I just got this movie on Netflix; I found it by looking for Tom Skerritt movies. I feel that he's an actor who should have made it bigger than he did. He did a credible job in the role. Barbara Bosson was fine as his wife, and I liked the pre-Voyager Robert Beltran as his partner (but do detectives dress like that while on duty?). I had recently seen Knight Moves, and Daniel Baldwin was extremely annoying as Skerritt's partner; Beltran's character was much better written. I've been a fan of Barbara Parkins' since Mephisto Waltz, so it was nice to see her again; she's still as gorgeous as ever. Sharon Stone is drop-dead gorgeous here. I can't recommend this movie unless you're a fan of the actors, but, if you have it, it is watchable.
16 Reviews
well, it is an 80s tv movie
nick12123526 November 2020
This is an enjoyable light hearted, cheesy 80s flick. I had an absolutely awful day today and this movie helped me to feel better before bed; it feels more like a drama or thriller than a horror movie but it is one of those silly slashers of the era. And it's so, so, so 80s. Just look at the main character's mustache and the girl playing opposite has farrah fawcett bangs and a crazy perm at one point. The plot is not particularly exciting but it mostly makes sense. The quality is not exactly great but it's a TV movie from the 80s.
It's one that I'd recommend if you're really into 80s slashers as long as you're aware this isn't a hidden gem.
Not the best, nor the worst
kahfess30 December 2005
I picked this movie up off a sale bin at my local store. It basically is a movie about calender girls that pose in the nude, getting killed and the search for that killer. As usual you have a cop caught up in a whirl-wind of confussion and mystery (not to mention his own family and a wife that isn't completely sure she likes her husband hanging out with these thin, very seductive girls.) My copy of the movie isn't of the greatest production quality and the picture is poor. I gave the movie a 5 out of a possible 10 because it is a little slow in places. I have seen worse, so on a good rainy day, it's one of those movies you can pop in and watch while doing something else.
A staple through the belly beats a knife any day!
Poseidon-318 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
An example of the slightly racy, slightly tacky, slightly entertaining TV films that were popular in the mid-80's, this one concerns a serial killer, picking off the models of a nudie calendar, starting with January. Skerritt plays the laid-back cop on the case who has to navigate the world of Hugh Hefner knockoff Culp and his assistant Parkins along with their corral of shapely beauties. There is no shortage of suspects with little mini-dramas going on with somewhat slimy photographers Thicke and Gwynne, shady emcee Morse or even Skerritt's neglected wife Bosson. As the killer works his way through the calendar, Skerritt becomes embroiled in the life of model Stone, whose month is fast approaching. She makes no secret of her interest in him, and he can't help but find her striking, though he is devoted to Bosson. As the case progresses, Skeritt and his assistants Beltran and Gallardo continue to experience the decadent surroundings of Culp's lifestyle while trying to piece together the mystery. Skerritt deftly underplays his character in the laconic style that he's known for. Stone gives what could have been an extended audition for her later character in "Basic Instinct" as she creates an air of flirtatious mystery and retains a blasé attitude to the killings going on around her. Culp is well-cast as the aging playboy, though see him briefly don a speedo could give some viewers pause! Parkins' role couldn't be more thankless, though she's very attractive and classy throughout. Morse gets a rare opportunity to play drama and does fine. Bosson makes a nice companion to Skerritt. Beltran, later to gain cult status with Trekkers for his role in "Star Trek: Voyager" is hunk-a-licious here. Christian appears briefly as one of the murder victims. The year this was made, "Dynasty" was on the way to being the number-one-rated show on TV, so big hair, sequins and conspicuous consumption were the rules of the day. This lends some of the scenes a heavy dollop of camp hilarity, notably in the party sequences and modeling sessions. This being a TV-movie, the photos and photo sessions all have far more clothing involved than would have been in evidence in a real men's magazine. It's an agreeable time-filler that may make some viewers feel nostalgic for the ostentatious 80's while making other segments of the viewing audience either amused or repulsed.
Average who-dunnit
helpless_dancer4 February 2000
The police investigate the murder of a couple of models who work for the same agency. The killer is bumping off the girls according to the name of the month they go by, so the cops stake out the next girl in line. There are some good suspects, but no one they can pin the deaths on until they get just the break they need. Nothing special in this one; sort of a low budget film.
