Slasher Studios Webcast Visits “Sleepaway Camp”

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 April Fools Day episode we will be going over the Sleepaway Camp series. The best and the worst of the franchise as well as taking a look at the recently released Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor. Is it worth your money? Which of the films are our personal favorites? Just click on the link below to listen in live (or an archive after it has aired) to find out all the juicy secrets.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2012/04/02/slasher-studios-visits-sleepaway-camp

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Don’t FUCK with the Original: “Scream 4” Review

Slasher StudiosScream 4

Our SCREAM week over at Slasher Studios Horror Film Club is coming to a close this weekend and to help finish things we have Brian C Tyler giving us excellent review of the final (?) chapter in the SCREAM saga.

It’s the year 2011. Horror films are running out of ideas again. Nearly every classic horror film had been remade and every iconic horror villain had been reimagined and recasted. In the 1980’s the trend was sequels, in our generation it’s remakes. I kind of feel a bit cheated, but then again maybe I wouldn’t appreciate the 1980’s as much if I was living it. Anyway, remakes… some are good, some are bad. One thing I’d rather see over a remake though, is a new SCREAM that comments on horror remakes.

The moment I heard SCREAM 4 was greenlit I was as excited as a kid on Halloween. I missed those characters (Sidney, Gale, Dewey), I missed Ghostface and the games he played with his victims and I missed the mystery. It definitely upped my excitement that Neve, Courteney, David, Wes and Kevin were all returning to do what they do best. I followed this movie so closely on Arrow in the Head and imdb (like an idiot) that by the time I sat down in the theatre to watch it, I knew a great deal of what was going to happen. But thankfully, that didn’t change my excitement and enjoyment for the movie one bit.

The opening scene is, of course, very clever. It may be missing the intensity of the original two films, but you have to account for it being a sequel made 15 years later. This opening is very fun, brutal and pretty funny with a couple cute cameos. Immediately after, we are introduced to an adult Sidney Prescott, no longer a frightened victim but a hero to those that have gone through similar experiences. Dewey, now the Woodsboro sheriff, and a very bored Gale are now married. We are also introduced to some very likable ‘new generation’ characters including Emma Roberts as Sidney’s cousin and Rory Culkin as a Randy-like character. My favorites of these new faces are definitely Hayden Panettiere as the lovable hot-chick horror-nerd and Alison Brie as Sidney’s hilariously insensitive publicist.

What this sequel has that the last one didn’t is a mean streak. There’s lots of brutality, Ghostface is a lot more knife-happy in this one than he was in the last one and I like it. There’s lots of fun, unpredictable and brutal bloody death scenes. Too bad there was less suspense, there should have been longer chase scenes! It also cleverly uses the current remake trend to tell this new story. I know we all love the scene where Hayden names tons of remakes as she participates in a little game with the killer. It’s a great scene, because it’s pretty suspenseful and funny, but it’s also kind of sad. It really makes it clear just how many classic films Hollywood has remade.

The reveal of the killers, although I already knew who they were because I’m an idiot, was very cool and it’s fun seeing my friends in shock every time it happens. It results in a very fun climax with some great lines and a great ending that’s a bit different for this series. All in all, I’m very happy with this sequel and it was very refreshing to see this among all the other stuff that’s coming out these days.

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80’s Slasher Throwback: “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers”

Slasher Studios*80's Slasher Throwback

After a ten-year coma, Michael Myers awakens and returns to Haddonfield in deadly pursuit of his niece, Jamie Lloyd, killing anyone who gets in the way. It is up to Dr. Loomis (who also strangely survived the brutal hospital explosion in the finale of Halloween II) to save the child and send the possessed face of evil to hell.

The opening to this continuation of the Myers character is so sinister in tone that it is nearly impossible for the film itself to match up to its disturbing atmosphere. It is all about the setting while the beginning credits are pouring onto the screen; an overcast of red-orange leaks across the Haddonfield sky, while shots of ramshackle farmhouses and plow equipment are doused with traditional Halloween decorations and pumpkinhead scarecrows. The eerie and faded sound of disturbing autumn wind vibrates about, and then the story is given birth to.

