In a twist on last week’s episode of Slasher Studios, Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz went over their picks this week for the horror movie characters that should have lived. These were likable, intelligent horror characters that sadly did not make it to the end credits of their respected slasher film. Click on the link below to listen to an archive of our show.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2011/12/12/slasher-studios-horror-characters-that-shouldnt-have-died

The Official Slasher Studios Top 5 Horror Characters That Should Have Lived:

5. Jamie-Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
Let’s be honest here, “Halloween 6” makes a lot of mistakes (too many characters, inconsistent editing, a dismal ending…). Not bringing back Danielle Harris to play Jamie was near the top of the mistake list. But, who can blame Danielle for not wanting to return after her character is killed off a mere ten minutes into the film. The storyline her character is given (the druids have kidnapped her and artificially inseminated her with Michael Myers’ sperm?) is too ridiculous for words. Her character deserved more than this and seeing her die tragically trying to save her child is just an insult to fans.

4. Alice-Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Alice was the original final girl of the original “Friday the 13th” and deserved more in the sequel than just an extended cameo. Hell, her character is died before the main credits have even hit the screen. She was a fighter and not even having a chance to defend herself in her own house while frightening, felt a bit like a cheap blow. She is the only actor in the entire series to come back for a future installment and to later be killed. Maybe the “Friday the 13th” crew learned their lesson with this one.

3. Kristen-Nightmare on Elm Street 4 (1988)
Kristen was a survivor, the very last of the original Elm Street kids, and she is killed off trying to protect her best friend. Heroic? Yes. But something more should have been done with this character. The series never quite recovered handing over the reigns from Kristen to Alice and Alice just felt like a weak replacement. Note to filmmakers, bringing back your survivors just to kill them in the opening scenes of the next film doesn’t add anything to these characters. We have grown to love them. Both the characters and the audience deserve a bit more respect.

2. Helen-I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
On last week’s show I mentioned that Karla was a poor Helen replacement and that girl actually lived through the sequel! Helen is a fighter and she is given one of the best chase scenes of the 1990’s through an eerily vacant department store. The chase is scary as hell and the audience just knows that she will survive to the end. Sadly she is killed just moments before getting help. The movie pulls the rug from underneath the audience and shows that anyone can die. I wish she would have lived but at least she acted intelligently and did everything in her power to survive.

1. Rachel-Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Here we have it, the single biggest mistake the “Halloween” franchise made. Rachel was smart, resourceful, brave, and extremely intelligent. I would go as far to say that she is the most likable character in the entire series. So it makes sense to kill her minutes into the fifth installment while she acts like a complete idiot. Taking a shower while there might be a killer lurking around? Walking around with a towel on? This is not the Rachel that fans have come to love. She gets scissors in the chest and the movie never recovers. Also, the less said about Tina, the better.

NOTE: Nancy from Nightmare on Elm Street 3 would definitely be my number one but I decided to leave her out as I included her as number one on our other death list.

On this week’s episode of Slasher Studios, Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz talked about their top 5 favorite horror movies of the 1990s. Movies that set the tone for the age of the self aware horror film and gave the horror audience something special and unforgettable. Click on the link below to listen to an archive of the show.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2011/11/14/slasher-studios-best-horror-movies-of-the-1990s

Here is the official Slasher Studios Top 5:

1. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

After the dismal “Freddy’s Dead”, Freddy seemed to be dead and buried for at least a few years. It, however, was in 1994 that Wes Craven came up with the radical idea of bringing Freddy back for another nightmare…a “New Nightmare”. Gone was funny Freddy and the fresh looking 80’s MTV teenagers and in was a concept so unique and groundbreaking that it just couldn’t work? Or could it…

But..let us start back at the beginning. In 1984, horror director Wes Craven created “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” It was acclaimed as one of the scariest movies ever made and made unknowns like Robert Englund, Johnny Depp, and Heather Langenkamp huge stars. Ten years later, Heather is living happily with her husband, Chase, and her son, Dylan. But her life has now been turned upside down because she is being stalked by a person who sounds like Nightmare villain Freddy Krueger. Chase has just been killed in a car accident after he accidentally fell asleep behind the wheel. Dylan refuses to sleep any more, and New Line Cinema has just offered her a part in “the ultimate Nightmare.” But some other strange things have been happening, including earthquakes and Craven being tight-lipped about the script. The ultimate truth is that Freddy Krueger is actually an ancient demon breaking out into our world, but in order to do that, he must go through Heather. And he knows he can get out by harming those near her.

