begin in full instead of just teasing. Another problem is that this thing has the power to do anything, it is a genie, so I would think that every death is going to be unique and awesome. Well, that almost happens, but not entirely. We get two people torn in half, two people killed by snakes and multiple stabbings too. So, there were some good kills, the plot was interesting, but they needed more variety to the kills and maybe a better setting too.

The story has these three horrible people going to an elderly ladies house so they could find some money. Well, they drag the old lady from the bed, beat her and then put an ax into her head after they only discover a lamp and no money. Well, some sort of force causes the elderly lady to reanimate and take care of one of the intruders and tears one of them in half and takes care of the female intruder too. Well, the lamp ends up at a museum where a girl makes a very flippant wish and then we meet two more horrific people, one of which the girl used to date. I don't find it hard to believe that she dumped him, but I do find it hard to believe she ever dated him in the first place. Well the school has a field trip to the museum where the girl who now sports the same bracelet as the old woman and seems under somethings control, her boyfriend and two other couples decide to sneak back into the museum after hours for a sex party! Well, the lamp is home to a jinn and it begins to kill and make good on the girl's wish as she is to become the lamp's keeper!

If there is anything that movies from this time period have taught me, it is that young adults in the 80's always seemed to want to go to the most complicated place ever to have sex parties. Who knows why, but I've seen them going to malls, mausoleums, old mortuaries and in this film a museum. They just over complicated things back them as they would rather circumvent security systems or some such than simply go to the home of someone whose parents were gone or maybe even to one of those cool parents' houses who would not care if they were getting it on! Just makes me chuckle, and why the heck would there be a regular looking bathtub with curtains that looked as if it belonged in a house in a museum? I could see a shower stall, but not what was in this museum's basement.

So, it had its moments and it had your typically dumb 80's teens doing their usual breaking and entering to get some. What it needed was better pacing. Seriously, they had lots of death, but it was so condensed that one minute everyone is alive and getting it on and the next they are all dead! There were too many horrible people in this one too. The first group being the intruders at the beginning and then the two jerks that should have been in jail after pulling a knife on one of the teens and attempting to assault a teacher. They went over their allotment of super jerks, though I did like the one death with the mask. One final thought about this film, considering that everyone was pretty much dead at the end, I do think the girl should have just become the jinn's keeper. Seriously, her and the teacher are probably going to jail after all is said and done, because who the heck is going to believe a genie killed everyone?

Go on, give it a rub—you know you want to.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 25 January 2010]

A whole decade before Wes Craven produced his evil genie movie Wishmaster, director Tom Daley gave horror fans The Lamp (AKA The Outing), a reasonably fun 80s B-movie that also features an ancient, supernatural creature as its antagonist.

But whereas Wes Craven's malevolent being must cleverly twist his master's wishes in order to bring about pain and suffering, the nasty creature in director Tom Daley's The Lamp doesn't have to resort to such ingenuity: as the master, not the slave, he is free to cause whatever chaos he likes.

This means lots of trouble for Alex (Andra St. Ivanyi), the daughter of museum curator Dr. Wallace (James Huston), who becomes the genie's unwilling servant after trying on a magical armband she finds in her father's office. Unable to remove the trinket, Alex is tricked into convincing her friends to spend a night in the museum, where the genie sets about killing the teens in a variety of inventive ways.

As the genie goes about his wicked business, viewers get to witness decapitation via ceiling fan, an impalement on a spear, a mouldy corpse rising from the dead to munch on a bloke's fingers and jugular, a snake attack in a bath, a surprisingly nasty moment where two guys graphically rape a girl before getting a well deserved comeuppance, plus a little gratuitous nudity, and a very dumb finalé that could only have come from the 80s, a time when cheesiness knew no bounds.

With its iffy optical effects, rather shonky gore, silly monster, ropey acting, and wafer thin plot, The Lamp might not be anywhere near as polished as Craven's film, but should prove to be no less enjoyable, particularly for those already conditioned to similar low-budget hokum from the same era.

Tolerable.

