Night Game (film)
A slasher film linking murders to Astros wins.
**Night Game** is a 1989 American slasher film directed by Peter Masterson. The cast includes Roy Scheider, Lane Smith, Karen Young, and Richard Bradford. The story centers on a police detective who is trying to catch a serial killer who uses a prosthetic hook as a weapon; the murders happen on nights when the Houston Astros pitcher Sil Baretto wins a game.
**Plot**
In Galveston, Texas, a prostitute named Loretta Akers is killed on a beachfront boardwalk, her throat cut by an unseen attacker. She is the latest in a series of murders. Mike Seaver, a former Minor League Baseball player now working as a police officer, investigates the scene and finds a scrap of paper in her garter belt that reads "Good luck." He clashes with county officer Kyle Broussard, who is protective of the case and whom Mike suspects is a pimp.
Mike and his partner, Oscar Mendoza, notice that each murder occurred after a win by Houston Astros pitcher Sil Baretto. After interviewing the boyfriend of one victim, Mike gets a radio call about two young women killed in a funhouse at a seaside carnival where his fiancée, Roxy, works. Inside, the phrase "Good luck" is written in blood on a mirror. Autopsies show the women were slashed by a left-handed killer, but the notes appear to have been written by a right-handed person.
Sportswriter Bill Essicks tells police he received a call from a sobbing man claiming to be the killer. Later, someone breaks into Mike’s home, apparently searching for Loretta’s diary. Mike learns that the first victim was found behind a church on the Fourth of July, during Baretto’s wedding. He and Bill realize that, except for the funhouse murders, every killing followed an Astros home game Baretto won; during the funhouse deaths, a TV broadcaster incorrectly announced Baretto was pitching that night.
After another woman is killed on the beach, Broussard accuses Mike of hiding evidence, and they fight. Broussard is put in charge of the case. That night, Mike shows Captain Nelson Loretta’s appointment book. Nelson calls a number that appears frequently in it, and the call is answered by Broussard. Mike argues this proves Broussard is a pimp.
Mike goes to Houston with Bill to watch a game at the Astrodome.
- Release year
- 1989
- Director
- Peter Masterson
- Starring
- Roy Scheider, Lane Smith, Karen Young, Richard Bradford
- Genre
- Slasher film
- Setting
- Galveston and Houston, Texas
- Box office
- $337,812
Lore & Background
Night Game was George Litto's second film in a five-film, two-year deal with Trans World Entertainment, following Kansas (1988). The film was originally scripted to be set in San Francisco, but Masterson, a Houston native, decided to bring the movie to Texas. Filming took place entirely in Galveston and Houston, featuring landmarks such as the Galveston Seawall, the Balinese Room, and the Astrodome. Filming was temporarily interrupted by Hurricane Gilbert, which forced the cast and crew to evacuate Galveston.
The plot follows Mike Seaver, a former Minor League Baseball player-turned-police officer, who investigates a series of murders linked to victories by Houston Astros pitcher Sil Baretto. The killer uses a prosthetic hook as a weapon, and the film culminates in a confrontation at the Balinese Room.
Reader's Guide
Night Game is a 1989 slasher film that combines baseball and horror, set in Houston and Galveston. Directed by Peter Masterson, it stars Roy Scheider as a detective tracking a hook-handed killer whose murders align with Astros wins. The film was shot on location, including the Astrodome, and features real Astros players like Glenn Davis. It received negative reviews, with critics noting its implausible plot and Scheider's declining career. The film grossed $337,812 during its fifteen-week theatrical run. Its significance lies in its unique setting and use of the Astrodome, as well as its place in the slasher genre of the late 1980s.
Did You Know?
- The film was originally scripted to be set in San Francisco but was moved to Texas by director Peter Masterson, a Houston native.
- Filming was temporarily interrupted by Hurricane Gilbert, forcing the cast and crew to evacuate Galveston.
- Astros player Glenn Davis hit a home run for the movie, while Dodgers outfielder Mike Marshall did not cooperate as expected.
- Night Game was the first movie in years to be filmed in the Astrodome, following Brewster McCloud, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, and Murder at the World Series.
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