Washout
rmax30482310 June 2002
I watched this because I had a hunch it might be pretty good. Sometimes TV movies have a certain zinginess to them, a sort of "what the hell" quality that's generated, I've always suspected, by the unusually low budgets, That is, if your investment is small enough, you don't have to worry so much about producing a blockbuster. Add to it that this cast was interesting. Tom Skerrit may or may not have much acting range, but he's reliable in the way that Cary Grant and Michael Caine have been reliable. They don't always give first-rate performances but they never torpedo a production they appear in, and Skerrit has that same quality. Then there is Sharon Stone, youthful and full of fresh open-faced beauty, and not so evidently full of herself as she later became. And Robert Morse! I was curious to see his gap-toothed person in a dramatic role. The story, involving the sequential knocking off of "Playmates of the Month" or whatever they call them here. The film unfortunately did not live up to its promise. I suppose I'd forgotten that there must be a script. It's awful. There's no suspense to speak of. The dialogue is dull. Conflict, either intra- or interpersonal, is minimal. We don't know about the murdered models, so we don't care about them. (Except the momentary thought -- "What a waste.") At least the movie is not laden with cliches -- one or two car chases, a vehicular fireball -- but not much of that, perhaps because the writers didn't bother to put much effort into cranking up the action. Watch it if you want. I doubt that you'll get much out of it.
Not a Bad Television Mystery
gavin694215 February 2013
Millionaire Richard Trainor (Robert Culp) is celebrating the fact that his new calendar featuring twelve nude woman is a huge success. However the party is ruined when Miss January is pushed off a building and later on that night Miss February is knifed to death.
If you want to see Alan Thicke as a glamor photographer, Tom Skerritt as a cop (not surprisingly) and a young Sharon Stone, this is the film for you. Skerritt (who plays the oddly-named Detective Stoner) must find out who is killing the calendar girls... and you might keep guessing until the end! The film is made or television, so it is pretty tame. No nudity (despite the plot's description) and fairly mild violence. They found ways to stab and murder women without it being too messy, and this is no more racy than the average episode of "Murder She Wrote".
If you want to see Alan Thicke as a glamor photographer, Tom Skerritt as a cop (not surprisingly) and a young Sharon Stone, this is the film for you. Skerritt (who plays the oddly-named Detective Stoner) must find out who is killing the calendar girls... and you might keep guessing until the end! The film is made or television, so it is pretty tame. No nudity (despite the plot's description) and fairly mild violence. They found ways to stab and murder women without it being too messy, and this is no more racy than the average episode of "Murder She Wrote".
Even by 80s television standards, Calendar Girl Murders is pretty weak.
bensonmum223 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
One by one, the models featured in a calendar are being murdered. Lieutenant Dan Stoner (Tom Skerritt) is put in charge of the investigation. He immediately strikes up a friendship with former model Cassie Bascomb (Sharon Stone), who seems to have a stalker. Is the stalker the killer? Or, is it someone more closely associated with the calendar?
Even by 80s television standards, Calendar Girl Murders is pretty weak. As was customary at this time, the filmmakers would have you believe the movie is more scandalous than it is with models from a nudie calendar as a backdrop. But honestly, these buttoned-up women have more in common with the Amish than calendar models. A lot of the movie plays out like a standard 70s/80s cop show. I could easily see this as an episode of Charlie's Angels or Vegas. And what could have been a good ending is ruined. There should have been tension and suspense in the final scenes. Instead, it feels rushed. In short, Calendar Girl Murders is just lame. The only real positive I can come up with is some of the acting. Considering how young she was, I thought Stone did a nice job. And Skerritt gives the professional performance you would expect and manages to rise above his lackluster surroundings.
Finally, I look at Calendar Girl Murders as a wasted opportunity. The makings of a decent film are buried here somewhere. Beautiful women, an unknown killer, red herrings, the calendar backdrop, and a twist at the end – sounds like the makings of a giallo to me. In the right hands and without the constraints of TV, I could see Calendar Girl Murders being an entertaining film.
Even by 80s television standards, Calendar Girl Murders is pretty weak. As was customary at this time, the filmmakers would have you believe the movie is more scandalous than it is with models from a nudie calendar as a backdrop. But honestly, these buttoned-up women have more in common with the Amish than calendar models. A lot of the movie plays out like a standard 70s/80s cop show. I could easily see this as an episode of Charlie's Angels or Vegas. And what could have been a good ending is ruined. There should have been tension and suspense in the final scenes. Instead, it feels rushed. In short, Calendar Girl Murders is just lame. The only real positive I can come up with is some of the acting. Considering how young she was, I thought Stone did a nice job. And Skerritt gives the professional performance you would expect and manages to rise above his lackluster surroundings.
Finally, I look at Calendar Girl Murders as a wasted opportunity. The makings of a decent film are buried here somewhere. Beautiful women, an unknown killer, red herrings, the calendar backdrop, and a twist at the end – sounds like the makings of a giallo to me. In the right hands and without the constraints of TV, I could see Calendar Girl Murders being an entertaining film.
Very "TV" in feel
Leofwine_draca2 August 2022
An interesting little detective thriller with shades of the giallo genre at times, in particular Bava's BLOOD & BLACK LACE, but of course as a TV movie this is very tame stuff indeed so don't go looking for gore murders or nudity. The best thing about it is the cast: we get Tom Skerritt as the dedicated cop, a career-making turn from Sharon Stone as a femme fatale, a debuting Claudia Christian as a model and Robert Culp as the photographer. A good era and cast, but it ends there...
I LUV, I LUV, I LUV MY CALENDAR GIRLS
mmthos25 November 2020
Very good treatment of an old story, beautiful girls being bumped off by a serial killer ("Pretty Maids All In a Row") at a modeling agency ("Looker") with a "He's my boss-slap-He's my father-slap-He's my Boss And My Father" twist. But the great thing here is the casting. Never have I seen Tom Skerritt so charismatic, this is a terrific tryout for "Basic Instinct" for Sharon Stone, and the dangerously sexy chemistry between them fairly oozes out of the screen, Robert Morse also has a chance to demonstrate his range as the slimy, loathsome fashion show emcee. Though the plot resolution, as expected by that point, comes very quickly toward the end, I still enjoyed the way it was played out, with a mad tirade from former "Angel of the Year" calendar girl, Ms. Stone..
Loved it.
Loved it.
Watch more for the '80's...
vnssyndrome8920 April 2022
This is a good, solid '80's TV movie of the week thriller. Lots of '80's glitz & glam, not as much substance. Tom Skerritt saves this movie, from itself, and distracts from how bad Sharon Stone's acting is. A fun, silly romp into the past.
Enjoyable made-for-TV thriller
Woodyanders7 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Millionaire playboy Richard Trainor (well played by Robert Culp) publishes a racy calendar that inadvertently acts as a sick map for a serial killer who starts butchering all the lovely models who posed for said calendar in chronological order. It's up to weary, but shrewd and dedicated detective Lt. Dan Stoner (the always excellent Tom Skerritt) to nab the wacko. Director William A. Graham, working from a compact script by Scott Swanton and Gregory S. Dinallo, neatly evokes the glitzy world of the models, generates several effective moments of real tension, and keeps the engrossing story moving along at a steady pace. The sound acting from a capable cast rates as another definite asset, with especially praiseworthy work from a pre-stardom Sharon Stone as the perky Cassie Bascomb, Barbara Bosson as Dan's loyal wife Nancy, Robert Beltran as amiable cop Mooney, Pat Corley as Dan's huffy superior Tony, Robert Morse as smarmy emcee Nat Corley, Alan Thicke as charming photographer Alan Conti, and Michael C. Gwynne as creepy stalker Stark. Rip Taylor has a funny cameo as himself while the ever-gorgeous Claudia Christian pops up briefly as one of the victims. Such oh-so-80's trappings as break dancing and strenuous slow motion provide a certain gaudy'n'groovy period appeal. Both Robert Steadman's polished cinematography and Brad Fiedel's funky throbbing score are up to par. A nifty little teleflick.
Skerritt is Stoner!
BandSAboutMovies2 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Originally airing on April 8, 1984 on the ABC Network, this made-for-TV movie aspires to be a giallo just as much as it is a slasher, but it's hamstrung by network TV limits. Sure, there's murder and mayhem, but it's a bloodless affair.
Speaking of affairs - Tom Skerritt stars as Lieutenant Dan Stoner, a married cop who falls for Cassie Bascombone, one of the girls pursued by a killer. She's played by an incredibly young Sharon Stone. If you look this movie up, chances are you'll see plenty of foreign VHS covers that make it seem like Stone is the main reason this film was made.
Millionaire Richard Trainor (Robert Culp) is pretty much Hugh Hefner in this. However, on the very night that he announces his calendar girls for this year, Miss January falls from her hotel room and Miss February gets stabbed.
There are - as there always are - many red herrings, as well as Alan Thicke, who shows up as a photographer. And oh look - it's Barbara Perkins from Valley of the Dolls and The Mephisto Waltz.
If I were Hefner, I may have been peeved at this film. That said, it's as toothless as it is bloodless, but it's also a fun romp through early 80's TV. It's directed by William Graham, who was also behind Elvis' last movie Change of Habit and Return to the Blue Lagoon.
Interestingly enough, the Stoner character would appear again in the HBO made-for-TV movie Red King, White Knight. That case is even brought up by Stoner's captain at the end of this film.
Speaking of affairs - Tom Skerritt stars as Lieutenant Dan Stoner, a married cop who falls for Cassie Bascombone, one of the girls pursued by a killer. She's played by an incredibly young Sharon Stone. If you look this movie up, chances are you'll see plenty of foreign VHS covers that make it seem like Stone is the main reason this film was made.
Millionaire Richard Trainor (Robert Culp) is pretty much Hugh Hefner in this. However, on the very night that he announces his calendar girls for this year, Miss January falls from her hotel room and Miss February gets stabbed.
There are - as there always are - many red herrings, as well as Alan Thicke, who shows up as a photographer. And oh look - it's Barbara Perkins from Valley of the Dolls and The Mephisto Waltz.
If I were Hefner, I may have been peeved at this film. That said, it's as toothless as it is bloodless, but it's also a fun romp through early 80's TV. It's directed by William Graham, who was also behind Elvis' last movie Change of Habit and Return to the Blue Lagoon.
Interestingly enough, the Stoner character would appear again in the HBO made-for-TV movie Red King, White Knight. That case is even brought up by Stoner's captain at the end of this film.
What a great movie!
c5rta7 August 2002
This movie was on lifetime movie networks and is a clever, kinky tale of murders at a fashion shoot. check it out for sharon stone's early perfomance as a model being stalked by a psycho killer who is also offing her friends. Tom Skerrit plays the detective on the hunt for the killer before he gets to Stone. A clever whodunit, not too bad for a tv movie.
Bland TV Mystery
jamiemiller-0761110 September 2021
Someone is killing a bunch of nude models and it's up to Tom Skerritt's detective to get to the bottom of it. He meets a former model played by Sharon Stone who might not be as sweet and innocent as she tries to pretend to be.
This functions as an unofficial warmup for Stone's similar femme fatale role in Basic Instinct. She's much better vamping it up as a potential murderer than when she's trying out the wholesome good girl routine where, try as she might, she doesn't convince.
The story is boring and been done better a million times before. It's a film that might have benefited from an R rating to add a little extra sleaze to keep things more interesting.
This functions as an unofficial warmup for Stone's similar femme fatale role in Basic Instinct. She's much better vamping it up as a potential murderer than when she's trying out the wholesome good girl routine where, try as she might, she doesn't convince.
The story is boring and been done better a million times before. It's a film that might have benefited from an R rating to add a little extra sleaze to keep things more interesting.
Murder Shortage...
azathothpwiggins10 October 2021
While watching CALENDAR GIRL MURDERS, two things jump to mind: #1- Sharon Stone is hotter than the sunny side of Mercury! #2- This made-for-TV movie is almost as exciting as watching blisters heal!
It starts out just fine with a couple of murders within the first 20 minutes, but soon grinds to a tedious pace.
Tom Skerritt isn't bad as the cop on the case. Unfortunately, once Ms. Stone's character enters the picture, the story nosedives into soap opera / romantical country. This wouldn't be a problem if it didn't take up two-thirds of the movie! Once it gets back to the "action", it's difficult to care.
SIDE NOTE: It was humorous to read the original Trinity release DVD box claiming that this film was rated EM (Extremely Mature), which is astonishing since it contains no blood, nudity, or even a hint of adult language!...
It starts out just fine with a couple of murders within the first 20 minutes, but soon grinds to a tedious pace.
Tom Skerritt isn't bad as the cop on the case. Unfortunately, once Ms. Stone's character enters the picture, the story nosedives into soap opera / romantical country. This wouldn't be a problem if it didn't take up two-thirds of the movie! Once it gets back to the "action", it's difficult to care.
SIDE NOTE: It was humorous to read the original Trinity release DVD box claiming that this film was rated EM (Extremely Mature), which is astonishing since it contains no blood, nudity, or even a hint of adult language!...
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