[gridoon · 5/10 · 3 December 2001]

An enjoyably cheesy B-movie that has bad acting all around (everyone seems to agree on that), but also some imaginatively gruesome scenes that make it worthwhile for undemanding genre fans. Inarguable highlight is the scene involving a naked girl (of course!), a bathtub and several snakes.....ugh! See if you can understand the point of the brief shot after the closing credits. (**)

"Your wish is my command."

[Backlash007 · 1 April 2007]

The Outing is a textbook example of how great artwork can entice you to pick up a movie from your local mom and pop video store's shelf. Now, the status of the movie inside said case could be questionable, but how can you pass up that art? Luckily The Outing is not that bad. Granted, the acting could use some touching up and the formula is an old one, but the gore effects stand out and the sheer eighties-ness of the piece shines through. The Outing (aka The Lamp) is about a group of high school students who decide to spend the night at the local museum. Unbeknownst to them the newest piece at the museum is a genie lamp harboring an evil Djinn. Keep in mind that this was many years before Wishmaster was made. When the horny teens decide to split up and explore the place (and each other) the Djinn is set loose to work his evil magic. That's the formulaic part. But there are some interesting moments along the way. Highlights include: A man getting ripped in half under water, a scientist being thrown into a ceiling fan, and a nubile teen taking a bath with snakes. It's just campy enough to keep me watching and gory enough for me not to give it a bad review.

The Lamp

[d_m_s · 3/10 · 2 March 2016]

There are a couple of cool death scenes and nice demon puppet towards the end but overall this is a really dull film. The acting is terrible and difficult to watch, the script is pathetic and there are too many daft sequences and poor character decisions to make this enjoyable.

None of the characters were interesting or likable and I only kept watching because of a review that said it all gets good once they are inside the museum. Unfortunately it did not.

It's not even a film I would put into the 'so bad it's good' category as it contains no genuine or accidental funny moments. In fact, for a crappy 80's horror film, it just isn't much fun at all. I did like the demon at the end though.

Average supernatural slasher

[Groverdox · 5/10 · 13 June 2016]

"The Outing" is a humdrum slasher movie with supernatural overtones. Its confusing plot isn't helped by the fact that the bad guy isn't really shown until the very end. We watch people dying but don't know what's supposed to be killing them. It would be a bit like "Final Destination", if not for the fact that each death is shown in typical slasher style, so we're supposed to be scared of something, but don't really know what.

The plot is something to do with a magic lamp that lets out an evil genie. The genie appears to be able to control things, such as spears, and possess creatures like snakes. It takes a while for the movie to get to its typical slasher scenario: a group of teens camp out in a museum's basement and get offed one by one. Why this would seem like a fun way to spend an evening is unexplained.

The movie basically has too many characters, and too much of a convoluted set-up before it gets to the main set piece. With so many people introduced, you wonder why they didn't bother with a villain. It's true it doesn't look realistic when it finally shows up, but it's not like the other effects looked realistic either.

Back to Aladdin with you, dumb "genie"

[Coventry · 2/10 · 16 May 2006]

"The Lamp" is incredibly stupid 80's smut that can be found in practically every video store in my country whereas other, much better horror gems from that same decade are nearly impossible to purchase anywhere! Such a thing annoys the hell out of me! All in all, there's ONE remotely good sequence in this film (defenseless girl killed in bathtub by snakes), but the remaining 84 minutes are a textbook example of what horror shouldn't be like. Dumb characters run around, doing & saying the most ridiculous things while threatened by an "evil" Djinn that appears to be made out of plasticine. Juvenile delinquents steal the titular lamp from an old lady's house and get killed. The ancient relic then becomes property of a national museum in Texas for further examination and exhibition. Some kids, among them the curator's daughter, develop the bright idea of spending their Friday night in the museum's basement (what can possibly be exciting about that?) and, naturally, they get killed by the djinn in various ways. End of story. The acting is horrible, possibly even among the WORST I've ever seen, and first-time director Tom Daley seems to leave out tension & atmosphere on purpose. The make up is even too cheesy to look charming and the romantic sub plots are intolerably tedious. One of the museum night guards sings opera songs during his shift until he gets speared. He's actually the most talented person involved in the whole production.

For its time--not bad

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 9 May 2005]

Something about a bunch of brainless teenagers caught in a museum after closing. One of them is possessed and is purposefully leading her friends to their deaths.