Sound convoluted? Pretentious? Overly meta? Shockingly, no. “New Nightmare” is that rare horror film in which everything works. The performances are pitch perfect, lead by a tour-de-force performance by the amazing Langenkamp. The script is full of twists and turns and the movie is quite possibly the best looking of the entire series. What starts out as a maze of mirrors becomes something much more than your typical nightmare. The film examines the role film plays on those who watch it. Something that Wes Craven’s “Scream” would play out to great effect two years later. I really can’t say enough about this film and homages to the original are expertly placed. It is my favorite horror film of all time and a modern classic.

Buy It Here: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

2. Scream (1996)
Growing up in a small town with not a lot of friends, you have to do what you can to make the time pass. For me, my friend past-time was horror movies. I devoured them as a kid. I remember going to the local video store with my mom and running to the horror aisle to see what new releases might be in stock. But even more than the new releases, it was the 80’s style horror movies that really caught my eye. The box art was normally quite grotesque with a naked girl here and a body part here. I always thought to myself, “This is awesome!” Hell, the Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors back box art (Kristen in the “Freddy snake”) scared me so much that it would take me years to watch it. Of course, I would always check out the back cover art just to freak myself out.

My view of horror as an art form all changed on one cold winter day in 1996. December 20th, 1996 to be exact (and no, dear viewers, I didn’t need to look that date up). A little movie called “Scream” opened and terrified moviegoers everywhere. It was the first film of its kind. A horror movie in which the characters in the movie had seen other horror movies. It could have been confusing and overly meta but it was all part of the fun.

Scream made horror movies scary again with a brilliantly constructed plot. One year after the death of Sidney Prescott’s (Campbell) mother, two students turn up gutted. When a serial killer appears, Sidney begins to suspect whether her mother’s death and the two new deaths are related. No one is safe, as the killer begins to pick everyone off one by one. Finally, something the horror genre was missing: a good old fashioned murder mystery. The performances all around are first rate from Neve Campbell as the vulnerable to Courteney Cox as the bitchy journalist willing to do whatever it takes to get a story Gale Weathers to David Arquette as the sweet, slightly dimwitted Deputy Dewey to Drew Barrymore’s doomed Casey Becker.

So, for those of you who haven’t seen it, check it out. It’s one of the best horror movies of the 1990’s and I was happy to see that the reunion in Scream 4 was not in vain. In fact, Scream 4 is currently a shoe-in for my favorite horror movie of 2011.

Buy the great blu-ray here: Scream [Blu-ray]

3. The People Under the Stairs (1991)
Some movies are a little bit out there. Some movies are a little on the strange side. Some movies can be a put off putting to others. And some movies are “The People Under the Stairs.” I can honestly say that I have never seen another movie like it. It is weird, over-the-top, and quite frequently crazy. You have a husband and wife (or mother and son or brother and sister, the movie really doesn’t make it very clear) that kidnap children to raise as their perfect offspring. However, when the child in question “hears, speaks, or sees evil” they are banished to the basement with the other neglected children. Sound fucked up?

Well, that’s only the start of it. The movie begins with a thirteen year old boy nicknamed Fool. Fools lives in the ghetto and has just found out his family is going to get evicted from their run down apartment. Fool is persuaded by family friend, Leroy, to sneak into the landlords’ home (the husband/wife, etc) to steal a prized coin collection rumored to be in their home. Desperate to help save his Mother’s life and the family from being thrown into the streets, Fool goes with Leroy and Leroy’s friend, Spenser, to the house.

Once they force their way into the house, they realize they got a lot more than they were looking for. After Spenser and Leroy are tragically killed, Fool tries to escape. Running for his life, he bumps into the landlords’ daughter, Alice, a young abused girl full of nothing but scars and fear. Fool feels sympathy towards Alice and persuades her to escape with him.

The movie works as a social parable about the rich and the poor but works even better as a balls-to-the-wall action/horror comedy that is just about as weird and crazy as you would imagine. I can’t recommend this movie to everyone but for those looking for a little leather gimp action, a crazy incest plot, and lots of hillbilly kids. Well, you’ve come to the right place.

Buy it here: The People Under the Stairs

4. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
In October 1994, film students Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams and Joshua Leonard set out to produce a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. They travel to Burkittsville, Maryland, formerly Blair, and interview locals about the legend of the Blair Witch. The locals tell them of Rustin Parr, a hermit who kidnapped seven children in the 1940s and brought them to his house in the woods, where he tortured and murdered them. Parr brought the children into his home’s basement in pairs. Parr forced the first child to face the corner and listen to their companion’s screams as he murdered the second child. Parr would then murder the first child. Eventually turning himself in to the police, Parr later pleaded insanity, saying that the spirit of Elly Kedward, a witch hanged in the 18th century, had been terrorizing him for some time and promised to leave him alone if he murdered the children. The trio also interviews Mary Brown, a local eccentric who tells them that she had encountered the Blair Witch as a child.

