College Slashers We Love: “Scream 2” (1997) Review

Slasher Studios*College Slashers

Following the events from the first film, we find Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) now attending Windsor College. At this point she receives prank call from people pretending to be Ghostface, unfortunately for them caller id is invented. Also attending Windsor with Sidney is our other survivor Randy (Jamie Kennedy). Sidney thinks the past events in Woodsboro is behind her, but when two of her fellow college students are murdered during a midnight screening of the film Stab (based on the book The Woodsboro Murders), Sidney realizes it’s far from over. This time it appears someone is trying to make a real life sequel. Our other survivors Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courteney Cox) appear at Windsor in hopes catching our newest killer(s). Many suspects come about including Sid’s new boyfriend Derek (Jerry O’Connell), her best friend Hallie (Elise Neal), the newest fellow movie geek Mickey (Timothy Olyphant), and even the man from Sidney’s past Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber). Can our four heroes unmask this vicious killer before the loose ends are tied?

Scream 2 for me is the best college horror film because it takes place all over the campus. We have a fun sequel discussion in one of the film classes, chit-chat and Ghostface calls on the grounds, chase scenes in the Halls, and an amazing suspense-filled scene that takes place in one of the sorority houses. Any film can take place at a college, but when the film actually uses the campus for some of the major settings, that’s when it’s really well-done. In Scream 2’s case, the campus almost becomes one of the characters in itself. All of the campus settings are so well-done and provide great suspense with the events that take place. One can only imagine how creeped out they would be if they would be in CiCi’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) shoes if they were in a sorority house alone receiving menacing phone calls. Or even being in Gale’s situation by being chased and ultimately trapped by a killer in a sound room in one of class buildings. One scene I have to say is really artistically well-done is Sidney on the theater stage rehearsing with her cast members in the play, who are dressed like a Greek chorus and she thinks she sees Ghostface amongst the masked crew as different stage effects occur throughout it.

There is so much more that can be said about this film that I could praise it for, but I chose to stick to the college theme for this review, why I chose it as my favorite, and why it uses the college campus setting so perfectly.

—Cody Landman

Share:

Surprisingly Good Remake: “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (2003)

Slasher StudiosTexas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

I know I’m gonna get the shit kicked out of me for this, but let me explain a bit. I enjoyed the original film, while I think its a bit overrated(it was never scary or shocking to me, even in the 80’s), it did still leave you with a dirty feeling, a feeling like you just watched a snuff tape and did nothing.

I enjoyed the remake because it does what a remake is meant to do, it take the core of the story and updates it nicely. It still shows the proper respect to what has been done ans gives stuff for the new generation to enjoy. Jessica Biel isn’t a bad actress, while she may not have been the best choice for the role, I can see why she picked it, its so far from her goody good role on 7th Heaven(which co-starred Child’s Play actress Catherine Hicks)and she wasn’t terrible,it just felt like it was written for someone else.

Andrew Bryniarski is one of the reasons why I enjoyed this film as much as I have enjoyed it. He played Leatherface very well, strong and threatening, even more than the Gunner Hansen version, while Gunner seemed to be more like a tool the Sawyers were using, this Leatherface is doing it all on his own, very little pushing is being done to send him over the edge. I was surprised to see he played Lobo in the short based on the DC Comics character and Zangief in the not so bad, bad Streetfighter film “QUICK CHANGE THE CHANNEL”

R. Lee Eemy is another fun reason to watch this film and the next film, I am not a fan of Full Metal Jacket, too me after the boot camp scene the film kind of get slow and at times boring, but that first 45 minutes when we see Ermy berating the cadet(who was recently in Law & Order: Criminal Intent)made that film enjoyable. For this film he once again does that, you can really see him as the man in charge of the in house stuff.

Another aspect of the film is the cinematography, just like the original film we are made to feel dirty and uncomfortable, every time I watch this I gotta take a shower or wash my hands. Daniel Pearl should be given a great deal of respect for the style used in this film as it is a staple of what we see in the later Platinum Dunes remakes. The one scene I’d say really grabbed my attention and kept me wanting more was the hitchhiker scene, as its very different from the original film, for one we don’t have one of the Sawyers marking the next target and secondly we see a setup for a whole other story(which has yet to be told).