No great shakes to be sure but, for 1986, this was pretty impressive. I saw it in a movie theatre and found the special effects just incredible. Yeah, they look cheesy today but back then were state of the art. Also I found some of the acting good with some nice blood and gore.

So, while I agree it's not a good movie I have a real soft spot for it. And, come on! It's not THAT bad! I give it a 7.

Oh, genie, I wish this movie were better

[udar55 · 5/10 · 9 October 2009]

A group of teens decide to sneak into the museum run by Alex's (Andra St. Ivanyi) dad. What they don't know is that she is possessed by the spirit of an evil Djinn that arrived in magic lamp at the museum. That is about it for the plot of this Houston, TX lensed horror flick. The first ten minutes are pretty good and the final half hour is great. Unfortunately, the 50 minutes in between is pretty dull. The kids all looks like they are 25 or older, but director Tom Daley gives plenty of attention to the nudity and gore departments. The final manifestation of the Djinn is pretty impressive, as is the final hilarious product placement for Pepsi.

There's some fun to be had here.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 7 October 2013]

"The Outing" is supremely cheap 'n' cheesy, crude 'n' clumsy, no budget horror entertainment. Granted, it's slow to get started and the good stuff is mostly saved for the second half. But once the mayhem begins, it proves to be quite amusing. The actors aren't the most professional one will ever see, but who would choose to watch something like this and expect any different? The important thing is that the movie *does* entertain the viewer, if on a somewhat modest level.

A trio of rednecks attempt to rob an old woman. They try to make off with her genie lamp, but they all get slaughtered. Eventually the lamp makes its way into a museum. The curators' daughter Alex (Andra St. Ivanyi) is possessed, or something, and entices her friends into spending some time after hours in the museums' basement. Soon the djinn, or genie, within the lamp is free to continue the body count.

The action in the second half can boast showmanship. The swooping camera-work isn't bad at all and the special effects and gore are substantially enjoyable, no matter how tacky they may be. Among the highlights are a boy chopped in half, a girl attacked in a bathtub by snakes, an opera singing security guard impaled by a spear, and a scientist shoved through a ceiling fan.

The movie also stars the bland James Huston as curator Dr. Wallace, Deborah Winters (from such pictures as "The People Next Door" and "Blue Sunshine") as his love interest,Eve Farrell (Winters also plays the young and old Arab women), and Danny D. Daniels ("Retribution") as Wallaces' colleague Dr. Bressling. Tom Daley handles the directing duties.

All in all, this is diverting enough to appeal to die hard genre devotees.

Six out of 10.

Wishing your life away.

[lost-in-limbo · 5/10 · 7 June 2009]

Robbers break into an elderly lady's house, and uncover an exotic artifact in the shape of lamp. They murder her, and then they unknowingly unleash a Djinn from the lamp and they would follow her fate. Soon the lamp finds itself at a museum, where a bunch of students secretly decide to spend the night and would become the next targets of the rampaging djinn.

The Lamp (aka The Outing) has an unusually sound (if simple) concept, largely brought down by its mediocre execution and formulaic inclusions. It starts off decent to only have its interest slowly fade due to its low scale plot developments and lumpy mid-section (focusing on a bunch of rather boring kids), but then the final third erratically erupts (rather gruesomely and incoherently) with a baffling freeze frame closing. However, gladly the numerous (some silly, but a couple remained effective) death scenes provided some inventiveness with a certain splash of nastiness and blood. While the special effects (glowing green mist) and make-up FX can be on the hokey side (a stiff, but towering Djinn), they still had a lively charm to them that reeks of its decade. Director Tom Daley's creaky direction doesn't use the compact locations (and a museum would be such a great setting for this carnage) all that well with little in the way of suspense, due to the uneven pacing that didn't help much in the build-up and atmosphere is barely evident with only a few lasting pockets. At least the quick, swirling camera work adds in some much needed verve and a sense of urgency, despite the routine POV framing. The performances are woeful, but not enough to destroy the viewing. Andra St. Ivanyi leads the way, with James Huston and Deborah Winters in lesser support.

