Slayground (1984)

Interesting facts

Slayground is a 1983 British crime thriller film directed by Terry Bedford and starring Peter Coyote, Mel Smith and Billie Whitelaw. The screenplay was by Trevor Preston, adapted from Slayground, the 14th Parker novel (1971) by Donald E. Westlake.

Production

The film was developed by Barry Spikings when he was heard of EMI Films. In early 1983 Spikings left and Verity Lambert was appointed head of production. Slayground became the first movie part of Lambert's slate of films. It was the first feature directed by Terry Bedford and produced by Gower Frost, who had both made commercials with Adrian Lyne.

Lambert later said, "I wasn't very keen, but I thought, 'Well, I'm starting off and this is definitely different to television and maybe I have to go by somebody else's judgement'." She claimed the distributors were convinced the film would be a commercial hit. Filmink called it a "very random" selection.

Others in Lambert's slate included Comfort and Joy, Illegal Aliens (which became Morons from Outer Space) and Dreamchild. "I believe all these films have international appeal," said Lambert.

Two thirds of the film was shot in Britain, one third in the US. Filming took place in March 1983 on location at Southport and Blackpool Scenes were shot at Southport's Pleasureland amusement park and Blackpool's Pleasure Beach. Filming in America took place in and around Rockland County, New York.

Academic Paul Moody wrote in his story of EMI Films that Slayground "marks a transition point in EMI's history, both literally and metaphorically, and it has a liminal feel to it that betrays its origins from two divergent production strategies." He felt the fact the second half of the film moving to England was "a metaphorical handing over of the baton...

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