Return is in essence very similar in premise to the first film, from beginning to end. While there are some new elements added, a big part of this is rehash. It works for fans that really wanted the Myers character back, because he does go on an insane extravaganza of death after his ten-year hiatus. And if the first two installments of the series did not guarantee enough that this maniacs strength is beyond that of a normal human, this one inflicts it strongly.

This sequel also tries to keep real to its foundation in terms of somewhat solid character development, with mostly everyone in the Haddonfield universe. Even the souls that aren’t overly important are authentic feeling, as is the city itself. Director Dwight H. Little and cinematographer Peter Collister do an astounding job of bringing Haddonfield back to life. Return succeeds in giving that picture postcard feel that the first film has (more so than Halloween II), making the territory fun and familiar. Also, it really does feel like the season in this picture, even if the Jack-O-Lanterns are in truth, painted squash. Although, the feeling of Halloween could have been laid down even thicker; and it would not have hurt a bit.

Ellie Cornell is enjoyable as Jamie’s stepsister, whom at first glance comes off as a self-centered bitch, but later on does many gallant deeds to save the little girl from the hands of evil. Danielle Harris really showed promise as a young female lead, and it is a shame that she is not a stronger power in the horror industry as of late. She truly carries her own, even alongside Donald Pleasance. As for the late genre icon, he dishes his performance as if this film was made a day after the first two entries. He never skips a beat. A favorite moment in the film is when a drunken priest picks him up after his car is blown into a ball of flames at the hands of The Shape. The conversation between the two about Armageddon and damnation is another part of the movies success at creating a helpless and dark ambiance.

George Wilbur is a less than thrilling Michael Myers, but he’s not all at fault. The re-imagining of the Shatner mask looks as if it was made to be emotionless, but it just ends up looking unnatural and only effective in a few ample scenes. It is absurd that he would immediately go looking for a mechanic uniform and similar mask in the first place. Same goes for the way Wilbur presents Myers, the character feels less machine-like, and many moments he just looks down right frivolous. Towards the end when he is blasted into a water well by a mob of angry Haddonfield cops and drunken townsfolk, Myers plummets in the most ridiculous looking manner possible, almost like he’s dancing at a rave while having a seizure on his way down to his temporary burial.

It is a shame that FX artist John Carl Buechler did not work on the entire film, because the two deaths he was brought in to create (due to the film being too tame) are definite high points of Return. Unfortunately, the first one takes place not ten minutes into the movie, and the next one is about five minutes away from the end. However, Myers is given much to do, such as snapping a victims neck like a twig, throwing Bucky the geeky electrician into the electric probes at the town plant (causing a total power outage), shoving a shotgun through the sheriffs daughter and a few more.

So, I am actually one of the saps that really enjoyed Season of the Witch, more so than this film. However, as far as bringing back the iconic Myers into the picture, this is probably the most favorable in respect to what Carpenter originally unleashed; I dare say it does not get better further down the line of unnecessary sequels.

-Eric King (RoboCopsSadSide)

To buy from Amazon: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (Special DiviMax Edition)

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The Revenge of Gale’s Bangs: “Scream 3” Review

Slasher StudiosScream 3

Another excellent review from Slasher Studios Horror Film Club. This is the second of Brian’s reviews for the Scream series. This one being for SCREAM 3. Does he hate it as much as many fans do? Let’s see…

SCREAM 3 gets a crazy amount of hate and I just can’t understand why. Is it because Sidney doesn’t have much to do for the first hour? Is it because Kevin Williamson’s golden touch is missing? Is it Gale’s hair?

I do understand why this is the least loved of the series. There’s less clever movie references, less lovable characters and less witty dialog. Pretty much all the result of Kevin Williamson’s absense. I just don’t see why a lot of fans absolutely despise it. This film could have been better but, perhaps because of the nostalgia, I can’t help but focus on the good. First of all, I liked the Hollywood setting. It was different, but it was a good fit. There’s also a lot of witty dialog, fun characters (less likable, but still entertaining), hilarious cameos and some suspense. Not as intense and frightening as it’s predecessor, but there’s a couple nail biters, Sidney’s chase through the Woodsboro set comes to mind.

I also enjoyed the Maureen backstory. It may all seem a bit contrived, but I thought it brought the trilogy full circle. I can’t finish this review without giving special mention to the film’s greatest aspect, Parker Posey as Jennifer Jolie and her dead-on chemistry with Gale Weathers. And do I even need to say how great Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Wes Craven are and how thankful I am they’ve returned every time? I don’t think so. But I did.

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Slashers We Love: “Scream 2” Review

Slasher Studios*Slashers We Love

As part of the Slasher Studios Horror Film Club, we have two great reviews from you today from the always wonderful Brian C Tyler. This is the first of the two reviews, this one being for the second chapter in the Scream series. It is my personal favorite. Let’s see if Brian feels the same way…

SCREAM 2 is everything we could have hoped for in a sequel. All the characters we know and love have returned along with lots of new, fresh faces to fall in love with, suspect and watch die. It also helped that Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson returned to write and direct.

This sequel will always hold a special place in my heart for being the first horror film I’ve ever seen in theaters. However, this film has much more than nostalgia going for it. The opening scene, while a bit over-the-top and not as scary as that in the original, is a brilliant comment on us, the fans. Maureen, bloodied and near death, letting out a loud cry for help as the crowd cheers, is a very powerful moment and the greatness of the film is just beginning. We’re immediately re-introduced to Sidney and Randy, now attending college with a new circle of friends, and then Gale and Dewey. They’ve all dealt with the tragedy in their own ways, and are now trying to move on. However, just because we saw them survive before does not mean they are safe or beyond suspicion. The performances are still dead on, sometimes even better than in the original. The new characters are also very lovable and we have many more amazing references and homages to horror film, particularly sequels.

The best thing about this sequel, though, is the suspense. There’s so many great stalk/chase sequences that have you on the edge of your seat no matter how many times you’ve seen the film. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s sorority house death is a great old-school stalk, chase and kill scene. And both Gale’s chase and Sidney and Hallie in the cop car are two scenes that make my heart race every time I watch the movie. It’s all topped with an epic climax, with lots of twists, suspense and great dialog that makes me smile every time I watch it. This is definitely the best sequel and one of the most intense and clever slasher films of the last twenty years.

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Pray You’re Not Invited: “Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor” (2012) Review

Slasher StudiosSleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor

“Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor” was the dreamchild of 1992 that sadly never came true. The film was originally intended to be the fourth installment in the infamous “Sleepaway Camp” series. It was partially filmed in October 1992 but was never completed due to lack of funding. In 2002 the unfinished footage from the first day of shooting was released and made available as an exclusive fourth disc with the Best Buy edition of the Region 1 “Sleepaway Camp” box set.

But…all was not lost! John Klyza, webmaster of SleepawayCampFilms, helped put together an official final cut of the film which they said would bring closure to the Survivor’s legacy. The final film would be 70% material from the first three films and 30% new Survivor material. Is the final film one to be cherished into the hearts of Sleepaway Camp fans everywhere or does it deserve to stay as archived material?

Well, the answer my fellow slasher fans is one that you do not want to hear. “Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor” is pretty bad. Everything about it is bad in every way that you could imagine and in several ways that you would have thought they wouldn’t have been able to screw up. What’s wrong with it? Here we go!

* The flashback clips are the worst quality clips they could find. I’m talking VHS copy of a copy bad. It is grainy, distorted, and hard to make out.

* The sound quality is pretty bad. The “new” footage is far too loud and you can’t even hear the old footage. Prepare to have the remote handy for adjusting the volume…every few seconds!

* The new material doesn’t make any sense whatsoever and doesn’t flow with the editing of the first three films. A random “added” line of dialogue here and there doesn’t help matters at all. If anything it just becomes more distracting.

* The old footage (especially from the original film) is so grainy it’s hard to know what’s going on. I know I already commented on this but after a good Anchor Bay release of the original series, this is inexcusable.

* The tacked on ending is not only super cheesy but it’s hard to tell what is even supposed to be happening. All of a sudden our “main girl” is with some burned guy. I don’t know what the hell happened.

* The editing of the old clips either start too late or end too early cutting off gags that make the scene work. The pacing is key in order to make a good death and they couldn’t even edit them from the first one in a consistent way.

* The deaths are cut in a way that we never actually see what is supposed to be the gruesome aftermath. Once again, bad editing and there is no excuse for this when the material has already been used.