I didn't dislike it, but nonetheless it's completely average and cheap hokum that won't last too long in one's memory.

Not bad, typical 80s teen splatter flick.

[smirre44 · 8/10 · 25 December 2000]

Not bad, seen it a couple of times. If you like splatter flicks with mediocre acting, watch this one. Those poor teens get to die in some pretty nasty ways.

Cheesy genie

[Tikkin · 7/10 · 7 May 2006]

There's no denying that The Lamp has its fair share of clichés and silliness but if you're a fan of the genre you can't help but love it. The story behind it is actually quite original and interesting, there's not many films out there about killer genies is there? And of course there's the typical "3 wishes" trap with the moral of be careful what you wish for (the girl at one point wishes her father was dead). The genie effects used at the end are ultra cheesy, but cool at the same time. I love the camera angles from the perspective of the genie as it floats along corridors. The best camera view is one that is apparently from 'inside' the lamp. Obviously they would have done this with a piece of red plastic over the screen, but it's still a cool trick. The deaths are decent, but weren't very gory (at least in the VHS version I watched).

If you're a fan of slasher films, I would add this to your collection. It's unique in its own way and probably one of the only slasher films with a killer genie in it!

Seeing this film wouldn't be one of my three wishes

[The_Void · 5/10 · 10 December 2006]

I was worried that this film might be just an eighties version of the crappy nineties horror 'Wishmaster', but as it happens; it would have been a better film if it were. The problem with this film, ironically considering it's a trashy eighties horror film, is simply that it's boring. It starts out slow, and even when the rudimentary bunch of dumb teens start to get picked off, the film never really picks up. It's a shame really as the idea of an evil genie wreaking havoc is actually quite a good one, but this film just doesn't do it justice. The plot focuses on a magic lamp which is stolen from an old woman's house. The lamp ends up in a museum when the thieves are killed. When the museum curator's daughter is possessed, she invites a bunch of friends for fun and games in the museum basement, and everyone ends up coming a cropper. I can live with bad acting and nauseating dialogue, even crappy special effects...but the story needs to be good to compensate, and this film is far too simple. The genie itself looks about as scary as your average lump of plasticine, and while the film features a few moments of gory horror; overall, it's not good enough. The Lamp certainly doesn't come recommended.

I didn't know 4000 year old djinn's had laser beam eyes.

[Nozze-Foto · 25 March 2002]

If scary movies are supposed to have morals than the lesson taught by this movie is "Be careful what you wish for". Okay, forget the fact that all the "teens" in this movie look too old even for grad school and concentrate on the plot. A girl (Andra St. Ivanyi) has an argument with her father and wishes he were dead. So what? Well dad is a museum curator and he just happened to come into possession of a real magic lamp ("from Iraq") and whoever, or whatever, is inside heard her wish. This isn't one of those nice "Your wish is my command, O Master" sort of djinn's; he has a mean streak a mile wide. When the same girl and her friends decide to spend the night in the museum for a little carnal fun he pops up and starts killing everyone in various exotic ways. Watch for a boy snapped in half at the waist and dead snakes brought back to life to deliver poisonous bites. They had to save the budget for the big FX at the end so we just get to see the aftermath of the really gory stuff. The snake bites and impalements are all shown though. So is this a good movie? Yeah, I thought so. The ending left me wondering though . . .I mean it is kind of inconclusive. What DID that shot of the Pepsi truck mean? Well, maybe I will just have to see it again.

not scary but entertains

[trashgang · 5/10 · 30 January 2012]

Another overlooked horror from a period when horror was a not done. it's a strange flick because it was the director Tom Daley his first and last attempt to make a flick. On the other hand it doesn't contain big names it's even so that most of the actors only appeared in The Lamp. Only James Huston went further but not to mention as an actor and Red Mitchell who we can see in JFK (1991) sadly he died at the age of 33 in 1994 in a train/car collision.

Was it bad, not really, it do has some good parts like a bath scene with snakes or a body been torn in two pieces in a swimming pool. The idea is okay with the Jinn and the mummy coming alive but it's the effect used that makes it out dated. It has the so typical cheap eighties effects that it sometimes is a bit ridiculous. But it also has a bit of nudity even some gratuitous by the first girl being killed running around with bouncing boobs. But I have also to say that I sometimes was a bit bored, the Jinn wasn't scary at all. It looked fine but when you work a Jinn and a magic lamp it becomes a bit Disney.

