Death Valley

"Not even a scream escapes."

1982 1h 27m EN

😐

5.1

MID

★5.1TMDB · 53

CrimeHorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A divorced mother, her young son and her new boyfriend set out on a road trip through Death Valley and run afoul of a local serial killer.

“Not even a scream escapes.”

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Cast

Paul Le Mat
Mike
Catherine Hicks
Sally
Stephen McHattie
Hal
Wilford Brimley
The Sheriff
Peter Billingsley
Billy
Edward Herrmann
Paul Stanton
Jack O'Leary
Earl
Mary Steelsmith
The Babysitter

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dick Richards
Writers: Richard Rothstein
Languages: English, Portuguese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dick Richards, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dana Kaproff. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Le Mat and Catherine Hicks and Stephen McHattie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Not even a scream escapes.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dick Richards directs. Stephen H. Burum behind the camera. Dana Kaproff scores. Joel Cox cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
244 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.
4Directed by Dick Richards, shot by Stephen H. Burum. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Dana Kaproff. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Joel Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Paul Le Mat and Catherine Hicks and Stephen McHattie carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Not even a scream escapes.".
9IMDB entry: tt0083805 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 53 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.