The second day, the students begin to explore the woods in north Burkittsville to look for evidence of the Blair Witch. Along the way, a fisherman warns them that the woods are haunted, and recalls a time that he had seen strange mist rising from the water. The students hike to Coffin Rock, where five men were found ritualistically murdered in the 19th century, and then camp for the night. The next day they move deeper into the woods, despite being uncertain of their exact location on the map. They eventually locate what appears to be an old cemetery with seven small cairns. They set up camp nearby and then return to the cemetery after dark. Josh accidentally disturbs a cairn, and Heather hastily repairs it. Later, they hear crackling sounds in the darkness that seem to be coming from all directions and assume the noises are from animals or locals following them.

The following day they attempt to return to their vehicle, but cannot find their way; they try until nightfall, when they are forced to set camp. That night, they again hear crackling noises, but cannot see anything. The next morning they find three cairns have been built around their tent during the night. As they continue trying to find their way out of the woods, Heather realizes that her map is missing, and Mike later reveals that he kicked it into a creek out of frustration the previous day. Josh and Heather attack Mike in a fit of intense rage. They then realize they are now hopelessly lost, and decide to simply “head south”. Soon, they discover a multitude of humanoid stick figures suspended from trees. That night, they hear more strange noises, including the sounds of children and bizarre “morphing” sounds. When an unknown force shakes the tent, they flee in a panic and hide in the woods until dawn. Upon returning to their tent, they find that their possessions have been rifled through, and Josh’s equipment is covered with slime, causing them to question why only his belongings were affected. As the day wears on, they pass a log over a stream that was identical to the one they had passed earlier, despite having traveled directly south all day, and again set camp, completely demoralized at having wasted the entire day seemingly going in circles. After this night, none of them will be the same again.

When “Blair Witch Project” opened in July 1999, little did anyone in the entertainment business realize that it would change the horror genre forever. The $30,000 little indie that could grossed an astonishing $141 million at the domestic box office and another $100 million overseas to become the most successful film of all time (budget to gross ratio). This little film had an entire nation believing that the events that took place actually happened. It was the first film to use the internet as a form of viral marketing from a website with little known “facts” about the “whereabouts” of the cast. It helped that “Blair Witch Project” was a damn good movie. The ending is scary as well and it’s hard to believe how far the “found footage” subgenre has come since the making of this film. It isn’t perfect (the leads can be a bit annoying and the scares are a bit repetitive towards the end) but it is a one of a kind movie that won’t soon be forgotten.

To buy “The Blair Witch Project”: The Blair Witch Project [Blu-ray]

5. Candyman (1992)
Helen Lyle is a graduate student conducting research for her thesis on urban legends. While interviewing freshmen about their superstitions, she hears about a local legend known as Candyman. The legend contains many thematic elements similar to the most well known urban legends, including endangered babysitters, spirits who appear in mirrors when fatally summoned, and maniac killers with unnatural deformities. The legend states that while Candyman was the son of a slave, he nevertheless became a well known artist. Yet, after falling in love with a white woman who becomes pregnant, Candyman is chased through the plantation and when caught, has his drawing hand cut off and replaced with a hook. He is then smeared with honey (prompting the locals to chant ‘Candyman’ a total of 5 times- hence the ‘say his name 5 times into the mirror’), stolen from a nearby apiary, and the bees sting him to death.[1] The legend also claims that Candyman is summoned by anyone who looks into a mirror and chants his name five times (similar to the Bloody Mary folkloric tale). Summoning him often costs the individual their own life. Later that evening, Helen and her friend Bernadette jokingly call Candyman’s name into the mirror in Helen’s bathroom but nothing happens.

While conducting her research, Helen enters the notorious gang-ridden Cabrini–Green housing project, the site of a recent unsolved murder. There she meets Anne-Marie McCoy, one of the residents, as well as a young boy named Jake, who tells her a disturbing story of a child who was horribly mutilated in a public restroom near the projects, supposedly by Candyman. While exploring the run-down restroom, Helen is attacked by a gang member carrying a hook who has taken the Candyman moniker as his own to enhance his own street credibility by associating himself with the legend. Helen survives the assault and is able to later identify her attacker to the police.