Still, it has a proper release but is sold a bit pricey, still it's available on VHS. And don't be confused by it's second title The Outing which was also another flick from 1981 known as Scream. And not the Scream from Wes Craven. So watch out to hunt this that you have the correct flick.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 1,5/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2/5 Comedy 0/5

So cheap the producer plays four roles...

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 16 August 2016]

I was attracted to this film through the very pretty VHS box artwork which made it look like something different, something new. But the truth is that THE LAMP plays more like a typical '80s slasher than an actual monster movie. The standard plot can be categorised in two halves: the first has a build-up to the events; the killer is introduced; there are typical high school fights and stuff. The second half is the isolated group of teenagers having sex and getting killed. Just substitute the genie for a masked killer and you've got your Friday the 13th, you've got The Burning, and countless others.

So did I like this film? Yes, I did. It's nothing above average of course, but it has a sense of fun and you have to give the makers credit for creating a mildly entertaining film on such a low budget (even the boom mike shows a couple of times). I liked watching this film because it's so bad. Actress Deborah Winters plays four characters and is the assistant producer, which gives you some idea of the home made feel to this film. There are lots of things to watch for, be it the stupid deaths or high school punks, or perhaps the genie himself, an absurd creation which looks like Yoda on steroids and is obviously being wheeled along on a trolley. If you like cheesy slasher movies then THE LAMP is for you. It's got all the right ingredients from nudity to gore to atrocious dialogue, which come together to make a satisfying, if not particularly tasty, meal. If you're into this genie lark then you might want to check out WISHMASTER, too.

my favorite band is Pavement-pueblo domain, or ,in the mouth a desert, or passat dream

[jessegehrig · 2/10 · 9 March 2014]

This movie sucks its not fun to watch. There are some funny parts but they are unintentional. Like when I saw the trailer for this movie as a kid back in the day, this movie seemed super scary and I was wary. Saw it as an adult and yeah it sucked. I guess they made movies in Texas back in the 80's like it was a real thing and I feel like this movie was filmed in the lone star state. Its has that 80's Texas feel. Also, as a kid I might have gone to the museum that is the location where this movie was filmed. If that is the case there is an awesome T-rex skull like right as you walk in. Its huge too, like a live T-rex would be killing motherf*ckers, so if you ever go to Huston check it out. Oh yeah acting was bad directing was bad lighting was sh*tty story was sh*tty you know the drill.

Not your ordinary night at the museum

[drownsoda90 · 6/10 · 18 October 2020]

"The Outing" follows a teenaged girl who plans to spend the night in a local science museum where her father is a curator. Unfortunately, the museum has recently acquired an ancient Arabian lamp among their artifacts, which contains a malevolent genie. Mayhem, unsurprisingly, ensues.

The cover art for this film (and even the title) might lead one to believe they're in for a backwoods slasher flick, but "The Outing" is much more along the lines of "Night at the Museum" than it is any slice-and-dice flick. The film opens with an Arabian woman being murdered in her house by a gang of robbers, which is the catalyst for the lamp making its way to the museum (and wreaking havoc on our teen characters).

The premise is silly, but the film offers enough thrills and spills in great late-'80s fashion that it may be worth a watch. The acting is ho-hum and the characters here are pretty disposable, though the murder sequences are at times grisly. The film is also shot through with a number of bizarre moments, including a scene in which the protagonist's racist ex-boyfriend starts hurling epithets at a black classmate; and later, a rape scene that materializes almost out of nowhere. These moments may have been intended for some sort of social commentary, but in the context of the film, they feel utterly out of place.

Things kick into high gear about midway through, when the teens arrive at the museum, and ramps up for an insane and absurd finale in which the monstrous genie is stalking the protagonist through the halls. The special effects here are admittedly ridiculous, and the film ends in a rather abrupt manner, though it's hardly surprising. All in all, "The Outing" gets points for creativity, as there are few films remotely like it. Where it fails is that it lacks any real suspense, and it is structured in a way that leaves the midsection only chugging along. For a low-budget effort, however, it is a moderately amusing, cheesy '80s supernatural romp. 6/10.

