“Teddy” Claws Up the Big Screen This Friday at the Chicago Fear Fest

Slasher Studios*Teddy

ATTENTION SLASHER FANS:
This coming Friday the 13th, Slasher Studios is heading to the windy city for the big screen debut of TEDDY. As an officail selection of the Chicago Fear Fest, TEDDY is ready to wow the audience opening night and fingers are crossed for what the award ceremony has in store for us. With countless positive reviews and an ever growing fan base, we at Slasher Studios can’t “bear” the wait as we get ready for the festival.

If you have a free weekend and are able to make the trip to northern Illinois, we strongly urge you to do so. A film festival is an amazing way to see exciting new work from up and coming filmakers, meet new people and have fun at the nightly parties.

So, join us in Chicago if you can and be the first to see TEDDY on the big screen. TEDDY will be shown at 4:30pm on Friday in the main theater. We will be there with free DVDs and are looking forward to meeting our fans!

For all the festival info, please visit: http://chicagofearfest.com/

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Slasher Studios Webcast: Best Horror Movie Scores

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Podcast

Join Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz each week on Sunday at 10PM as they discuss the world of Slasher Films. On this week’s episode, Kevin and Steve went over their favorite horror movie scores. The scores that made them scared to turn off the lights and added an entirely new dimension to terror. Did you miss the show? Not a problem! Click on the link below to listen to an archive of the show. Most importantly, we want to know what your favorite horror movie scores are!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2012/04/09/slasher-studios-horror-webcast-best-horror-scores

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It’s “Only” a Movie: “Last House on the Left” (1972) Review

Slasher StudiosLast House on the Left

Wes Craven’s original masterpiece “Last House on the Left” is probably one of the hardest movies that I have ever had to review. Let me warn you first and foremost, those expecting a teenybopper horror flick like “Scream” are going to be in for a surprise. Ninety minutes of pure terror, “Last House on the Left” takes no prisoners and remains today just as powerful as it did when it was first released nearly forty years ago.

I feel like, by now, everyone knows the story. Mari Collingwood (Sandra Cassel) plans to celebrate her 17th birthday by attending a concert with her friend, Phyllis Stone (Lucy Grantham). On their way to the concern, 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 and murderer. Before 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 to no avail.

The next morning, the girls are locked in a car trunk and taken to the countryside as the gang intends to leave the state. Their car breaks down right in front of Mari’s house while police are in her home talking to Mari’s parents about her disappearance in a chillingly surreal scene. Phyllis is beaten as Mari realizes that they are near her own home while she is dragged to the woods. The girls are untied and Phyllis is forced to urinate on herself by the gang. 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 she bleeds to death.

Mari eventually convinces Junior to let her go, but they are immediately halted by Krug. Krug then pulls down Mari’s pants and rapes her. The rape lacks barely a minute but feels like eternity as Craven isn’t afraid to show the depravity of the disgusting act. Mari quietly says a prayer then walks into a nearby lake. Krug shoots Mari and she floats on the top of the lake.

After cleaning up, the gang go to the Collingwoods’ home, masquerading as traveling salesmen. Mari’s parents agree to let them stay overnight. Junior exposes their identity when Mari’s mother, Estelle, sees Mari’s peace symbol necklace dangling around his neck. The parents then decide to get revenge. In the end, who is the victim and who is the villain? Sometimes these lines bleed into each other. In the best horror movies, they become one.

Extremely graphic and brutally raw would still be downplaying how disturbing this is. The entire film is shot and filmed with a dark, dreary look that perfectly fits the sick tone of the movie. It’s raw and powerful but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Let’s just say, they don’t make movies like this anymore. It really is too bad because this film is as much a masterpieces as it ever has been.