Helen later returns to school but hears a voice calling her name as she walks through a parking garage. Another man she encounters states he is the Candyman of the urban legend and because of Helen’s disbelief in him, he must now prove to her that he is real. Helen blacks out and wakes up in Anne-Marie’s apartment, covered in blood. Anne-Marie, whose Rottweiler has been decapitated and whose baby is also missing, attacks Helen and she is forced to defend herself from Anne-Marie using a meat cleaver. The police then enter the apartment and arrest Helen. Is Helen going crazy or will Candyman come for her next?

Three words adequately describe “Candyman”: Scary. As. Hell. I was twelve years old when I saw the movie for the first time and it hasn’t left my mind since. From the haunting Phillip Glass score to the uncompromising promises by both Tony Todd as Candyman and Virginia Madsen (who has never looked better) as Helen, everything about this movie is sensationally scary. Madsen, in particular, seems to relish playing against time and causes the audience to be sympathetic with her character when a lesser actress would have just come across as annoying. A cheap “Carrie” rip-off of an editing is the only false beat in this superb thriller from one of the masters of the horror genre, Clive Barker.

To buy “Candyman”: Candyman (Special Edition)

On this week’s episode of Slasher Studios, Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz went over their most disturbing horror moments. Moments in horror movies that made them cover their eyes, hide their heads, or just make them think. Make sure to listen to our full show at the link below.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2011/11/07/slasher-studios-most-disturbing-horror-moments

The Slasher Studios Top 5:

1. Pet Semetary-Gage is Killed

There is one thing that every parent hopes never to witness in their lifetime and that is the death of their child. In “Pet Semetary”, the Creed family moves into a new home, close to a road where high-speed truckers often carelessly drive by. They befriend their neighbor, Jud Crandall (Fred Gwynne), who tells them about a pet cemetery and the burial grounds nearby. When the family’s young son, Gage (Miko Hughes), is tragically run over by a truck on the same road during a picnic and is killed, the father, Louis, considers burying Gage in the burial grounds. All hell breaks loose when Gage comes back from the dead and the father is forced to kill his son, watching him die yet again.

Buy “Pet Semetary” at Amazon: Pet Sematary (Special Collector’s Edition)

2. Last House on the Left-Rape and Murder of Mari and Phyllis
Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) plans to celebrate her 17th birthday by attending a concert with her friend, Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). Her parents (Richard Towers and Cynthia Carr) express concern both at the band and Mari’s friendship with Phyllis. They let her go, giving her a peace symbol necklace as a gift before she leaves. Phyllis and Mari go to the city for the concert. On the way, they hear a news report on the car radio of a recent prison escape, involving criminals Krug Stillo (David A. Hess), a rapist and serial killer, his son Junior (Marc Sheffler), Sadie (Jeramie Rain), a psychopath and sadist, and Fred “Weasel” Podowski (Fred Lincoln) a child molester, peeping tom, and murderer. After the concert, Mari and Phyllis stroll the streets, seeking someone who might sell them marijuana. They find Junior, who leads them back to an apartment, where they are immediately trapped by the criminals. Phyllis tries to escape, then tries to reason with the criminals to let her go, but their captors subdue and rape her. Meanwhile, Mari’s unsuspecting parents prepare a surprise party for her.

The next morning, the girls are locked in a car trunk and taken to the countryside as the gang intends to leave the state. The villains’ vehicle malfunctions right in front of Mari’s house while police are in her home talking to Mari’s parents about her disappearance. Removed from the trunk, Phyllis is beaten as Mari realizes that they are near her own home while she is dragged to the woods. In the woods, the girls are untied and Phyllis is forced to urinate on herself by the gang. Mari and Phyllis are forced to have sex with each other and then Sadie performs oral sex on a weeping Mari. Phyllis runs away to distract the kidnappers and offer Mari an opportunity to escape. She is chased by Sadie and Weasel, while Junior stays behind to guard Mari, who tries to convince Junior that her father can help him, and she gives him her peace symbol necklace as a symbol of her trust. Phyllis manages to hit Sadie in the face with a rock and runs. She is then cornered, and Weasel stabs her in the back. She crawls away and manages to lean against a tree. Phyllis is then stabbed numerous times until Sadie can reach into her wounds and pull out her insides. Krug and Weasel amputate her hand and half of her forearm.

Mari eventually convinces Junior to let her go, but they are immediately halted by Krug. Sadie and Weasel present Phyllis’ severed hand and half forearm and Krug proceeds to carve his name into Mari’s chest. Krug then pulls down Mari’s pants and rapes her. Soon after this act, Mari vomits. At this point, the gang very briefly feel pangs of conscience. Mari quietly says a prayer then walks into a nearby lake. Krug shoots Mari and she floats on the top of the lake. Krug, Sadie, and Weasel wash and change out of their bloody clothes. The parents soon find the necklace and get their bloody revenge on the group.

Buy “Last House on the Left” at Amazon: The Last House on the Left (Unrated Collectors Edition)

3. Martyrs-Anna’s “Rebirth”
“Martyrs” with a young girl, Lucie (Jessie Pham), as she escapes from a disused abattoir where she has been imprisoned and physically abused for a lengthy period of time. No signs of sexual abuse are identified, and the perpetrators and their motivations remain a mystery. Lucie is placed in an orphanage, where she is befriended by a young girl named Anna (Erika Scott). Anna soon discovers that Lucie believes that she is constantly being terrorized by a ghoulish creature; a horrible, disfigured, emaciated woman (Isabelle Chasse) covered in scars.

Fifteen years later, Lucie (Mylène Jampanoï) bursts into a seemingly normal family’s home and kills them all with a shotgun. Lucie calls Anna (Morjana Alaoui) to tell her that she has finally found and killed the people responsible for her childhood abuse and requests her help in burying the bodies. Upon arriving, Anna is horrified at the carnage, and worries that Lucie may have murdered the wrong people. Anna later discovers the mother is still alive and tries to help her escape, but the two are discovered by Lucie, who bludgeons the mother to death. Lucie is again attacked by the scarred creature, but all Anna sees is Lucie banging her head against the wall and cutting herself with a knife; the ‘creature’ is nothing more than a psychological manifestation of Lucie’s guilt for leaving behind another girl who was also imprisoned and tortured with her as a child. Lucie tells the apparition that she killed its tormenters and that it can rest, but it has no effect. Lucie finally realizes that her insanity will never leave her and slits her throat. She dies in Anna’s arms.

The next day, after mourning her friend’s death, Anna attempts to clean up the house and discovers a secret underground chamber. Imprisoned within is a horribly tortured woman, covered in scars with a strange metal contraption nailed to her head. While Anna attempts to care for her and clean her wounds, a group of strangers arrive and shoot the woman dead. Captured by the menacing newcomers, Anna meets their leader, an elderly lady only referred to as Mademoiselle (Catherine Bégin). She explains that she belongs to a secret society seeking to discover the secrets of the afterlife through the creation of “martyrs”. Systematic acts of torture are inflicted upon young women in the belief that their suffering will result in a transcendental insight into the world beyond this one. So far, all of their attempts have failed, and they have only created “victims”.

Buy “Martyrs” at Amazon: Martyrs

4. Cabin Fever-The Virus Spreads
While walking in the woods, a man (Arie Verveen) comes upon a dog he believes to be sleeping. After poking it a few times, he pulls the dog up and notices that its flesh is rotted, spurting blood on him in the process.

Five college friends, Jeff (Joey Kern), Marcy (Cerina Vincent), Paul (Rider Strong), Karen (Jordan Ladd) and Bert (James DeBello), have rented a cabin in the woods. While driving to it they stop at a local convenience store for food. Outside the store, Dennis (Matthew Helms), a mentally handicapped young boy, bites Paul on the hand. At the cabin, Jeff and Marcy have sex and Paul and Karen go swimming in the nearby lake. Bert goes hunting for squirrels in the woods with a BB gun, but accidentally shoots the man who discovered the rotting dog, mistaking him for a squirrel. The man’s face is badly rotted. Scared, Bert shoots at him again to repel him before running back to the cabin. Later, the friends hear a knocking at the door and discover it is the diseased man. Desperate for help, the hermit tries driving away in their car, but vomits blood inside it. After the man exits the car Paul sets the man on fire and he runs into the woods, dying in the lake.

A young deputy, Winston Olsen (Giuseppe Andrews), shows up at the cabin and tells Paul he will call a tow truck. Karen drinks a glass of water from the lake and begins feeling ill. That night she is quarantined in the tool shed once Paul discovers rotten spots on her thighs. Fearing that they will also become infected, the others argue about what they should do. The next day, Bert realizes that he is also infected with the virus, but does not tell the others. When Paul and Marcy insist on helping Karen, Jeff, wanting to avoid becoming infected, runs into the forest with the remaining beer, which is the only reliable drinking source. Bert drives off to find a doctor.