I also loved how the end of the scene occur(come on, love or hate the film you know you cringed) The tension in the film is high always and f you have seen the deleted scenes section, you can see the writers did try to give the characters a personality, they didn’t just want a group of meat walking around(which honestly my generation of films went overboard with). We have to remember what makes classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Child’s Play and even Hellraiser so great is the writers made sure we get just enough character story to care for the victims and would be victims, nowadays that’s a lost trait in the writing, all we get now is a lot of people, a lot of death scenes and no story.

—Eric Curto

Share:

Tim’s Slasher Tweet Reviews: “Slaughter” (2009)

Slasher StudiosSlaughter (2009)

Our resident Twitter reviewer Tim Schilling is back with another slasher review. This time he is taking on one of the After Dark Horror Collection titles, “Slaughter.” I tried watching this flick a few years ago and for whatever reason, I just couldn’t get through it. Let’s see if Tim has the same reaction or if its a title that deserves another chance.

Thoughts before the film:
Not too sure what #Slaughter is about, but it’s one of the few movies from the third After Dark Horrorfest that I haven’t seen yet.

Thoughts while watching:
0:05 If your characters are gonna be younger than 21 at least make them look young and not 30 year olds…
0:11 A whore farm girl, what.
0:19 Number one way to pick up a girl: go to an opera.
0:31 This jimmy guy is creepy. She finds him in her house naked with blood all over him?
0:32 Oh I lied. It was a dream.
0:35 There’s at least one inbred moron in every movie I watch.
0:33 Whoever did the killings is back because they like it it. How did this not win the Oscar?
0:35 The sandbox scene… How is that even possible?
0:39 Pigs is a recurring theme in #Slaughter.
0:49 This bar is poppin’. A whole three people!
0:50 So far, not anything horror related has happened.
0:57 How can dozens of cars fit in that pond!?
1:00 See, you can never trust any redneck inbred.
1:05 No no no not the teeth don’t mess with her teeth.
1:05 If I have nightmares about my teeth now I’m gonna be upset.
1:08 Enough teeth stuff already! Please!
1:27 You’re nothing more than a cheap whore.

Overall:
#Slaughter was your typical ‘hostage girl’ movie I guess you could call it with a few different but good twists. Also had pretty decent acting.

To follow Tim on twitter: https://twitter.com/schillingt
To follow Slasher Studios on twitter: https://twitter.com/slasherstudios

Share:

Disappointing Remake: Rob Zombie’s “Halloween 2” (2009)

Slasher StudiosHalloween II

I’m one of the few people who actually liked the remake for Halloween, it gave an interesting, although, cliche backstory and the characters felt like they were developed well. My only issue with the film was Sheri Moon Zombie as another “sexy” scene and the last 30 minutes(which this was the part of the film that was actually a remake).

Now on to my review for H2, the biggest disappointment is that we know that Rob Zombie is a talented director, The Devil’s Rejects was awesome and fell in the category of being a sequel that surpassed the original(House of 1,000 Corpses), so how can he go from that to making one of the worse sequels and one of the worse remakes ever?

First off, this film was all Rob Zombie, aside from a sort of nod to the original Halloween II(the opening hospital scene)95% of the film is an original thought from his mind. The film seems to go anywhere and everything, with little bit of a cohesive story being told, but many being told. The character development of Annie and Laurie is a high point in this film, as it does focus a good deal on the aftermath of the previous film in a real way, what did suck however was the backup underdevelopment of Dr. Loomis, I love Malcolm McDowell, he’s a great actor, but his Dr Loomis I felt was so bland and just not endearing at all(in both films), whole Donald Pleasance played the character as someone who wanted to stop him, Malcolm’s begins that way and just goes further and further away from that noble person.

In the previous film and the films before it we see Michael as a person who kills out of necessity, not just because there are people to kill, in this film it seems like everyone is fair game, even if they aren’t even in his way(there is a scene with one of Laurie’s friends and an unnamed lover, for example), this always bugged me because it really isn’t needed, its like a test screening was done and someone complained at how there was no sex scenes(in comparison to the last film, which was like a softcore porn).