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Slasher Studios Presents: “Don’t Go to the Reunion”

Slasher Studios*Don't Go to the Reunion

Our first ever Slasher Studios feature film. “Don’t Go to the Reunion” is an homage to some of our favorite revenge slashers of the 1980’s. Do you love “Slaughter High”, “Terror Train”, “Happy Birthday to Me”, and “Prom Night”? Good, because we do too and we plan to play homage to all of them. Our story centers around a horror-loving misfit named Scott who is teased and tormented by the popular students in school. When the popular kids play a prank on him, he feels as though his life is ruined. Ten years later, the gang is back for the class reunion. Little do they know that someone is waiting for them. Is Scott back for revenge? Will they survive the night to find out?

The “Don’t Go to the Reunion” final draft is now complete. We start pre-production soon with an October 2013 release date.

Interested in ordering one of our teaser posters? They are for sale for only $10 each or $18 for both in glossy 8 x 10 prints with free shipping. Make sure to make your option below if you want poster #1 or poster #2.


Don’t Go to the Reunion Posters




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Pure Carnage Candy: “Laid to Rest” Review

Slasher StudiosLaid to Rest

A young lady wakes up in a casket. Once free from said casket, she realizes that she’s being relentlessly pursued by a hi-tech killer dressed in all black with a chrome skull covering his face. And that’s the story of Laid to Rest, in basic terms. Afterward, the movie plays out as a 90-minute chase scene, and I was fully okay with that.

Our heroine has a head injury so painful that a rotgut whisky hangover would be pussy in comparison, and she’s suffering from intense memory loss because of this trauma. When she makes it out of the casket in the beginning, she doesn’t even know what the hell a casket is. She’s in the middle of a funeral room floor, but she doesn’t know what a funeral home is, either. She doesn’t even know who SHE is. The only thing the young lady knows is that she needs to run. Since we do not know who she is, I will address her as ‘No Name Lady’ for the remainder of this review.

There’s not much info given about the killer, other than he doesn’t speak and likes to film his acts of murderous mayhem. But we do know with utmost certainty that ChromeSkull is hellbent on killing the female lead, and if anyone gets in the way, they are committing suicide. I actually enjoy a movie every once in a while that gives little rhyme or reason, and just jumps right into the lunacy. That’s exactly the case here; as soon as our killer appears on screen, he is in the midst of ripping people apart.

The acting is… pretty awful. No Name Lady’s (played by Bobbi Sue Luther, Night of the Demons reboot) main saving grace is that she’s smokin’ hot, and that’s really why a lot of viewers will want her to survive. Kevin Gage (May) gives the best performance as Tucker, a town local that picks ‘No Memory Lady’ up on the side of the road. He doesn’t do anything really groundbreaking here, but he goes through enough rotten shit for you to feel bad for him. Sean Whalen (People Under the Stairs) joins in too, as Steve, a man who’s Mother has recently been claimed by the Grim Reaper. After helping ‘No Memory Lady’ and Tucker with contacting police on his prehistoric computer, he must accompany them on their journey to elude ChromeSkull. There’s also Lena Headey and Thomas Dekker from The Sarah Connor Chronicles series providing some smaller roles, though, Dekker’s eyebrows were on hiatus… dunno what was up with that! Overall, I’m gonna have to go the way of sounding like a sick bastard and say you will mostly be rooting for the bad guy in Laid To Rest.

I’d assume this movie was designed to strongly satisfy gore-lovers, because this shit is out of control. Almost Human Inc. (Quarantine 2) unleash their wizard-like craft on the hapless victims, and it’s all right in your face in a fabulously vile fashion. Severed limbs are everywhere! Nasty gashes, cut off faces, head stabbings… crazy brutal in the greatest way. The FX are by far the best ingredient in Laid to Rest. I’m not sure how many times “Holy shit” and “What the fuck” and how ever many other obscenities poured from my mouth while ChromeSkull was shredding the scenery, but it was a lot!

Robert Hall wrote and directed, and like I said earlier, the story is pretty straight to the point. He does outstanding at getting this beast moving at a nice pace, and you immediately know what kind of film you are in for. I’ll give Hall and cinematographer, Scott Winig credit for giving some brilliant and sinister shots of the killer, especially during the finale.

I wasn’t too big on the “hip” soundtrack provided. The musical score was just fine, the rock songs were an annoyance. I got giddy as hell during the opening credits after reading “additional music by Suicidal Tendencies”, but either they really suck now, or I was musically gullible in my 80’s/90’s metal mullet-wearing days. I’ll say it’s the former, and not the latter.

Laid to Rest definitely won’t be for everyone, and if you are a strictly subtle horror fan when it comes to bloodletting, I’d steer clear. I’m one of those that appreciate almost every spectrum of the genre in some capacity, and even when I do get disgusted by a movie (A Serbian Film, for instance), I am glad that I at least gave it a chance. With that being said, I am totally glad that I finally caught on with this brutal, no punches pulled slasher.

—Eric Kaye (RobocopsSadSide)

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A Reunion to Forget: “Return to Sleepaway Camp” Review

Slasher Studios*Horror

I was so excited for RETURN TO SLEEPAWAY CAMP when I first heard about it. Actors Jonathan Tiersten and Paul DeAngelo reprising their roles, rumors of Felissa Rose returning as Angela and Robert Hiltzik writing and directing again… I was so there! And then I heard it was going to ignore parts 2 and 3 and be a direct sequel to the original, much like HALLOWEEN H20. That pissed me off a little bit but I was still very excited. Finally, a friend of mine got a copy of the finished product and we sat down to watch it, I couldn’t have been more pumped. Instead, when the film was over… I was pissed off! And here’s why…

First of all, this film opens up with a very annoying rock theme song. Sure, the soundtracks for 2 and 3 were loud and obnoxious, but in a good way. This band was literally just annoying, but at least it set the tone for what was to come. During the opening fart-lighting sequence, we are introduced to Alan, an ugly, annoying disgusting excuse for a human being. He is the butt of everyone’s jokes just like Angela was twenty years ago. The only difference is, he deserves it and is practically begging for it every time he opens his mouth. Soon, those that pick on him end up brutally slaughtered. Camp co-owner Ronnie, who survived the Camp Arawak murders, believes that Angela may be back for some reason, but the killer could be anyone from Alan himself to Angela’s cousin Ricky, who lives not far from the camp… for some reason.

This annoying sequel tries to go back to the feel of the original with the character of Alan being picked on just like Angela was. The only problem is, in the original Angela was a very sympathetic character. Sure, you suspected her but you still cared for her. Alan, on the other hand, is so annoying that you never feel sorry for him. In fact, he definitely deserved to be murdered by Angela. That’s not to say his humiliators didn’t deserve to die, because they’re all terrible characters as well. Almost all of them are very unlikable and stereotypical in the worst ways. So basically, our main character is a pain to watch, the supporting characters are just as bad, and the two characters from the original film are pretty much totally wasted.

Now, there were just a couple of things I did like about the film. The death scenes were fun and reminded me of some of the deaths from 1-3. There was definitely a playful vibe to the killings, which was very nice. I also enjoyed Isaac Hayes’ cameo as The Chef, he was one of the most likable characters in the film and I wish he got more screentime. RIP Isaac! The ending also brought a smile to my face, as horrible and cheesy as it was. But overall, this film is very annoying to watch. If you’re going to ignore 2 and 3 and go back to the original, then maybe you should make the movie at least almost as good as the original! I really hope that Reece’s script works out so that someone can save this once amazing franchise!

–Brian C Tyler

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Slashing Last Year’s Record: “Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland” Review

Slasher StudiosSleepaway Camp 3

Angela murders a trashy city girl and steals her identity in order to attend Camp New Horizons (formerly Camp Rolling Hills) where spoiled rich kids are mixed up with some of the underprivileged for an ‘experiment in sharing’.

SLEEPAWAY CAMP 3 is one of those films where the unoriginality is a good thing. After part 2, all you want to see is more obnoxious metal, more gratuitious t&a, more fun and creative kills, and of course more Pamela Springsteen. Pamela once again has fun with the part, even though filming had only started a few days after part 2 wrapped. We get to see her kill several more misbehaving teens and adults, we get to hear the Happy Camper song again, and we even get to hear her do an awesome rap.

The other characters are pretty fun to watch as well. The teen characters, mostly named after characters from WEST SIDE STORY and THE BRADY BUNCH, add a lot of laughs, especially Kim Wall as the racist cheerleader Cindy, and Kyle Holman as Snowboy. The adult characters were also very entertaining. Michael J. Pollard does a good job being weird and perverted, while Sandra Dorsey does great as the lazy camp owner Lily. There’s also a nice subplot with Cliff Brand as Barney Whitmore (Sean from part 2’s cop father), who arrested Angela after the Camp Arawak murders and is supervising to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again. It was refreshing to see someone who had a personal vendetta against Angela.

But what would SLEEPAWAY CAMP 3 be without the kills? Angela has so much fun murdering these people, and we have fun watching. My favorite deaths are the lawnmower scene and the flagpole scene, but they’re all very entertaining. After all the great deaths and witty one-liners, we are treated to a great ending, which makes you wish there was immediately a part 4 with Pamela returning once again.

—Brian C. Tyler

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Slasher Movie Posters: April Fools Day Edition

Slasher Studios*Slasher Movie Posters

Today at Slasher Studios we are celebrating three slasher films all revolving around April Fools Day. As Hollywood tends to work in pairs and sometimes more, all three of these slashers were released in 1986. Paramount won the title use of April Fools Day and the other two films had to settle with the lesser titles Killer Party and Slaughter High. Either way, enjoy the following artwork from the films and let us know which one is your favorite.

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The Life of the Party: “April Fools Day” (1986) Review

Slasher StudiosApril Fool's Day

In the 1980’s, if there was a holiday, there was a horror movie. Christmas got “Silent Night, Deadly Night” and “Black Christmas”, prom got “Prom Night”, birthdays got “Happy Birthday to Me”, Graduation Day got…umm…”Graduation Day”, New Years Eve got “New Years Evil”, and Halloween got…umm….”Halloween”. Okay, so creativity was never a strong suit of the slasher genre… Today we will be looking at one of my all time favorite holiday horror movies the very underrated “April Fools Day”. Seriously, this movie has everything! Amy Steel from “Friday the 13th: Part 2”? Check! Deborah Foreman from the criminally underrated “Waxwork”. Check! The overgrown bully Biff from “Back to the Future”? Check! A surprise twist ending? Double check! C’mon, look at the above poster and tell me that you don’t instantly fall in love…

The plot is quite simple. A group of eight college friends (each more annoying than the next) gather together at an island mansion belonging to heiress Muffy St. John to celebrate their final year of school. They soon discover that each has a hidden secret from their past which is revealed, and soon after, they turn up dead. Yet, are they really dead? Or is it just part of some very real and cruel April Fool’s jokes? The hostess, Muffy, is the only one who apparently knows what’s going on. But then again, is it really her doing the killing?

All in all, “April Fool’s Day is a fun little slasher that doesn’t take itself too seriously. With the wonderful Amy Steel as our lead final girl, you know that you are going to be in for a treat. I can’t say that everything about this movie is perfect. With the expectation of Steel and Foreman, Foreman playing the crazy Muffy/Buffy twin duo, none of the characters are particularly memorable and a few are down right annoying. Also, much of this movie’s enjoyable for you will be whether or not you are able to “buy” the final twist. While this requires a few HUGE leaps of logic, I really didn’t have a problem with it. Maybe this is just one of those movies where you just can’t think too hard? Anyway, any movie with Amy Steel in it is a winner and how many horror movies from the 80’s do you get to see in beautiful widescreen and not letterboxed formatting? Do yourself a favor and take a break this April Fools from tricking your friends and treat them with this fine 80’s slasher.

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