Scream Queen Jaime King Hacks Up Lead in “Silent Night” Remake

Slasher Studios*Horror

Director Steven C. Miller’s upcoming remake of the Charles E. Sellier, Jr. Christmas slasher classic “Silent Night, Deadly Night” looks as if they have cast their victim as Bloody Disgusting reports that scream queen Jaime King is attached to star in the film.

This will be King’s third horror remake in a row after starring in the ultra gory “My Bloody Valentine 3D” and the underrated and still unreleased “Mother’s Day”. Will she be able to survive a killer Santa Claus? Only time will tell…

King joins the previously cast Malcolm McDowell (Rob Zombie’s Halloween & H2) in Anchor Bay’s remake.

The plot:
“The story follows a local police department’s search for the killer Santa Claus terrorizing a remote Midwestern town on Christmas Eve. McDowell will play Sheriff Cooper, a small-town hero ready for some big-time action.”

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Thrills, Chills and Guitar Drills: “Slumber Party Massacre II” Review

Slasher StudiosSlumber Party Massacre II

Back in the year 2000 or 2001, not sure which, I rented both SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE and it’s sequel for the first time. I was extremely excited, but especially for part 2, because the coverart featured a character from GREASE with an awesome guitar with a drill attached. I was not disappointed.

SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE II pretty much has everything I love about film going for it. Or more specifically, it has everything I love about ultra-cheesy late 80’s B-movies. The film starts off with Courtney (Crystal Bernard) who survived the original massacre along with her now institutionalized sister and Trish, who probably never threw a slumber party again after that night. She has nightmares about what happened five years ago and about a 50’s greaser with a guitar-drill targeting her and her sister. Thankfully, she has a form of escapism with her all-girl rock band who all gather at a condo for an all-weekend slumber party (I think I just overused the word “all”)! Unfortunately, her nightmares only get worse and worse until the 50’s greaser driller-killer crosses over into reality.

SPMII is just pure fun, I watch it whenever I need to completely forget about the real world for an hour and twenty minutes. The cast is actually very talented with the beautiful Crystal Bernard competently carrying the film as the sweet, innocent and tortured Courtney. Juliette Cummins, Kimberly McArthur and Heidi Kozak are also joys to watch as her friends. Juliette is kind of an obscured scream queen, having also starred in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART V and PSYCHO III, always playing a fun party-girl type. Heidi is lovably ditzy and her short perfomance of “Pie in the Sky” always gets a good laugh out of me, as does her famous zit scene. Joel Hoffman, Scott Westmoreland and Patrick Lowe also do good as the guys. However, the real show-stealer is Atanis Ilitch as The Driller Killer, who is one of the greatest B-movie villains of all time and has so much fun in the role slicing and dicing Courtney’s friends and doing a little song and dance in between. I wish I could see him in more films, but if this was the only film I’d ever done, I guess I’d be satisfied. Special mention to Jennifer Rhodes, a favorite of mine who plays Courtney’s worried mother.

Besides the great cast, we have a great director behind the camera who puts a lot of energy into the film as well as a fun and cheesy soundtrack. Besides the Driller Killer’s tunes and Hell’s Cafe, I love those Wednesday Week songs, I think we can all agree that 80’s girl bands are awesome. All of these ingredients come together to make a film that no one can really say is great or top 250 on imdb material, but it’s just a fun way to forget your problems and just enjoy a crazy 80’s teen horror/musical film.

–Brian Tyler

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It’s Not What You Think It Is: “Cabin in the Woods” Review

Slasher StudiosCabin in the Woods

I went into “Cabin in the Woods” with zero expectations. I tried to stay as far away from the hype machine as possible. I avoided all trailers and tv spots, I didn’t read a single review, and I didn’t watch a single interview with any of the cast or crew. I wanted this movie going experience to be as “pure” as possible. All I knew going in was that it was written by Joss Whedon (creator of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and it featured a college aged cast trapped in a cabin…in the woods. Seriously, that’s all I knew going into the film. I didn’t want to know the twists and the turns. I know what expectations can do to a person and I know especially what it can do to a horror fan. So into the movie I went with a clear head ready for a new tale of terror. Let the carnage begin!

“Cabin in the Woods” begins with five college students driving out for a vacation to a remote cabin in the woods. Among the group we have the beautiful and slightly “impure” Dana (Kristen Connolly) along with her attractive hunky jock boyfriend Curt (Chris Hemsworth). We have the plain but pretty Jules (Anna Hutchison) who is being set up for a date with book smart boy-next-door Holden (Jesse Williams). Along as the fifth wheel is the punchline stoner Marty (Fran Kranz). That’s all I’m going to tell you. Giving away what happens before or after this event will most likely hinder your enjoyment of the movie. All I can say is that some will die, some may live, and there is plenty of blood to be sprayed all around.

If there is one thing that has to be said for “Cabin in the Woods” it is that it has a ton of ambition. Far more so than any other horror movie I’ve seen in years. The “twist” (which I refuse to give away even though many, many trailers and reviews have) is very clever and ingenious in concept. Like other “meta” horror movies, I enjoyed the references “Cabin in the Woods” made to past horror movies (particularly those in the slasher genre). However, that is where my love for the movie both began and ended. I thought this movie was a bit of a mess with no real follow through and an ending that was just lazy screenwriting. I appreciated the concept behind this movie (which, again, I don’t want to give too much away so I am being deliberately vague) but found the execution lacking. I also hated pretty much all of the characters and the “comic” relief felt flat to me. I couldn’t wait for the “stoner” character to die and the less said about that, the better.

I can understand and appreciate why people love this horror movie. It’s something different. It isn’t PG-13 and it isn’t a remake. Nonetheless, I was left quite cold. This film attempts to be a clever horror-comedy packed with meta self awareness. Clever it is. Funny or scary? Not so much. This film is being billed as “Scream” for the next generation. That it is not. “Scream”, for all its meta self awareness was both scary and funny as hell. Everything and everyone associated with this picture appear to either be trying far too hard or not enough, I’m not exactly sure which. I know I am in the minority here so if you have a desire to see this film by all means go out there and enjoy the hell out of it. I wanted to and didn’t. I appreciate it when any horror movie gets recognition and acclaim. I love to see horror movies that make people fall in love with genre again. If I didn’t fall in love with this one, that shouldn’t stop you.

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Slasher Movie Posters: “The Slumber Party Massacre” Trilogy

Slasher Studios*Slasher Movie Posters

To celebrate Slasher Studios Horror Film Club’s selection of the week, we are taking a moment to look at the posters of the “Slumber Party Massacre” series. What do these posters have in common? Well, let’s see…first of all, if you bought these movies based on the hot girls on the cover, you are out of luck. For the most part, they don’t appear in the films. Sorry horny horror fans. But you gotta love Roger Corman for having the balls to do something like that. These are all enjoyable in their own way but I sort of wished that there had been a little more variety here. Anyway, enjoy the hot girls and the slasher goodness.

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“Teddy” Director Steve Goltz Takes on Chicago Fear Fest

Slasher Studios*Chicago Fear Fest

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you TEDDY.”
As I heard these words announced before the first ever big screen showing of TEDDY, it felt like my heart started beating a million times a second. Would the audience laugh at the right times? Would they believe the deaths? Would they be entertained? Well, sitting in the back row of the theater and taking in the audience reaction, I can honestly say the answers to those questions were: YES, YES & YES!

The overwhelming support and kind words from the fans and the crew of the festival was something I was not expecting. It seemed like every time we walked down the halls of the theater, somebody was coming up to us asking, “Are you the TEDDY guys?” The fans and filmmakers alike loved our little film and couldn’t get enough. It was amazing to hear from so many people who we had never met, that they enthusiastically enjoyed this film. Everyone at this event was so kind and outright happy for eachother and their work. It was so refreshing to be around people who all have not only a common goal, but a common hobby and love for the genre. Such a great way to kick off the weekend.

The overall festival experience was beyond what I could have asked for. The films were of high quality and the entire fest ran very smoothly. A few kinks here and there, but that is to be expected at any film fest. Making it to the HATCHET 2 and HOLLISTON screenings was a lot of fun. Adam Green and Joe Lynch made numerous appearances and mingled with the fans and fellow filmmakers during the after parties. They came with lots of advice and many laughs to help make this weekend even more memorable. Plus, the fact the fact that they were both so down to earth and relatable was a great inspiration to all who attended.

The theater itself was perfect. It was very clean and hands down the biggest and nicest theater I have ever been in. The screens were picture perfect to match the crisp sound and the chairs were the most comfortable this filmmaker has ever sat in. The staff with the theater and the festival were so incredibly nice and willing to help with any qeustion or concern that came up.

So, cheers to the Chicago Fear Fest and a huge thanks to everyone that took the time to come up to us and express their love of the Slasher Studios short, TEDDY! I have the festival itch and can not wait to go to the next. As for Chicago, I’ll see you next year!

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TEDDY Hits the Windy City: Reflections on Chicago Fear Fest

Slasher Studios*Chicago Fear Fest

Going into Chicago Fear Fest, I had no idea what to expect. This was my first horror film festival and my nerves were shot. In the fact this was also my first horror film festival as a filmmaker. Our film TEDDY was to be screened at 4:30 on Friday the 13th in theater 13. This all had to be a good sign, right? I mean, it’s a horror movie playing in screen 13 on Friday the 13th?!?! How amazing is that?!?! We got to the Muvico Theater ahead of time to get our badges and gift bags. The gift bags from Fearnet were something that I was not expecting. Not only were they screening our movie on the big screen but they were giving us free gifts! I felt like a small town celebrity and it felt seriously great.

When we got to the theater we were scared to see an empty theater. Thankfully there were about a dozen people in the theater ready for the show to begin. Mind you, this was nearly an HOUR before the movie was to begin. These people in the theater were waiting for OUR movie! It felt surreal in the very best way possible. Words simply cannot describe how I felt. We sat in our seats and waited patiently for our movie to start. 4:30 comes around and our movie begins, there are now about 20 people in the theater. Not exactly the best turn out but I sure as hell didn’t care. I was seeing our movie on the big screen and seeing it with even one other person would have been fine with me.

Well, we get less than a minute into our short when the movie stops. “Oh no!” I thought to myself, this is not a good sign. They spent a few minutes figuring out the “technical difficulties” and during this time at least two dozen extra people walked in to find their seats. It was like a miracle! We doubled our audience through a mere “problem” that was out of our control and the film started up flawlessly. The audience laughed at all of the parts that have always worked and at a few new places, cringed during the deaths, and seemed to be having the time of their lives. The credits rolled and we received a tremendously applause. It couldn’t have gone better if we asked.

Throughout the next two days we tried to catch as many movies as possible. Many were quite excellent. I especially enjoyed Patrick Rea’s “Nailbiter”, a well acted, tense study of a family trapped in a cellar during a storm. Also quite good was “The Keeper”, a beautifully shot supernatural tale of payback. All in all, I enjoyed all of the films to one extent or another and just had a blast watching other filmmakers work their magic with the genre they love so much.

Of course, I MUST mention the highlight of the entire experience, Adam Green (Hatchet, Frozen) and Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2). Never in my entire life have I witnessed two more down-to-earth horror celebrities talking about how much they love the genre. Being able to watch Hatchet 2 as well as their hit new Fearnet show “Holliston” on the big screen was just icing on the already perfect cake. They gave me some pointers, some laughs, and were just incredibly sincere. Loved those guys!

The night ended with the after party in which we mingled with other filmmakers and horror fans. We were shocked at the response to “Teddy.” All night long people were telling us how much fun they had with the movie and how much they would love to see the short made into a feature. Meeting other filmmakers who loved and appreciated our homage to the slashers of the 1980s was just an absolute thrill. There wasn’t a single negative response and we gave out screeners like they were hotcakes. It was seriously insane. This little tiny slasher that took two years to make and was banned on an entire campus was being enbraced with open arms. Thank you everyone who attended the Chicago Fear Fest for making this weekend one of the best in the entire life.

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Delta Delta Deadly: Justin Russell’s “The Sleeper” Review

Slasher StudiosSleeper (2012)

I went into The Sleeper not knowing very much. I knew it was an 80’s homage film that was shot independently in Ohio. I bought “The Sleeper” two weeks after it was released on dvd.

It’s 1981 and the girls of Alpha Gamma Theta sorority are having a party, but an unexpected guest is watching the girls every move. Making phone calls to the house, peering through windows, walking around the house, to even sneaking in. This movie definitely pays tribute to the original Black Christmas, John Carpenter’s Halloween, Prom Night (dance scene in “The Sleeper” = AWESOME), and The House On Sorority Row. I loved this movie!

The director, Justin Russell captured everything that was perfect about 80’s horror. I knew exactly what Justin was trying to accomplish the minute the film started. It is very obvious that he is a HUGE fan of the genre and it shows. Everything from the opening score, the look, atmosphere, and of course a nice body count. Congratulations for succeeding Justin.

The acting in “The Sleeper”, I would say is top notch. Mr. Russell did a great job on the casting. All of the girls are likable in their own personal way. Our lead, Amy (Brittany Belland) does a great job. She is very pure and we want to see her survive in the end.

The killer aka “The Sleeper” (Jason Jay Crabtree) looks and acts the part. He reminds me of the killer’s from He Knows You’re Alone, and The Slumber Party Massacre. Like both of those killers, he gives the wide-eyed looks, creepy voice, and his overall body language and movements. Mr. Crabtree knocked it out of the park with a home run!

I personally can’t wait to see what Justin Russell comes up with next. Death Stop Holocaust which he made before “The Sleeper” is also available now on dvd. I am a huge fan of Mr. Russell’s work already. I recently had the opportunity to speak to Justin on the phone. He is a
great person, friend, and filmmaker. Keep on doing what you’re doing Justin!

Check out “THE SLEEPER” tonight! Highly recommended!

To order “The Sleeper”: The Sleeper

—Douglas D. Conner

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Slasher Studios Horror Webcast: Chicago Fear Fest

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Podcast

This week on the Slasher Studios Horror Webcast we will be talking all about the Chicago Fear Fest and Teddy. Want to know what everyone thought of Teddy? What were Adam Green (Hatchet) and Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn 2) like? How were the other short films? What were some of the crazy things that happened in the windy city? Well, to find out answers to these questions and a whole lot more, listen in to our show tonight at 10PM central. It’s sure to be a hell of a good show and we have some brand new “beary scary” news to share with you!!! To listen in live, click on the link below and the show will start at 10PM central. Did you miss the show or one of our past shows? That’s okay, you can listen to an archive through the link below as well.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2012/04/16/slasher-studios-horror-webcast-chicago-fear-fest

Did you watch Teddy and love it? Make sure to pick up your autographed copy today!

To order Teddy:


Teddy DVD




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80’s Slasher Throwback: “Don’t Go in the Woods..Alone” Review

Slasher Studios*80's Slasher Throwback

I have been a HUGE fan of “Don’t Go In The Woods…Alone” since I was thirteen years old. I first rented a tarnished VHS copy from my local video store. Being a fan of low budget, independent horror films, I fell in love with this movie immediately. Just a heads up, if you can’t handle a low budget movie with bad acting, and no real storyline, then this movie isn’t for you.

The plot is about four campers that enter the woods and soon discover they have invaded a madman’s territory. Sound familiar? Although there are only the four main campers, about every 8 to 10 minutes a random new camper will appear just to add to the films body count.

This movie truly contains more cheese than the entire state of Wisconsin. This no-budget b-flick is so cheesy it should have been sold with a bonus box of saltine crackers. The soundtrack is indescribable. I have no clue how they made some of those sounds, and sometimes the music plays at odd times when nothing is really happening.

The acting in “Don’t Go In The Woods…Alone” well…I recall one actress that spoke these lines: “I can’t believe my eyes! It’s over.” She utters these lines as if she is asking for a cup of tea, not as though in relief that the nightmare she has just endured is now over. Also how can we not
forget the characters “Dick” and his wife “Cherry?” When I first watched this, I literally thought Cherry was played by a guy. I was wrong. The dialogue between these two is so horrendous, you honestly have to stop and think for a minute, what was James Bryan thinking?

Don’t expect the production values of even a “Friday the 13th” film. Don’t expect any production values at all. Believe it or not this film has generated a fan base. This is definitely one of those films I can say “It’s so bad, it’s good!” I own the 25th anniversary edition dvd that Code Red put out in 2006. I also have the original 27 x 40 movie poster hanging proudly on my wall.

Bottom line, this movie is a lot of fun. It has some really good gore scenes too. The acting is horrendous, but in the end it all seems to work.

Check out “DON’T GO IN THE WOODS…ALONE” tonight! Recommended!

–Douglas D. Conner

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Playing Favorites: Ranking the “Friday the 13th” Films

Slasher Studios*Picking Favorites

In honor of Jason’s special birthday tomorrow, the crew here at Slasher Studios have decided to put together a little treat for you slasher fans. The following are the original eight “Friday the 13th” films (if you ask us, Jason was killed in Manhattan..none of that body swapping or space shit). I know this ranking is going to piss off a LOT of people, especially with how low I ranked one of the “favorite” sequels. So, which “Friday the 13th” movie is your favorite? What is your official ranking? The following ranking is from best to worst…

“Friday the 13th Part 2”
“Friday the 13th Part 2” is the kind of sequel that takes a lot of chances and most of them work. The film is well paced, well acted (big props to Amy Steel who does an incredible job as Ginny), and the deaths are effectively gruesome. Also, for what its worth, I’ll take potato head Jason over hockey mask Jason any day. This is a fun sequel that doesn’t exactly advance the series (the godawful Part 3 actually does more to define Jason than this one does) but doesn’t destroy its legacy either. The characters aren’t particularly memorable but they aren’t particularly annoying either. This is really the last point in the series were you actually still feel some affection for the characters. They aren’t quite stereotypes…yet. Furthermore, it contains the two best “jump scares” of the series and the ending is pretty damn scary. Sure the middle act drags a bit but don’t let that stop you, “Part 2” is a fine slasher film that does the series proud.

“Friday the 13th”
Looking at Friday the 13th, it is not hard not to see why the criticisms were made. The film is poorly acted, poorly directed on a minimal budget with a core story that, at best, rips off the Halloween franchise frame by frame. However, this would be avoiding the very essence of why these horror films are so popular. People don’t go to Friday the 13th expecting a great, cinematic movie going experience; they are going to Friday the 13th to have fun. It can be argued that films like Friday the 13th are escapist entertainment at their very best. There is nothing fundamentally great about these films but that’s really the point. They are fun, they are scary (if, by today’s standards, cheesy and tame), and they are very entertaining.

“Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood”
“The New Blood” is everything that a “Friday the 13th” sequel should be. It has some creative deaths (gotta love that sleeping bag death) and a meaner than ever Jason played by the great Kane Hodder. The reason why it really works though? It’s fucking Jason meets Carrie with a tour-de-force performance by Lar Park Lincoln as Tina. This movie just works from beginning (a six movie montage narrated by Crazy Ralph, yes please!) to end (the final showdown between Tina and Jason is the most suspenseful the series has been since Part 2). It’s just a damn fun movie. I still wish it hadn’t been raped by the MPAA (all of the death scenes are cut) and if the final reveal (Tina’s dad) wasn’t as lame. Still a damn good sequel.

“Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives”
“Jason Lives” is a very strange entry into the “Friday the 13th” saga. There is hardly any blood, no nudity “Friday the 13th” first?) and the film plays the deaths more for laughs than it does for scares. The film works because it realizes that Jason is no longer scary, so why not just make fun of the whole situation? It is the first Friday movie to even get a little “meta”. Example, before the caretaker is about to die he has a heart to heart with his liquor bottle, “Darling, you’re going to be the death of me. But what a lovely way to go, huh?” Of course, he tosses the bottle behind him and Jason catches it and stabs him with it. The humor doesn’t always work (the paintball scene is painful to watch) but effort is appreciated. As it stands, it’s definitely one of the better entries in the series.

“Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning”
Pseudo Jason isn’t usually one of the favorites among fans but I actually kind of like this installment. In fact there are two characters that save “A New Beginning” from being utter trash. Those two characters are the punk pop princess Violet who does a killer robot dance to “His Eyes” by Pseudo Echo that is pretty damn amazing. The other is a white trash princess named Ethel that spews out more profanity than any other character in Friday the 13th history. This film is almost worth watching for these two alone. As it stands, the film isn’t bad but not particularly good. It’s like the cheeseburger you eat after a long night of drinking. It fills your stomach and gets the job done but you might regret it in the morning….

“Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan”
Very little about “Jason Takes Manhattan” works. First of all, for a movie called “Jason Takes Manhattan”, very little of it actually takes place in New York. Three quarters of this damn movie takes place on a cruise ship. Cruise ships just are not that scary and they definitely aren’t scary here. Even Jason himself seems to be going through the motions. What’s equally depressing is how much this movie takes pains to rip off the more popular “Elm Street” series. Do we really need the supernatural Jason appearing in visions to Rennie? Or the “little boy” that Jason becomes at the end? It’s all rather silly. Also, at over 100 minutes, it’s grossly overlong. This is just a bland effort all around with little to recommend it. This used to be one of my favorite entries as a child but time has not served it well. Jason is finally killed by toxic waste. Yawn.

“Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter”
I know that there is a lot of love out there for “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter”. I have talked to many a horror fan that feel as though this sequel is the best sequel of the Friday series. They love the effects, the love the “killing” of Jason, and they love Crispin Glover. Well, I must be honest and say that this love is not at all shared by me. Marginally better than the 3rd film in the series, I just don’t understand the passion for this film. Maybe someone out there can enlighten me? I’d LOVE to know. Honestly.

let me just say that filmmakers, when in doubt, NEVER have a child to be your lead character/hero. It almost never works and the child in doubt is usually obnoxious and painfully annoying (case in point here). Adding insult to injury, there isn’t even a strong final girl here. Jason is killed by a little boy?!!? C’mon…this is just lame. If anything saves this film, it is the competent direction and stylish killings. Everything else is ho hum.

“Friday the 13th 3D”
I really can’t say how much I dislike this movie. The 3D effects are lame, the characters are painfully bland, and the movie drags on and on and on. After the opening kill it is seriously at least a half an hour until the next death. You have the annoying fat kid, a group of bikers?!?!, and one of the most annoying final girls in Friday history. Yet somehow I still find some charm with this film. Maybe it is the fact that this is the only Friday shot in 2.35:1 widescreen (effects aside, the film looks great) or maybe its just all the cheesy goodness. I cannot in good faith recommend this film but it still isn’t the worst of the series.

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