Michael Shamus Wiles

Stacey Logan

Michele Merchant

Dale Buckmaster

Kevin Meyer

Dean Lewis

Debbie Killian

Jill Holmes

Bill F. Blair

Claudia Meyer

Bob Farrar

Steve Hetherington

Steven Wacks

Keith Melton

George Holmes

Ken Meyer

Horror

Terror at Tenkiller

United Entertainment Pictures

United States of America

English

lake

serial killer

slasher

summer vacation

Sleep-inducing horror-thriller that lacks any mystery since the killer's identity is shown in the opening scene. Some okay gore effects at least given the budget. Still, even though it's only 88-minutes, feels so much longer as the bulk of the film was filled with boring dialogue and bad acting. **1.75/5**

**_Down home slasher in northeastern Oklahoma_**

A college girl in Tulsa escapes her toxic boyfriend by going to a girlfriend’s cabin at Tenkiller Lake southeast of there. Their vacation turns to horror as people mysteriously end-up dead.

"Terror at Tenkiller" (1986) is a slasher of the cabin-in-the-woods variety, but it’s more laid-back than most since the drama focuses on the two friends seeking quiet sanctuary at the remote lake. The two protagonists are attractive in a girl-next-door way (Stacey Logan as Leslie and Michele Merchant as Janna), along with the waitress at the restaurant (Debbie Killian), and the director tastefully captures their beauty.

Critics call it “Tedium at Tenkiller,” but I appreciate how it’s a non-Hollywood slasher that only cost about $40,000. The set-up smacks of real-life and you get to know the characters as the film takes its time. There’s a sense of Southern hospitality in the everyday mundaneness, similar to that of “Death Screams,” “Squirm” and “The Funhouse.” It’s like visiting rural northeast Oklahoma. "Camp Cold Brook" (2018) is a modern example, shot just north of Oklahoma City.

While this is perhaps the least of these movies, it has its points of interest. Unlike most slashers, the killer is revealed early on and doesn’t wear an eye-rolling mask. Speaking of which, formidable Michael Shamus Wiles is the only member of the cast who went on to regular acting work, including parts in major films like “Fight Club,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Rock Star,” “The Lords of Salem” and “Iron Man 3.”

Despite its 1986 copyright, this was actually shot prior to 1983 and after “Friday 13th Part 2,” which means 1982 or possibly even the late Summer of 1981.

The film runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot about an hour’s drive southeast of Tulsa at Fort Gibson Lake (the dam and Hulbert), which is 30 minutes northwest of the real Tenkiller Ferry Lake.

GRADE: B-/C+

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Promo Trailer

Terror at Tenkiller( 1986)

Just when you thought it was safe to go on vacation!

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A review by JPV852

Written by JPV852 on Mon Aug 14 2023

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