Paul finds Marcy alone in the cabin, lamenting that they will all get sick. Since they’re “gonna be dead soon, anyway,” Marcy seduces Paul and they begin having wild sex. Paul expresses his concern that they are not using a condom, but Marcy half-heartedly assures him that she is healthy and they continue. Paul is not convinced and after they finish, he secretly attempts to disinfect his penis by pouring Listerine over it. Marcy discovers suspicious red hand-shaped marks on her back where Paul had grabbed her in the heat of passion.

Bert drives to the convenience store that the group visited earlier, pleading for a doctor and showing increasing signs of infection. Dennis stares at Bert and begins yelling, “PANCAKES!!” He then grabs Bert’s hand and bites it, infecting himself. His father (Hal Courtney) comes outside, accuses Bert of infecting the boy, and tries to kill him. Bert speeds off and the father grabs two of his friends (Richard Boone and Tim Parati) who arm themselves with rifles before pursuing Bert.

Marcy admonishes Paul for being so rough when they had sex, though seeming to secretly suspect the sores on her back are really a sign she is infected. Paul leaves the cabin to search for Jeff. Soon after, the marks he made on Marcy’s back devolve into scabby wounds, revealing she has long been sick. Paul comes upon the reservoir and finds the infected hermit’s body floating in in. Marcy notices her legs deteriorating as she is shaving them. She runs out of the cabin in horror, only to be killed by a mad dog. When Paul hears Marcy’s screams he returns to the cabin to find Marcy’s body ripped to pieces and the infected dog eating Karen’s face. Paul kills the dog with Bert’s rifle, then kills Karen with a shovel to end her suffering.

Buy “Cabin Fever” at Amazon: Cabin Fever

5. I Spit on Your Grave-Jennifer is Raped and Gets Revenge
New York short story writer Jennifer Hills (Camille Keaton) rents an isolated cottage by a lake in the countryside to write her first novel. The arrival in town of the attractive and independent young woman attracts the attention of Johnny (Eron Tabor), the gas station manager, and Stanley (Anthony Nichols) and Andy (Gunter Kleemann), two unemployed youths who hang around the gas station. Jennifer receives a grocery delivery from Matthew (Richard Pace), who is apparently mildly mentally challenged, and befriends him. Matthew is friends with the other three men and reports back to them about the beautiful woman he met, claiming he saw her breasts.

Stanley and Andy start cruising by the cottage in their speedboat and apparently prowl around the house at night. One day, while Jennifer is relaxing in her canoe, they surprise her in their speedboat and tow her to shore. As she tries to escape, she is met by Johnny, while Matthew hides in bushes nearby. She realizes they planned her abduction so Matthew can lose his virginity. Jennifer fights but is chased by the men through the forest. Matthew refuses to have sex with her, so Johnny rapes her. They allow her to escape but track her down shortly afterward. Andy brutally rapes her anally, and after she crawls back to her house, they attack her again. Matthew finally rapes her after drinking alcohol, but he says that he can not reach orgasm with the other men watching. The other men ridicule her book and rip up the manuscript, and Stanley sexually assaults her. She passes out, but after the men leave, Johnny realizes she is a witness to their crimes and orders Matthew to stab her to death. Matthew cannot bring himself to do this, so dabs the knife in her blood and returns to the other men claiming he has killed her.

In the following days, a traumatized Jennifer pieces both herself and her manuscript back together. She goes to church and asks for forgiveness for what she plans to do. Soon after the men learn Jennifer has survived and beat Matthew up for deceiving them just before Jennifer gets her bloody revenge.

Buy “I Spit on Your Grave” at Amazon: I Spit on Your Grave

On this week’s webcast of Slasher Studios, Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz talked about their favorite female horror movie villians. Girls who were a bad ass bitch and knew how to kill with style. Click on the link below to listen to an archive of the show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2011/10/31/slasher-studios-favorite-female-villians

Here is our final TOP SIX:

1. Mrs. Voorhees
FRIDAY THE 13TH
Pamela Voorhees is killing off camp counselors out of rage because her son Jason, drowned at that same camp in the past. This character is creeps me out the most because this is an old lady who gets the same pleasure out of killing just many of the iconic horror villains such as Jason and Michael Myers. There is an entertaining death match at the end between Alice and Mrs. Voorhhes and I’m always right there rooting for alice to kill her off. Betsy Palmer plays a really good creepy lady and with her facial expressions and the way she speaks everything comes together for this characrer. Palmer really pulled it off well, although I do feel she wasnt really acting most of the time.

2. Mrs. Loomis
SCREAM 2
So, we had the brilliant origianl SCREAM where we see Billy Loomis is killed off at the end. Then, along comes the sequel and I have to say, overall this film is just as good, if not better. Once again we have two killers, one of whom is Mrs. Loomis, played by Laurie Metcalf. First of all, I have to say that I love Laurie Metcalf. I think she is a great actor, I think she is funny, and I may be dating myself, but I loved her in rosseane and of course she did a fantastic job as the voice of Andy’s mom in the TOY STORY movies. Maybe it’s because I like her so much as an actor, but I absolutely loved her character in SCREAM 2. We meet her first as Debbie Salt. She is basically trying to portray her self as someone else, in this case a reporter, so nobaody knows who she really is. Later, at the end of the film, we find out that she was actully not Debbie Salt, but she is indeed Billy’s mother, Mrs. Loomis. Much like Jason’s mom, she is trying to get revenge for her sons death and like Mrs. Voorhees, she has the motivation to do it. She gets super creepy and some may say a bit over the top at the end, but I myself happen to love her at that point. Throughout the film, even as Debbie Salt, you can tell something just might not be right with her.

3. Angela
SLEEPAWAY CAMP
OK, so talk about weird and creepy. At the start of the film, there was a tragic accident involving a brother and sister. We are lead to believe that the sister was the only one to survive. From there, we follow her story a few years later as she attends a summer camp and sooner than later, certain people within the camp are being killed off. At the end, we find out in a very shocking way that shy little Angela was actully the killer, but not only was she the killer, she was not even a she! Angela was the brother the entire time. Im not going to go into the visuals of how we find out, but without this crazy ending, this film would not be remembered like has been.

4. Creedence
TROLL 2
Hopefully most of you have seen TROLL 2 because it is quite entertaining and on a side note, I also really, really recomend watching the documentry about this film, BEST WORST MOVIE. Anyways, whether you have seen this film or not, you should know that it has been considered one of the worst films ever. It has bad acting and a really wierd story with wierd characters and when speeking of wierd characters, you have to talk about Creedence. She is the queen of the goblins and has super dry lips and her acting is so over the top and crazy…but it works. She is pretty entertaining and I know it’s not saying much, but she’s probaly the best actor in the film.

5. Sylvia Ganush
DRAG ME TO HELL
Sylvia is not your run of the mill horror villian that kills a mass amount of people and chops them up and all that good stuff, but she is indeed an evil little old lady. She goes to her bank in hopes of recieving and extension on her home loan. Our main character, Christine, denies the extention and Sylvia freaks out. Security has to escort her out of the bank and later she ends up attacking Christine in a parking garage and places a curse on her. I really liked this attack scene as i thought it plays out really well and it was edited together nicely and has some funny moments.

6. Jill
SCREAM 4
Jill is the young teenage cousin of Sidney Prescott. We meet her as a very innocent, girl next door type. Having Emma Roberts play Jill was a great casting decision because she really does have that natural innocent look. I also feel that having Jill be one of the killers was a great writing decision. Personally I never expected her to be involved. Jill saw how Sidney had become famous in her own right and wanted that all for herself. I think her motivation to kill was very interesting and she made it believable. She really gets super crazy at the end and makes you think back to Mrs. Loomis.

This week on Slasher Studios Webcast Kevin Sommerfield and special guest co-host Joshua Schuh went over their favorite horror movies of the last decade. Movies that set the tone for modern day horror and gave the horror audience something special and unforgettable. Make sure to listen to click on the link below to find out what made the cut.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2011/10/25/slasher-studios-best-opening-scenes

Below is the Slasher Studios “official” top 7 list:

1.Trick ‘r Treat – 2007
Director: Michael Dougherty
Michael Dougherty gives us four different stories that all woven together in this horror masterpiece. Taking place on Halloween, we are introduced to a number of characters with various ages and backgrounds. As this anthology progresses, we learn that what happens in the past can still come back to haunt you. The greatest treat that horror fans were given was the character of Sam. This pint sized killer is here to protect Halloween and and stop anyone from breaking the rules of his night. Sam is by far the most memorable and creative horror characters to be created in years.

2.Halloween – 2007 / Halloween II – 2009
Director: Rob Zombie
I decided to group these two films together because you can’t really speak about one without mentioning the other. With both of these Rob Zombie films, we are given not only a compelling new look at the iconic Michael Myers, but we are also given films with beautiful cinematography and score, top-notch acting and high production value. Not only is the audience given a little more story into the life of the young Michael Myers, but Danielle Harris also makes a much needed return to franchise. Many people have strong negative feelings about these films, but one thing is certain, a directors job is to evoke emotion from its audience and that is exaclty what Rob Zombie has done.