1st watch in 2022

[MikeCreep · 4/10 · 27 July 2022]

Watched this movie for the first time in 2022, and all I can think about is how some of the kids were killed in a Vecna-like manner (floating, head twisting, etc.)

A minor 80s cheese classic here, folks.

[yourmotheratemydog715 · 7/10 · 7 January 2014]

The mostly 'ho-hum' reviews here have me a little confused. Anybody looking for a cheesy-as-all-get-out 80s horror flick should scoop up THE OUTING without a second thought.

We start with a bunch of white trash people with white trash names like Harley robbing this old lady. She's apparently absurdly rich, but the main thing they find is an ancient lamp (from Irag!). Obviously, the lamp has a genie in it, Harley unwittingly unleashes its angry power, and it kills him and his friends. The lamp is given to a local museum, where its dark powers are re-awakened by a stupid teenager. Add a group of stupid teenager's friends staying the night in the museum for a little bit of foolin' around, and we've got ourselves a great slasher set-up! Not only do we have a handful of great deaths here (we've got snake baths, death by ceiling fan and mummy zombies!), there's also a great deal of 80's absurdity. We've got a high school class that teaches its students about Vlad the Impaler and genies, security guards that sing opera instead of doing anything, and potentially the most d-baggy out of all '80s d-bags (they get in butterfly knife fights and are attempted rapists!).

It's all just fantastic, and is fun from start to finish. The ending is a little head-scratching: the genie makes its first true appearance, finally grants the main character's "wish" she made a few days before, and then presents itself as unstoppable. But there's some Iraqi-speak on the lamp, and after a truly heart-poundingly suspenseful (kidding) scene with a computer translating the characters, it's revealed that the main girl has to (wait for it) destroy the lamp to kill the genie. Isn't that, like, the first thing you would try? Don't think I would've needed a translator to tell me that.

So to wrap up, the whole thing's a lotta fun and I don't see any fan of 80s cheese having a bad time with THE OUTING.

Hey, hey, nobody gets higher than me!

[moviebuff72-223-265524 · 4/10 · 24 July 2023]

The Outing is one ofvthe few R rated movies that got away with showing an erect penis. It was brief but it was there. Besides the nudity both male and female this movie has nothing to waste ninety minutes of your time unless you just want to see some flesh. It's a boring horror film, it isn't scary and the acting is subpar. Note to future film makers. Make the dialogue unique and interesting. Also, R rated scenes are just stupid. I hear about PG-13 films sucking but Restricted films can suck too. Maybe, if you're going to have a sex scene make it NC-17. R rated love scenes are not erotic. NC-17 can be erotic because they can show it all without having to blur or put the real deal out of the frame. The Outing isn't a good film. Watch at your discretion.

A very creative premise

[bigpappa1--2 · 10/10 · 20 May 2000]

Teenagers spending the night in a museum are attacked by an evil genie intent on world destruction. A very creative idea ( remember this came out way before Wishmaster ), is given the standard 80's teen horror film treatment. But still isn't all the bad. The first half is so-so, but once there in the museum, it is nothing but good times from then on out. 7 out of 10.

I actually rather liked this evil Genie horror film.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 2 April 2010]

The Outing is set in Texas & starts late one night as three hoodlums break into the house of an old lady (Deborah Winters under plenty of ageing make-up) in order to rob her money but are disappointed only to find an old Lamp with a jewelled stopper in it, trying to take the seemingly valuable stopper out the Lamp is rubbed & an evil Jinn is unleashed & kills everyone... The police send the ancient Lamp to the state Museum of Natural Science where foremost archaeologist Dr. Wallace (James Huston) takes an interest in it, apparently dating from 3500 B.C. the Lamp may be of significant historical importance & value. Dr. Wallace's daughter Alex (Andra St. Ivanvi) & some of her friends decide to spend the night in the museum & the evil Jinn from the Lamp starts to kill them off, Alex & her dad have to translate the engravings on the Lamp to discover how to defeat the Jinn & end it's ancient curse..

Directed by Tom Daley I suspect that this was actually shot under the title The Lamp which it was released under just about everywhere apart from the US where it was retitled to The Outing & I suspect that the three prologue that was cut as mentioned on the IMDb's 'Alternate Versions' page was done so as the title The Lamp actually appears over this shot in the same font & style as the rest of the credits, anyway I have to say I rather liked The Outing or The Lamp or whatever it's called as it delivers in most areas. The opening fifteen minutes are fantastic with a deserted galleon strewn with dead bodies, a robbery, nudity, strangulation, axes in heads & a guy is torn in half but predictably the film can't keep the pace going like that forever & it does settle down into 80's teen horror clichés with ex-boyfriends, silly pranks & a daft idea with little to no motivation behind it to spend the night in the basement of a museum which takes up a fair amount of time but once the evil Jinn show's up again the killing starts it doesn't let up until the final credits with a death or a monster every few minutes. The kills are pretty good & gorier than expected to with some actual proper special effects used & the body count is quite high although we never see what happens to that black bird who was getting raped, do we? At less than 90 minutes it's short enough, it's to the point & has slightly more going on than you may expect with love triangles, romance, evil Jinn's, sex, death, demonic possession & there's even an opera singing security guard (stick around for the end credits as after they finish there's a somewhat random & very brief shot in which he takes a well deserved bow!). The character's are OK but nothing special, the dialogue awkward at times & you really won't mind seeing anyone in this die (in the context of the film obviously, not in real life).

Another thing about The Lamp that I liked was that it's pretty original, in a decade that brought audiences many teen slashers with various masked killers the idea of an evil supernatural Jinn was quite cool & before anyone says it The Outing/The Lamp was made a decade before Wes Craven used the idea in Wishmaster (1997). The deaths are pleasingly gory, there's a guy ripped in half in a swimming pool & his legs sink to the bottom in a cloud of blood, people's get axe's stuck in their heads, there's zombies, bitten off fingers, bitten out throats, someone face is cut with a ceiling fan, someone is impaled with a spear, a naked woman is bitten to death by zombie snakes in a bath & a guy's head is crushed inside a helmet & his head is twisted right round plus there's a decent amount of blood splatter to go with the kills. There's a few scenes of nudity as well plus an attempted rape scene. The special effects are good too, when the evil Jin appears at the end it looks a little rubbery but is still a decent enough monster although it's silly voice makes it hard to understand at times. There is actually a bit of atmosphere here as well, the opening sequence set on an old boat one foggy night as in one long shot the camera moves onto the boat & moves around it is rather cool actually & sets the film up nicely.

The IMDb says this had a budget of about $2,000,000 which I find hard to believe, that's a lot of money actually although it is well made with decent effects so it's possible I suppose. Apparently shot in Texas although there's some 'Californian Crew' credits at the end. The acting isn't anything special & most of the performances are stiff lets say although Andra St. Ivanvi pulls some odd faces at times which is quite unsettling.

The Outing (The Lamp is a much better title) is a decent little hard to find 80's supernatural horror teen slasher with a good body count, nice gore, some nudity & an OK monster. The middle third drags a bit but the opening & closing twenty odd minutes are great, I reckon this ones worth tracking down & watching.

Just Good Old Plain 80's Horror Fun!!!

[mallymal98 · 5/10 · 9 July 2013]

As a child of the 80's I am a huge fan of horror movies from the period. I only saw The Outing maybe once or twice when I was a kid after it was released on video and for years afterwards I had honestly forgotten about it. But recently, via YouTube, I was afforded the great opportunity to get reacquainted with this horror gem and I gotta admit it is just as fun to watch now as it was in 1988. This is one movie not to be taken too seriously. True it follows in the grand tradition of cheesy 80's horror flicks, with its predictable story, cookie-cutter characters, hilarious acting, campy dialog and sophomoric special effects, but hey that's what makes it soooo much fun to watch! You don't even have to pay close attention. Just enjoy it for what it is. Movies like this are a great way to relax, especially on a lazy Saturday. So if you are a fan of and know 80's horror, then I highly recommend finding a copy of The Outing cause it'll be just what you expect it to be...........