“Teddy” to Premiere Friday, April 13th at Chicago Fear Fest

Slasher Studios*Teddy

We announced earlier this week that Teddy had been chosen as an official selection in the Chicago Fear Fest in Rosemont, IL. Well, now we have some other big news to share with you. Teddy will be the opening selection of the festival on April 13th, 2012. That’s right! We are premiering on Friday the 13th AND we are the opening selection! We cannot thank Horror Society enough for selecting Teddy and it is truly an honor to play in such a prestigious film festival. Hatchet director Adam Green will also be at the film festival will a special screening of Hatchet 2 and up to date information on the making of Hatchet 3. Want to see our little bear kick some major ass? Make sure to order your tickets! To order tickets to the event, simply click on the link below.

http://chicagofearfest.com/buy-tickets/

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Santa Claus, Sorority Girls, and Serious Slashing: “To All a Good Night” Review

Slasher StudiosTo All a Goodnight

Released in 1980 To All a Goodnight and was directed by David Hess best known as Krug in Wes Craven’s classic Last House on the Left and this also marked his directorial debut; To All a Goodnight was one of the first of the wave of slasher flicks that would dominate the decade and with so many of these films produced some were lost in the shuffle and To All a Goodnight was one of those as it’s a seldom seen movie and quite rare. Upon first look this is the typical slasher flick released in the 80s after the success of John Carpenter’s Halloween and you wouldn’t be wrong; however To All a Goodnight was released in January of 1980 and actually was released prior to such movies as Prom Night and Friday the 13th and the setting for the movie also would be very common throughout the 80s though the setting here is sort of the same as Black Christmas.

Quite honestly I wouldn’t rate To All a Goodnight as one of the best slasher flicks of the 80s, but I think the movie deserves more recognition than it gets. If anything this movie owes a little more to Black Christmas than Halloween and while this movie is very much your standard 80s slasher flick again it came out prior to many of the more well-known slasher flicks of the 80s. To All a Goodnight also features a killer in a Santa suit, but Silent Night, Deadly Night is the one best known for that and it’s also kinda funny how no one bats an eye with this movie, but Silent Night, Deadly Night caused a public outrage, which lead to the movie being pulled after only 2-weeks.

The plot for To All a Goodnight is fairly simple; the setting in an all-girls school where the girls are planning a party during Christmas break, but before the fun can begin a killer wearing a Santa Claus outfit shows up and begins to dispatch the girls and their friends and can all this have something to do with a girl that accidently killed a while back?

The screenplay by Alex Rebar features weak characters that are one-dimensional, which is very common in slasher flicks, but the biggest problem is all the characters are inter-changeable for the most part; the main goal for all the women are to get laid, which is kinda cool since it’s always the guys that are like that. All the characters are your standard slasher movie characters, but as I stated earlier this movie has many of those beat by as little as a few months or a couple of years. None of the characters are very likeable with the exception of Nancy (Runyon) who I guess is the Laurie Strode of the movie.

The characters are also rather stupid even for slasher flick standards. When all their friends end up missing nobody seems to be very concerned chalking it up to they just went home and even after a dead body is found they still have no concerns about their friends or themselves for that matter and while slasher flicks often feature idiotic characters, but this bunch are just total idiots. With that said the screenplay does serve its purpose and while the characters might be shallow idiots they are also a bit fun.

As director David Hess does fairly well for the most part, but the pacing can be a bit sluggish at times despite the high body count and while the setting of the movie has all the makings of eerie atmosphere it does sort of lack that feel that many early 80s slasher flicks had going for them. There isn’t a lot of energy in many of the scenes and thus it can drag from time to time, but Hess does manage to deliver some decent suspense as well as a solid final act. This may not go down as one of the best directed 80s slasher flicks, but despite the flaws David Hess mostly delivers an entertaining flick and while this movie went unnoticed by many it did help set the stage for these films.

There are moments where To All a Goodnight reminds me of Friday the 13th and there is even a character called Weird Ralph who warns people of pending danger, but based on the release dates for both movies this is just pure coincidence, but that’s why I say To All a Goodnight has a little more going for it than people might realize since it has a lot of the clichés in a type of movie that was still in the very early stages. Of course Black Christmas is probably the ultimate Christmas themed slasher flick and these movies were fairly common in the 80s, but again To All a Goodnight has them beat by a few years and as I mentioned before this movie has the killer in a Santa suit made famous by Silent Night, Deadly Night.

Overall To All a Goodnight is a fairly decent entry in the slasher flick and it’s a bit hard to rate since the copy I saw was at times out of sync and very poor quality, but even with that there is still fun to be had. It might lack the energy of many early 80s slasher flicks, but it does manage some decent suspense and tension at times and even though it isn’t one of the best of the 80s slasher flicks it does deserve more of a following.

–Dave Kaye (Last Road Reviews)

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Mood, Mayhem and Mold: “Silent House” Review

Slasher StudiosSilent House

I know I’ve said it before but I will say it again…me and supernatural horror movies don’t really get along. I find them to be tediously plodding and incredibly boring. For every classic supernatural thriller like Poltergeist we must sit through five Paranormal Activity 3’s. I just don’t find the subgenre very interesting. I know that others can make the same case against slashers. I mean, let’s be honest here, most slashers really are a guy in a mask chopping up attractive teens. Nonetheless, at least in the slasher subgenre we can at least look forward to some creative deaths. In supernatural horror it normally is just a bunch of doors slamming and we are lucky if ANYONE dies. So, why this diatribe against supernatural films? Well, I figured I should give you a little bit of background on my relationship with supernatural films before digging into the supernatural horror film of the night, The Silent House. Let’s just say that I had low expectations going into this film as it has been years since I’ve seen a good film from this subgenre. Did The Silent House live up to my low expectations? Let us start at the beginning…

The Silent House begins with a young woman named Sarah (in a brilliant, tour-de-force performance by the unstoppable Elizabeth Olsen) is staying at a lakeside house in the country with her father, John (Adam Trese), and Uncle Peter (Eric Sheffer Stevens), fixing it up in preparation for sale. Due to fighting between the men, her uncle takes a break, driving to town in his car, leaving Sarah and her father alone in the house. A knock is heard at the door and, since her father is upstairs working, Sarah answers. The visitor is a friendly young woman about Sarah’s age, named Sophia (Julia Taylor Ross), who claims to be one of Sarah’s childhood friends. Sarah doesn’t remember her and Sophia suggests they meet again later. Sarah agrees and the girl leaves.

Soon after, Sarah hears strange noises upstairs and notifies her father. He goes upstairs to see if anything is wrong, but finds nothing. Sarah, calmed by her father, goes to her room to pack. Not long afterward, she hears him walking down the stairs, falling, then nothing. She frantically searches for him and finds him unconscious with a bloody wound on his head. He appears to have been deliberately knocked out. Sarah tries to escape from the house, but all doors are locked or boarded up. She goes back to her father’s unconscious body to get the only key to the front door, but he is gone. She runs to the basement and finds a bed and other human necessities indicating someone had been living downstairs. Panicking, she sees a figure shining a light in the basement, looking for her. Will Sarah survive the night?

Is the house haunted? Are these spirits being imagined by Sarah? Is someone out to get here? To answer these questions would spoil the fun of the movie. And yes dear reader, much to my surprise, this movie is indeed a hell of a lot of fun. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I thought the cuts in the movie were seamless and it really did feel as though the movie was being shot in real time. The movie had a sense of fear and dread that have been missing from the Paranormal movies with some great imagery. Elizabeth Olsen was amazing in this film and after Martha Marcy May Marlene, she has risen to the top of my young actors to watch list. That’s not to say that everything in the movie works. With the expectation of Olsen, the other actors all come off a little hammy, overacting to a sometimes hilarious degree. The geography of the house is never very clear and it is sometimes very hard to figure out just what room each of the characters are in and even what floor they are on. There will be some viewers who will take offense to the ending or, rather, lack thereof. None of these flaws make me like the movie any less. This is an imperfect film but also one that takes a lot of chances and actually requires intelligence from its audience. It’s nice to see what I’ve been missing.

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80’s Slasher Throwback: “Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”

Slasher Studios*80's Throwback Video

Freddy is at the top of his game. After the immensely popular “Dream Warriors”, Freddy had reached his highest peak of pop culture fame. This movie brashly illustrates the pop culture phenomena, with Freddy being less scary, and more of an icon. I admit once again of seeing all the horror franchises at a (very) young age and I don’t think I was alone as by this point in the franchise as there was a wave of Freddy toys, sheets, lunch boxes, posters, etc. Basically the statistics were rolled in, and marketing knew its age group. So yes, before I start this review, I’ll say that Freddy isn’t scary, the movie doesn’t even try to scare you, but alas, it wants to entertain, and boy does it ever.

The movie continues on from 3, with the survivors trying to get on with their lives (Kristen, Joe, Kincaid) and the beginning of the film has Kristen (now played by the less competent Tuesday Knight) having the dream of the Elm street house (which is EVEN more pimping than part 3). She gets frightened and pulls the other two in, but they get angry and don’t believe her (after everything they went through together you’d think they wouldn’t give it a second thought, but never mind). We then go into the now familiar territory of the introduction of our new batch of teens since the Elm street children are now near extinct. Alice is the only one we should really invest in since she eventually is going to take the lead as Freddie’s new opponent. Anyways, Freddy indeed does resurrect (in one kick ass surreal “regeneration” scene which is started by flaming dog urine!?!) and continues to dispatch our remaining survivors. The mythology for this sequel tries to expand off 3. It seems if Freddy kills all the final Elm street children he will forever be trapped in the dream world with no more victims so he now must find someone he can use to bring new victims, and he finds that in the very shy and insecure Alice, who inherits Kristen’s gift (after her grisly “furnace” death). One thing Freddy didn’t count on is that every time he kills someone, she inherits their special power, and gets stronger and stronger, and when Freddy kills a very close family member, Alice must use everything she’s got in a final kick ass showdown.

Although many people feel this movie is a cheat and that the series should have ended after 3, I beg to differ and felt that the closure for 3 was too abruptly done, making the ending very underwhelming, I WANTED MORE! So the sequel is a somewhat decent companion piece to 3. Bringing back the warriors was genius, and I enjoyed the continuity. Sure, I can make a stink about them getting killed, but personally since I cared so much about them from 3, their deaths upped the stakes for me. Also the new characters, although nothing that layered, the actors portraying them were competent and very likable none the less, and like part three, I cared about the kids. Also Lisa Wilcox is a revelation, creating one of the most interesting Elm Street characters ever. I was rooting for her all the way.

Another pro for this sequel is Renny Harlin in the directing seat. Not only did he create the most visually appealing sequel of the entire series, he made the movie an extremely effortless watch as well. This movie has flaws, but boring us is not one of the them. It’s so fast paced, you feel like you need to stop for a breath of air. The camera is very fluid and I loved the style. The colors are also very vibrant, lot’s of green and red lighting. Thank you Mr. Harlin, you certainly can punch a wallop with your scenes. I’ve watched this sequel countless times just for the visual visceral experience, it’s the “music video” Freddy and is the definite eye candy nightmare.

As with 3, there is so much scenes that stand out in my mind with picture clarity, the Junkyard scene, the water bed scene, the beach scene, the classroom scene, the elevator scene, the movie theater, Freddy eating the Pizza, Alice and Dan spinning through the tunnel, Roach motel scene, Freddy’s death (my fav in the series, it’s the work of genius Steve Johnson), all classic scenes and after watching them you can see why the movie made the most money in the entire series (ex Freddy Vs Jason).

Some flaws I have with the movie are 1) Although the deaths had good SFX, the gore and mean streak so prominent in previous sequels was seriously lacking (ok Debby’s ROACH DEATH IS ONE FOR THE BLOODY BOOKS!), Should have made Freddy mean like part 3 did, 2) the movie’s narrative gets a little shaky in places, making some dream sequences not following up with proper timeline in the “real world”, comes off as a tad distracting(I still don’t fully grasp Dan and Alice meeting up and crashing the truck?!?), and 3) the movie does get a little heavy handed making some scenes very cheesy (you’ll probably groan) like Alice gearing up to go into hand and hand combat. Too much man, I ended up laughing at it.

Overall though, this is the last decent hurrah for Freddy. The movie sells his soul but at least it’s still quite fun watching it go down, swinging. It only gets lesser and lesser after this one, and Robert Englund has even admitted in some interviews that he felt strongly about this movie ending the series, as Freddy’s death certainly gives him his just desserts in spades and is a fitting touch. What a kick ass scene too. This is where Elm street ends for me, even though I still watch 5, I consider this to be Freddy’s final “adventure”.

Of course, commercialism and the mighty buck thought otherwise, but you can still consider this the final Freddy, and should wisely do so. (Until New Nightmare that is, but I consider that more of a stand alone despite referring to it as part “7”).

– Vince Fontaine

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Slashers We Love: “Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors”

Slasher Studios*Slashers We Love

Arguably considered the best of the entire series (excluding one), Dream Warriors takes the series into a more fantasy oriented extravaganza. It’s loaded with bigger budget, more characters, more of everything actually. The Nightmare series was on the brink of its multi-million dollar fame and before Freddy got watered down and basically shifted into his comedian phase we had this movie.

The movie has no seemingly apparent interest in part 2 and could easily be the 2 of the series since it expands from 1’s origins and never once mentions the events in 2. So this could actually be the REAL sequel to 1, I think 2 was too ahead of the mythology of the series and should have been made after Dream Child (5 in the series).

The plot focuses on the remaining “Elm Street” children all rounded up in the local mental hospital, where the skeptical staff tends to them. It seems Freddy is alive and kicking and is still terrorizing dreams. The movie opens with one of the children Kristen (Patricia Arquette) trying desperately to stay awake (by spooning down coffee grinds) and making models of the house she’s been dreaming of. Well efforts aside, she has a dream and we are basically thrown into a much different approach then the proceeded. The movie is bombarded with SFX, the Elm street house is pimped up to one spooky setting, and the first stalk sequence is a good example of what’s instore for the audience. Anyway, after barely getting killed by the Fredster, Kristen joins her fellow survivors in the asylum where quite conveniently joined up by part one’s heroine Nancy. She is now a dream doctor (or something) and once realizing what the kids are up against she embarks them on a mission to fight back. It is discovered that Kristen also has a gift of pulling in people to her …consciousness…in order for everyone to dream the same dream. Alas, when doing this Nancy is able to have every dreamer obtain a certain power, which they use to battle Freddy. That is basically the premise as the last half of the movie is a series of events showing some warriors do battle and fail, and the remaining warriors team up to use their efforts while the only kind doctor tries to bury the bones of Freddy in order to stop his reign of terror.

I admit I saw this movie at a young age, and doing so I easily invested a lot into the well rounded group of troubled teens. We have the easily likable Kristen, the uber cool tough Chick Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), the endearing mute guy Joey, the sympathetic chubby girl Jennifer in hopes of seeking fame, the nerdy (but cool) War craft reject/fantasy obsessed Will(who looks like Waldo from Where’s Waldo), and the so-called bad ass Kincaid (who more or less spends most of the movie yelling), I’m missing some of the others but you get the idea. Roger Ebert said in his review that he felt the movie gave him no sympathy for the characters and that was its biggest flaw, well I take that in stride. I had no trouble and it actually hurt when some of the kids died. Having that investment surly made the movie a much more personnel viewing. I cared.

The movie also runs rampant with SFX, imagination, cool visuals, slick audio and some whacked out death scenes (with a bitter cruel streak). So many of the movies scenes stick out for me, the Freddy snake, the Freddy puppet, the Freddy TV, the Freddy needle scene, the hallway of mirrors, Freddy’s basement and boiler room scenes, the Freddy demise. Any video game fanatic would appreciate the action that goes down (dreamers using skills to combat Freddy), and the mythology laid down in this entry certainly is very video game like. The mythology of Freddy is also more sketched out this time as we learn more of his origins and also discover what happens to the souls of the kids he kills (they are trapped in his chest and appear as a tormented screaming face). It seems the more souls Freddy obtains, the stronger he gets.

Angelo Badalmenti (Mullholland Drive, Twin Peaks) is the composer this time around brings one of the most unique scores of the entire series. It’s quirky and quite pleasing to the ears. I want it (this is years later, I have it). It brings a touch of class to the movie and compliments the imagery quite nicely.

The directing is quite inspiring (considering it’s his first movie) and he succeeds in balancing the cheesy jokes with the movies menacing sense of hopelessness almost effortlessly. You can tell the makers must have had a blast with this. I know I would have. The movie has a hopeless and nihilistic vibe that makes the jokes more passable.

Some flaws that I have to mention is that the warriors aren’t never fully able to use their skills towards the end, whether this was time restraints, money, or intentional it’s never clear, but it seems they could have had a bigger fight with Freddy, also after Freddy’s eventual demise the movie basically ends way too quickly, since I was 98% invested with the characters, I wanted to know the outcomes of all the survivors. It didn’t happen, making the last frame somewhat tedious.

All in all though, I consider this movie to be quite bad ass, and can proudly hold it’s head up as not only a worthy sequel, but a highly entertainment movie in general. This is the sequel I show to unfamiliar Elm Street fans, and on that note dare I say we have a “80s classic” on our hands?

–Vince Fontaine

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Slashing with Style: “Hatchet II” Review

Slasher StudiosHatchet II

Picking up immediately after the first film, Marybeth escapes the carnage of Victor Crowley, the ghost of a deformed man that is stuck re-living the night of his death. After learning the truth of her family’s past, Marybeth and Reverend Zombie assemble a group of hunters and return to the Louisiana swamps to find the bodies of her Father and Brother, and to lay the legend of the Bayou Butcher to rest.

October 1st, 2010, midnight: I was as giddy as a kid on Christmas. Why? Because I was fortunate enough to see Adam Green’s “Hatchet II” at the cinema in unrated form. This was a big deal. It was the first horror film to get an unrated theatrical release since George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead back in 1979! Sadly, it only stayed in theaters for roughly two days because our rating system in the US sucks, to put it nicely. After fighting and fighting with the MPAA about his film receiving an NC-17 rating, Green decided to take it straight to AMC theaters; they loved it and agreed to release it in its entire gory glory. This created a huge stir, and it was pulled out before it even had a chance.

Thankfully, it can be seen on BluRay and DVD the way it was intended to be seen, but it is still getting the shaft. Redbox is only carrying an R-Rated version, which is missing two full minutes of greatness. In terms of a movie, 2 minutes is a lot of time. Some movies with a more serious tone can involve a brutal rape scene or the murder of a child and go on to win an Oscar, but a movie like “Hatchet II”, which is all done in fun, is kicked to the curb. Sad.

So, after watching the Bluray, I still have to admit that this is one of the best slasher-films I have seen in a long time. There is nothing new about it, but it is not hollow like some of the garbage coming out these days. Green’s film is an acknowledgment to slashers of yesteryear. The 1980’s were a golden decade for this particular sub-genre, and somewhere along the line, the ambiance from films like “Friday the 13th 2” and the original “My Bloody Valentine” got lost. Three director’s I have noticed trying to bring this back (and doing a great job) are Joe Lynch (Wrong Turn2), Ti West (The Roost, House of the Devil), and Adam Green.

While the acting may come off poor to many people, it is what is needed in a film of this ilk. Kane Hodder has to a give a performance that is probably the most emotional in his career (even more so than his role in the first “Hatchet”, as the sequel’s origin story is significantly expanded); and while it’s not award worthy, it’s still good to see the guy broaden his range. Hodder has been stuck behind a mask or doing stunts forever; it is awesome that Green gives him bigger opportunities, while still letting him excel in his familiar areas, as well. Victor Crowley is genuinely one of the most badass killing machines since Kane Hodder graced the hockey mask of Jason Voorhees.

Another genre regular that gets to expand his role from the first film is Tony Todd (Candyman, Final Destination), as Reverend Zombie. More of just a cameo the first time around, here, the character takes a lead position. It is a much-exaggerated part, and Todd pulls off the weirdness with perfection.

I love Danielle Harris. I grew up watching her in the earlier “Halloween” sequels, “The Last Boyscout”, and in “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead”, and she is a real pleasure in person. Having said that, if I had to pick someone out of this film whom does not feel like they are giving it their all, it has to be her. Sometimes she is just a little too much; I feel that it was probably awkward for her to work into the lead role, due to it being played by another actress in the first film. Do not get the wrong idea, she is in no way terrible, and she definitely progresses as the film does; but in other sympathetic roles, I have seen her do better.

As if Hodder, Todd, and Harris were not more than enough to get horror fans excited about “Hatchet II”, the film continues to seep out the ends with genre veterans in cameos and supporting roles. It is obvious that everyone involved has a lot of fun working together, and it sets the fact in stone that this series is for the fans, made by a fan.

Robert Pendergraft and Aunt Dolly’s Garage provide the creature and make-up FX, and they are completely awesome. It is said that over 120 gallons of fake blood were used (more than double the first film), and I believe it; the stuff is flying far and wide. Every kill trumps the one before it, and they are some of the most imaginative, over-the-top gore sequences in recent memory. This film also has one of the highest body-counts in a single film in slasher movie history, keyword here being “slasher”.

For fans of this variety, “Hatchet II” is a necessity. It is like re-living a 5th grade sleepover, where you stayed up late to catch “Jason Lives” on HBO. For me, it provides that feeling to a tee. It has happened before, but hardly ever does a sequel come out that owns the first film in every way. In my opinion, this is one of those seldom moments.

-Eric King (RobocopsSadSide)

To buy from Amazon: Hatchet II

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Teddy Hacks Up Big Screen as Official Selection of the Chicago Fear Fest

Slasher Studios*Teddy

We have some great news my fellow slasher fans! Teddy has been chosen as an official selection in the Chicago Fear Fest in Rosemont, IL. Want to see Teddy on the big screen? Well, here is your chance! We cannot thank Horror Society enough for selecting Teddy and it is truly an honor to play in such a prestigious film festival. Hatchet director Adam Green will also be at the film festival will a special screening of Hatchet 2 and up to date information on the making of Hatchet 3. It’s going to be a bloodbath to remember so get your tickets while you still can. To order tickets to the event, simply click on the link below (tickets will go on sale Wednesday, March 21st). We will keep you updated on Teddy show times!

http://chicagofearfest.com/buy-tickets/

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The Gore, the Merrier: “Hatchet” Review

Slasher StudiosHatchet

The Story: Ben and Marcus party it up with some friends for Mardi Gras. Being reminded of his ex by any half naked lady he lays eyes upon, Ben talks Marcus into leaving the streets of New Orleans to go on a haunted late night boat ride, hosted by a scammer that has more accents than C3PO knows languages. During the ride on gator-infested waters, the boat gets hung up on a rock, forcing the passengers to go walking in the woods to look for help. Little do they know these woods belong to a fierce local legend.

As a boy, Victor Crowley was taunted by bullies, and even set on fire. Trying to rescue his son from their burning house, Mr. Crowley sends a hatchet through the entrance door right into Victor’s mongoloid head, leaving him for dead. Ten years later, Mr. Crowley dies of a broken heart. However, people frequently go missing in these backwoods. Perhaps the local legend of a hatchet-faced maniac is true…

For once, the tagline does say it all: “Old School American Horror”. That is exactly what Hatchet strives to be and fully succeeds. Take The Burning, Pumpkinhead and a bunch of films from the Friday the 13th franchise (many scenes are extremely close to many different F13 films), put ’em in a mixer and pour yourself a big ass glass of Hatchet. Now, while it in no way adds anything new to the camp-slasher genre, it certainly breathes some life back into it, and it definitely in its short life already warrants fair debate over whether or not it’s one of the best of the lot; I think it is.

Adam Green is at the helm as writer and director, and not only is Hatchet a gore fest of epic proportions, it’s also got a smart story, likeable characters, and uses elements from some faves from the late 70’s and 80’s. You got the old local drunk (only in Hatchet, he drinks his own piss) that tries to warn the youngsters. You got more tits than you can shake a stick at (at least 15 breast flashes in the opening Mardi Gras credits!), a bad ass soundtrack that pays mad honor to the slashers of yesteryear; a horror maven in charge of make up effects, and a hell of a lot more. However, this is not the typical “You do drugs or screw or both and you die” slasher, it is more or less the “You are on my turf, you fucking die!” slasher.

Don’t get too excited about genre cameos, though; they are few and far between. Robert Englund is almost a blink and miss character (he does have some relevance), Tony Todd is somewhat embarrassing, John Carl Buechler is the local piss drinking drunkard, but Kane Hodder is the one that sticks out. Here he plays the roles of Mr. Crowley and badass deformed maniac, Victor Crowley. Hodder gives this disgusting character so much life that it’s easily plausible for Victor Crowley to be blessing the horror genre with at least one more insane appearance. It is Kane’s best work since Friday the 13th 7: The New Blood.

Many viewers are not going into this looking for Oscar worthy effectiveness, but acting is above the standard, for the most part. The performances come off as cheesy on purpose, and the comedy is filled to the brim with wit, making any scene lacking carnage just as enjoyable. You get to know most of the members on the haunted boat ride fairly well. Some of them you will love, while others will have you counting the seconds until they are discarded. Ben (Joel Moore) and Marcus (Deon Richard) are kind of like buddy flick characters, and they work together amazingly. While Ben is the more awkward, geeky type still hung up on an ex girlfriend, Marcus is the exact opposite; he is on the pursuit of partying, naked, if welcomed. This makes for some hilarious moments with the two trying to put one another down throughout the film. Marybeth (Tamara Feldman) is also a great character; she is along for the ride only to search for her missing brother and father (Englund), but gives the Victor Crowley back-story to the hapless tourists of the trip. You also get a softcore filmmaker (for his own personal enjoyment) who wants his two leading ladies (whom hate each other to the bone) to bless his camera with tit shots any time the environment changes.

It is great to see John Carl Buechler spreading his bloody disease all across the screen. This is the guy responsible for the thumb through the forehead death in Halloween 4, he’s also responsible for make-up duties on Elm Street 4, F13 7, Android, Necronomicon and loads more. In Hatchet, It is gleefully obvious that Buechler and Magical Media Industries Inc. had tons of fun with the bloodletting. There is no mercy shown here, what so ever. One victim alone gets head butted into a tree, has an arm ripped off, slung upside down into a tree and has his spine ripped out by the bare hands of one, Victor Crowley, and this is just a fucking opening scene. If that does not glue you in for the rest of the film, something is wrong. There’s also plenty more dismemberment, a nasty segment of a head being ripped open by the mouth, head being busted across a tombstone and a shitload more! In addition, Victor Crowley himself is quite the looker, making ole’ Voorhees appear to be a GQ model. His face is that of peanut butter art, strands of hair here and there, a triangulating spine that protrudes outward, and some bitching ass overalls to boot. This is one crazy looking SOB.

A favorite scene of mine is the back-story segment of Victor Crowley. The moment in reference takes place on Halloween, and the seasonal atmosphere is captured with precise class. Not to be missed.

-Eric King (RobocopsSadSide)

To buy from Amazon: Hatchet (Unrated Director’s Cut)

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Slasher Studios Stays Up Late With “The Sleeper” Writer/Director Justin Russell

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Podcast

On this tonight’s episode of Slasher Studios, Kevin Sommerfield will be talking to writer and director of the slasher homage “The Sleeper”: Justin Russell. Russell will share his tricks of the trade, the secrets of working in the independent horror genre, and the slasher flicks that changed his life forever. Join us tonight at 10PM central for an interview that will be worth losing sleep over. Miss the show? Don’t worry, you can still click on the link below to listen to an archive.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/slasherstudios/2012/03/19/slasher-studios-loses-sleep-with-director-justin-russell

To buy The Sleeper: The Sleeper

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