I didn’t mind the name that Rob Zombie gave Laurie when it is revealed what her real name was when she was a Myers, but what I dont understand was the “White Unicorn” I gave seen videos that try to examine it in a mentality sense, but if that was Zombie’s angle than his big mistake was assuming his audience was a psyche majoy. I did like the end with Laurie and hat happens with her, but like Halloween 5 went a whole new direction from what the last film did, I’m afraid a H3 may do the same.

I have yet to buy the Unrated Cut, but I will someday, just to complete my collection and hear Rob’s thoughts on where he was going with it.

–Eric Curto

Share:

Slasher Studios Horror Webcast: The Best College Themed Slasher Flicks

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Podcast

On this week’s episode of Slasher Studios Horror Webcast our hosts Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz will be dicussing their favorite college themed horror movies. Fraternities, sororities….it doesn’t matter! These horror movies really knew how to score with the scares. Airs live Sunday June 17th at 10PM central. Click on the link below to listen in live or to listen to an archive.

Slasher Studios Horror Webcast

Share:

Surprisingly Good Remake: “The Fly” (1986) Review

Slasher StudiosFly (1986)

The original film is a great sci-fi thriller, it wasn’t big or spectacular, but it told its story, mixed in a love story and a moral and had a great ending (HELP ME), but when David Cronenberg came along almost 30 years later he turned heads for both the ones who enjoyed the classic and those who were brand new to the film(like myself).

This film really showed how to do a remake, many times the saying is “If its not broke, don’t fix it” but when is it time to update a story? Well David thought 1980’s was enough time since the last film to do so, showing off how far technology has gone(with Chris Walas’ awesome Special Make Up FX), while keeping the core story & its morals in tact. He made minor changes to create new drama, by having the two main actors not married and in some cases flawed(whereas the original had a happily married couple, who never seemed to fight). The Sci-Fi aspect of the film is not the forefront either, it kind of plays like a looming metaphor for a tragic love story, we know that it won’t end well, but David manages to make us care for them anyway.

Geena Davis & Jeff Goldblum had a relationship going on at the time and I think it added to the drama and care that we see these characters go through. We do get a bit of Soap Opera going on when we are introduced to a past lover of Davis'(played great by John Getz, who would reprise his role in the sequel), which I believe also served to bring a better story to the film, as we begin not liking the guy, but find ourselves by the end wanting him to win out simply to save Geena’s character by the creature Jeff becomes.

Chris Walas stands out in this film and doesn’t even make an appearance in the film(he will move on to direct the sequel)his make up FX are amazing and I love how Cronenberg gives him the opportunity to really shine by having the character slowly develop in the creature. Unlike the first film which was a moral film showing the dangers of playing God, this film is more like an ad on what happens with sex with a stranger, after all, while the love story does develop the two have intimacy before any real feelings begin. Its there, but its not slapping you in the face.

The acting is also great, the score playing(by Howard Shore)is incredible, I saw the trailer as a kid and was like OMG this looks great, of course, I was too young to go by myself an my parents aren’t into that type of film, so I missed out, but Howard Shore’s music always stayed in my head and that trailer is in my opinion one of the best.

The sequel I don’t know if I’ll review, but I will say it is highly underrated and deserves some praise as it continued to change up the story told in the original film, the original sequel it is based on and moved the characters forward.

–Eric Curto

Share:

Horror Anthology “V/H/S” Hacks Up Killer New Poster

Slasher Studios*Horror

When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn¹t going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.

Bringing together some of the top filmmakers in the game today, this wickedly conceived horror anthology sends the viewer through a gauntlet of suspense, terror, shock, and downright brutality instantly distinguishing itself from a sea of lackluster found-footage horror flicks. The diverse and deviously creative minds behind V/H/S shatter any preconceived notions about the genre, making it feel inventive and captivating once again.

V/H/S will be available through Magnolia On-Demand starting 8/31; in theaters starting 10/5.