3.House of the Devil – 2009
Director: Ti West
On first viewing The House of the Devil, I thought it was wonderfully retro and one of the best of the recent horror films. After multiple viewings, I’ve decided that this is one of the best horror movies ever made. It just has everything that makes the horror genre wonderful. House of the Devil is not just a nostalgia piece for director Ti West, one of the best horror directors working today, this is how horror movies SHOULD be made.

4.Drag Me To Hell – 2009
Director: Sam Raimi
We follow the story of Christine Brown, a young loan officer who denies and elderly woman an extention on her home loan. The old lady is none to happy about this decision and thus places a curse on Christine. The old woman is just the right amount of creepy and adds a few laughs to the mix as well. Raimi gave his viewers a horror flick with just the right amount of comedy and was able to show off some fancy camera work and still produce a fun story to follow.

5.Paranormal Activity – 2007
Director: Oren Peli
In this “found footage” film, strange happenings begin to take over the residence of a young California couple. As the record what happens as they sleep the audio and video footage becomes more and more disturbing. Will they be able to figure out a way to ward off this demon who haunts their home or will they become easy pray? With the over-abundance of “found footage” films do to the ease of production, this was a pleasant surprise. Only two films have ever made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and this is one of them.

6.Saw – 2004
Director: James Wan
So, first off, I have to say that I’m not the biggest fan of the Saw series and in fact, I really can’t stand most of the installments. But, there is no denying the impact that the first Saw has had in the industry. With R-rated horror slowly and sadly dying, Saw at least tried to help make a resurgence of the genre. The filmmakers had a very distinct vision of what they wanted to create and they did just that. They were able to create not only a new horror villain that is know the world over, but they were able to create a film that found it’s own niche and spawned off multiple sequels. For that, I must give credit where credit is due.

Remakes. It’s a dreaded word in the horror community. Why, you ask? Because most horror remakes suck. “The Amityville Horror”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “The Fog”, “Friday the 13th” , even the best of these horror remakes have been lackluster to say the least. On this week’s webcast of Slasher Studios, we talked about horror movies that we think SHOULD be remake. Whether it was a problem with the script, the direction, the acting, or something else wrong with the production, the following are movies that have the potential to be great. They just didn’t quite work the first time around. For those of you who missed the show, click on the link below to listen to Kevin Sommerfield and special guest Joshua Schuh discuss their list.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2011/07/21/slasher-studios-horror-movies-that-should-be-remade

The Official Slasher Studios Top Five:

5. “The Slumber Party Massacre”
Probably the best known of the popular “girls have a sleepover and get murdered one-by-one” subgenre of horror movies. “Slumber Party Massacre” is fun, a little bit cheesy, and quite outdated. The film moves at a snail’s pace throughout the first half and when the killer is reveled, he isn’t exactly frightening. This is a prime example of ripe 80’s cheese. It is fun for what it is but imagine a “Massacre” that was actually scary!?!

4. “The Burning”
A fun “Friday the 13th” rip-off that has some great death scenes and a memorable villain (Crospey has been and will always be freaky as hell. The problem with “The Burning”? Too many damn characters. So many characters in fact that none of them really leave an impression so that you don’t care who lives and who dies. This is a fun movie, don’t get me wrong, but I always thought that it could be a better movie than what it is.

3. “Sleepaway Camp”
Everyone remembers the ending of the film. Nearly no one remembers just how bad the rest of the film is. Like the other movies on this list, this is a great example of 80’s camp. It is so over-the-top, so loony, so terribly acted (the Aunt is a hoot), that it is seen more as a comedy than as a compelling horror movie. The ending is creepy as hell but imagine if something more was done with it. It gives me chills just thinking about it and if the rest of the film had been as compelling, it would probably be remembered as one of the best horror movies ever made.

2. “Happy Birthday to Me”
Another slasher in the string of holiday 80’s horror movies, “Happy Birthday to Me” is better than the majority of the pack. The acting is actually quite good, the murders are incredibly well staged, and the twist ending is pretty damn clever. Still at 110 minutes, the film is grossly overlong. At least 15 minutes could have been cut (especially the boring flashback sequences that add little to the story) and no one would have cared. The is probably the best made movie on the list and I think that a remake would be/could be fantastic.

1. “Slaughter High”
Probably the goofiest movie on the list. This movie takes the revenge aspect to a whole new level but adding on some of the worst acting you’ve ever seen, a lead “teen” who is at least two decades too old for her part, and a twist ending that makes no sense whatsoever. Still, the central story is quite strong and the deaths are well handled. “Slaughter High” will never be a “good” movie but a remake could be a hell of a lot of fun.