* The voiceover is so bad in the new footage that it doesn’t even match what is happening on screen. This only gets worse as the movie progresses. It can’t even manage to get Allison, our “main girl” of Survivor, to say the word bitch in time to match up to a picture of Ally from 2.

In short, this movie is only worth owning if you can find it super cheap (hopefully free). Anything over $5 is too much. I really do appreciate the effort but I will never watch this again. If you own the bonus disc, you own ALL of the new material. 30% new material? There is barely 10 minutes worth of material here that wasn’t originally shown in the first three films. Is it unfair for me to judge this as a final film when it clearly isn’t one? Of course not. Nonetheless, is it fair to charge $15 to horror fans for material they already own? Absolutely not.

***I want to update my review a bit. Last week on Slasher Studios Webcast, we spoke with editor Dustin Ferguson in which he talked about his experiences with this film and the troubles he faced bringing it to life. He came across as a really nice guy with a genuine love for the series and making his cut the best it could have been. I still don’t particularly like it but it gives me a better appreciation for what he at least tried to do.***

Make sure to listen to the webcast here in which we talk to Ferguson to get his take on the film: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2012/04/02/slasher-studios-visits-sleepaway-camp

Want to buy the film? Here’s you go: Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor (2012)

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Picking Favorites: Ranking the “Scream” Films

Slasher Studios*Picking Favorites

Ranking a horror film series is usually just asking for trouble. For every one person that agrees with you, there will be at least a dozen that feel cheated by your list. “How DARE you rank X above X? What were you thinking?!?!” Well, in honor of this week’s Slasher Studios Horror Film Club, I decided to take my ranking list to the test and take on the Scream franchise. Agree with the list? Disagree? I want your feedback! Which Scream film do you feel is the most successful? The following is my list from best to worst. Let the games begin!

1. Scream 2 (1997)
Although at times I feel as though I am in the minority, I truly believe that “Scream 2” is the best film in the Scream franchise. This is that rare sequel that takes everything that works about its predecessor and manages to take it to another level. The deaths are suspenseful, the characters are charming and likable, and the twist ending works better than it has any right to. I also truly believe that this is some of Craven’s finest directing and the “cop car” scene is a hide-your-eyes-behind-your-fingers chiller of a scene. More than that, this film is just a hell of a lot of fun from beginning to end.

2. Scream (1996)
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.

3. Scream 4 (2011)
“Scream 4″ is executed with an artistic flair of wit and style that long time fans and film buffs alike will love. While I sometimes wished there could have been a little more genuine tension and suspense, the final twenty minutes are just so off-the-wall that it makes up for any slow patches. All in all, this is bloody, fun, and very entertaining. The cast is clearly having a ton of fun, and most of them really put on a good show. This may be cinematic junk food but it sure is tasty.

4. Scream 3 (2000)
“Scream 3″ is the kind of movie that has a lot of great ideas mixed in with a few mediocre ideas. The film spends far too much time with Sidney away from the group, alone in the cabin. We want to see Sidney take on evil and put on a good fight. Something that doesn’t happen here until the final act. That being said, Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers has never been better. Given a bitter rival to play against, played by a deliciously witty Parker Posey, she shines in every single scene that she is given. Overall, I think “Scream 3″ is a fun film. It may be the worst installment of the franchise but it is still a hell of a lot better than 90% of the horror that is released today.

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80’s Slasher Throwback: “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” Review

Slasher Studios*80's Slasher Throwback

“Dream Child”, the next Freddy adventure, wants to perfectly illustrate commercialism and do it without any contempt for its audience. The previous movie had sealed Freddys fame and this sequel wants to suck the money from you and hopes its faults will be forgiven. Not so.

The movie can easily be spotted as having potential. Stephen Hopkins is aboard this time around and as Robert Englund once stated, what made him continue with the series was the directors and their creative juices flowing. The same can be said for me (at least up until this point). The movie looks quite Gothic and polished; the audio once again delivers, the lighting and SFX look stunning, and the camera angles are kinetic. The film also has the respect of continuing off of 4 and returning the Dream Master Alice, her boyfriend Dan, and her ex juicebag father. Thanks for the small favors.

The mythology (which is given the once over) has potential as well, and still somewhat tries to evolve from the previous entry. It seems Freddy lost all of his souls and is powerless, but is reborn in a dream and instead of using Alice, he’s using her unborn fetus (?!) as the new bearer of souls.

The movie could have been a worthy entry, but the movie has only one interest, to make money. The production was given 4 weeks of shooting, and 4 weeks of editing, the script was the least of anyone’s concerns as constant rewrites were done and everybody was faking it the whole time, but as long as there was deaths and Top notch SFX, hopefully it won’t show.

Alice is also given different things to do this time around and comes off as more mature and graceful than ever, you can clearly see how she will grow into a wonderful mother with amazing skill. Despite our heroine returning, the movie adds a bad contrivance that Alice has made a batch of new friends that aren’t even half as endearing as the ones in 3-4. What’s with the characters in this one? Why doesn’t anyboy care about all the deaths from 4??? How long has it been since part 4? Surely no less than a year? Hanging out with them is akin to chewing baseball card chewing gum for 3 days. Bland and cheap and leaves a horrid tatse in my mouth. The movie knows the characters fates and sleepwalks them to their destinies without a seconds thought. So much for suspense. I couldn’t care less about anyone here, even as a young kid!!! What’s up with Dan’s bitch of a stepmom and all the legal jargon she brought to the tale? (Which lamely is never addressed again once it’s brought up, kind of makes you wish it never was written in the first place)

The death toll is three this time around, and besides the motor bike death (one kick ass scene), the creative flow was on a low burner. The comic book world was abysmally lame (I ALWAYS get that red hot flush of embarrassment during Super Freddy), and the model eating herself was fun but cut short and barely leaves any effect on me. So what are we paying to see exactly? Although the deaths had bizarre imagery they were too few and not at all gory and two of them happen in the first 30 mins! Leaving not much to relish afterwards.

Freddy is another awful disservice, his demeanor is too uneven, he wants to be the jokester but the script gives him the worst lines of the movie (some might say the entire series, tv show, reboots, etc). Once again he was more tolerable and well balancedin 3-4, if he’s not hostile and scary (like 1), mean and nasty(like 3) or funny and demented(like 4), than what do we have? A lame curiosity I’m afraid.

The score by Jay Ferguson was too overbearing as well, at times when it was low key and dreamy it worked (like the opening theme), but then it got too loud and theatrical, it didn’t support the images too well. Where’s Angelo (from 3) when you need him?

The movie also has a mess of an ending where you can see the rewrites quite clearly (although one writer is credited there is evidence that 5 or 6 pissed in the pot), No momentum, and it seems like no one had any ideas left by that point in the movie. I’m sorry, but tarantulas and spiked baby carriages aren’t my idea of intense conflict of good vs. evil. The ending also confirmed my suspicions that the movie had no desire to be original, and recycled in a cheap way the ending of 4. I’m not sure what the hell was going down but it seemed rehashed from part 4 in a cheap way, once again bizarre looking but lame. Someone also was heavily inspired by Salvador Dali and even Labrynith in the endings set design, too bad it comes off as kind of cheap and tacky.

We then cut to credits and have to endure one lame rap song after a predictable ending, which just seals the fate of the movie for me.

If it wasn’t for Stephen Hopkins and Alice, I’d say it’s a waste of celluloid. The movie is just a big mess of a painting, with no thought to texture, idea, feelings, purpose, or respect. It’s by the numbers filmmaking, and is certainly a pivotal low for the series. I still watch it here and there, but for me the party ended with 4. The movie shouldn’t have been rushed and halfbaked for the saga it had become, it’s that simple. I certainly want to like any horror sequel, as I’m a big fan, but when the intent on the filmmaker’s part is to simply take your money it unfortunately rubs off on me, making the obvious contrivances more insulting and the resolution of a horror icon a tedious joke.

And it only gets more dreary and insulting with Freddy’s Dead!

–Vince Fontaine

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Slasher Studios Webcast: Best Horror Movie Chase Scenes

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Podcast

Join our Slasher Studios hosts Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz tonight at 10PM central as they discuss the world of slasher Films. On this week’s special episode, the duo will be going over their favorite chase scenes. After all without good chase scenes, what fun would a slasher be? To listen to live, simply click on the link below tonight at 10PM central. You can also listen to an archive of this show after it has aired or any of our previous shows by clicking on the same link.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2012/03/26/slasher-studios-horror-webcast-favorite-chase-scenes

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