The Misadventures of Fanny Starr Chapter 1: Case of the Barbecued Coeds

Three coeds vanish into a night haunted by a calculating killer who believes salvation comes only through sacrifice. Fanny Starr, a resourceful would-be investigator, finds herself drawn into a web of danger as she uncovers a pattern of ritualized killings performed with brutal ingenuity. The killer toys with his victims by turning ordinary spaces into traps, using fire and electric shocks as theatrical instruments of punishment. As the tension tightens, Fanny must race against time to prevent the next strike while keeping her own nerves intact in a city that seems to close ranks around the terror. The question lingers: can she save any of them before it ends badly for all? The setting tightens the mood with flickering lights.

Directed by Gary Whitson, this horror thriller comes from an original screenplay rather than an adaptation. It stars Clancey McCauley as Fanny Starr and Sal Longo as the killer, credited as Ben Morgan, with Jennifer Heist, Crystal, and Lisa Mazeo.

Box office data for this title is not publicly listed, and there is no widely reported worldwide gross. In practice the film circulated in limited venues and catalog releases, appealing mainly to dedicated horror enthusiasts rather than broad multiplex audiences.

Its niche status keeps it in genre circles rather than mainstream media. There is no well documented cultural footprint for this film. It has not spawned famous quotes or widely cited scenes, and it sits within a niche late night horror circuit that mostly fans may seek out for curiosity.

The tone is bleak and the pacing brisk, prioritizing suspense over revelation. Critical response is limited, but the film foregrounds a cat and mouse dynamic that tests a lone heroine against a predatory killer. Themes of sacrifice, fear, and intervention versus complicity drive the tension and set a grim tone.