Like the official Facebook page:
V/H/S

Share:

Awful Horror Remakes: “Prom Night” (2008)

Slasher Studios*Horror

Let me get this out of the way before I move onto the review, Prom Night was not the best horror film, it is praised because of the mystery of the killer and Leslie Nielsen and Jamie Lee Curtis being involved. Its not a good film, but its not a bad film either. Now saying that this “remake” is just horrendous, I am a fan of Brittany Snow(Nip/Tuck & Law & Order: SVU) and even Jessica Stroup(90210), but I just found myself shaking my head at the acting, the story and even the motive of the killer, who we know who it is, but the director still feels the need to act like its a mystery film.
The film is an example of what happens when a film is named after a completely different film just to grab those viewers. Aside from the killings and the actual prom(which is more prominent in this than it was in the original) this has NOTHING to do in the slightest to the original. So much so I am hesitant on even calling it a remake.

Psycho is the worse remake of all time, not just in the horror genre, but this definitely is close to being #1 as well, its sad to considering its not really a remake. The PG-13 doesn’t help it either(although, I can’t really see the difference between this and an R-Rated film of todays films, we still get blood and violence and in other cases nudity.

–Eric Curto

Share:

Tim’s Slasher Tweet Reviews: “Return to Horror High” (1987)

Slasher Studios*Slasher Tweet Review

In 1987 a little horror comedy featuring a then unknown actor named George Clooney was released upon unsuspecting movie audiences. The film was titled “Return to Horror High” and it was a commercial and critic flop. Barely grossing a million dollars before it was yanked from the theaters, the film didn’t do much to set itself apart besides one wicked cover box. Today our resident Twitter reviewer Tim Schilling takes on the horror comedy to see if this film works at horror, comedy, or neither.

Thoughts before the film:
I love this DVD art way too much. First time I tried to watch #ReturnToHorrorHigh, I couldn’t finish it cause I thought it was so bad. My taste in movies since then have changed WAY too much so maybe I’ll like it this time!

Thoughts while watching:
0:01 Great music right off the bat! The 80’s rock.
0:12 I find it hilarious George Clooney was in this movie.
0:17 That is one hot lady cop.
0:23 Is George’s role already over with…?
0:25 If that guy were to pick up a girl like that now he’d be in jail for like 75 years.
0:28 Shlort!
0:33 Whoever did the killings is back because they like it it. How did this not win the Oscar?
0:35 The sandbox scene… How is that even possible?
0:41 Every time they show the cop and the detective, I get confused. The cop is creepin me out.
0:44 This movie is 99% boobs.
0:52 I don’t know if I should be following the movie or the movie within the movie…
1:04 This is really bothering me that it’s going back and forth from movie, movie within the movie, and dream.
1:13 The sandbox thing makes no sense even after they showed what was underneath it!
1:25 …….wat.

Overall:
I honestly don’t know what to think of #ReturnToHorrorHigh right now. The dozens of plot twists, and going back and forth from real world, movie within the movie, dreams and flashbacks took anything good away.

To follow Tim on twitter: https://twitter.com/schillingt
To follow Slasher Studios on twitter: https://twitter.com/slasherstudios

Share:

Best Horror Remakes: Mother’s Day (2011)

Slasher StudiosMother's Day

My favorite remake would be Mother’s Day from 2011,but was released just this year on DVD and Blu-ray. It’s isn’t an actually full out remake because there are a lot of differences compared to the 80’s film,but if I had to say which is my favorite remake it would be this film. It was Rob Zombie’s Halloween for the longest time,but Mother’s Day became my number 1 when I saw it.

Basically the story is about a group of friends being held hostage in a house ,which belongs to two of the friends, after three men come back thinking that it is their home until their Mother (Rebecca De Morney) and sister arrive explaining that they lost the house. Mother and her children decide to keep the hostages until the money turns up that belongs to Mother so that Mother and her children can escape.

The film was directed by Darren Lynn Bousman who is known for directed some Saws sequels and Repo! the Genetic Opera. But this film is by far his best in my opinion and his film is ten times better than the original because it creates great tension and the performances are well acted especially from Rebecca De Morney who plays Mother. She steals the show in this film.

This is highly recommended from me!!

–Justin Rhine

Share: