This week on the Slasher Studios Webcast our hosts Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz discussed the Child’s Play series and decided which of the Chucky installments were worth playing with and which didn’t have more chuck for the buck. If you missed it, click on the link below to listen to an archive of the show or to listen to a different episode. We air every Sunday night at 10PM central.
Was there ever a more fun time for the horror genre than the 80s? Only in the 80s could a movie like Slumber Party Massacre II to be made and work well with the audience. Even though the 70s is my favorite time for the horror genre (and film in general) the 80s easily has to rate as the most fun the genre has ever had and most likely ever will. There are still some filmmakers that attempt this kind of off the wall over the top movie and almost all the time it doesn’t work and even when it does work it feels forced. Released in 1987 Slumber Party Massacre II picks up from the original and is set 5-years later (and the movie came out 5-years after the original).
Courtney (Bernard) who survived the attack of the Driller Killer in the original is now 17-years old and has her own all-girl rock band and her sister Valerie (Eilbacher) is now in an insane asylum. Rather than go visit her sister, Courtney decides to spend her birthday weekend with her friends for a fun slumber party weekend, but the fun soon turns deadly as the Driller Killer (Ilitch) shows up and spoils all the fun.
Even though Slumber Party Massacre II picks up from the original it’s a totally different movie and strays from the original in terms of execution of the plot. The original was the typical slasher flick of the 80s with more comedic elements than most at the time of its release and while Slumber Party Massacre II is also a comedy and even a satire of the genre the whole tone of the movies are quite different and honestly this almost seems as if it was meant to be a totally different movie and later changed to be a sequel. The original film was a lot of fun, but Slumber Party Massacre II in my opinion trumps the original in every way. Slumber Party II is so over the top and absurd, but it’s just way too much fun. The Driller Killer looks like John Travolta in Grease and even has a drill on his guitar and even while chasing after his victims the Driller Killer still has time to break into song and dance in the middle of the action.
The screenplay by Deborah Brock is a lot of fun mixing in slasher elements and supernatural elements and some of the influence clearly comes from A Nightmare on Elm Street. I don’t think anyone goes into slasher flicks for the deep characters, but I do expect them to be at least fun. The characters here are mostly inter-changeable and while they may not entirely have their own identities all the characters are however a lot of fun and likeable well at least the women.
Brock never really has any intentions of writing a serious screenplay and just has fun with the genre conventions. The script is quite over the top and silly, but again it’s quite a bit of fun. Like I said even though the movie does continue from the original it really is quite different in style and while Brock’s script may not be an award winner it really is a blast with fun and entertaining characters.
As director Deborah Brock delivers a fun and well-paced movie; the movie doesn’t have a whole lot of action until the final act, but each scene has a high fun level. Like her screenplay, Brock never really attempts anything too serious and the movie has a campy feel throughout. There does however seem to be a few things implied such as Courtney’s sexual hang-ups, which is a nice touch to an otherwise silly and over the top movie. Like I stated earlier in my review this is the kind of movie that could only be made in the 80s and Deborah Brock delivers one of the most fun horror flicks of the 80s.
Slumber Party Massacre II does get some mixed reviews and I can more than understand the poor reviews; the killer singing and dancing, Courtney getting attacked by a frozen chicken and those are just a couple of the silly scenes so I can totally get the negative reaction this movie can sometimes get, but if you take the movie for what it’s worth and sit back and just enjoy the camp value that Brock was going for the movie is a lot of fun. The camp value was intentional and Brock just wanted to make a movie that was fun and in my opinion she very much succeeds.
The cast is actually pretty good with some notable faces; the biggest would be Crystal Bernard who is probably best known for the TV show Wings also in the cast is Heidi Kozak who the very next year would appear in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood and keeping in tune with Friday the 13th Juliette Cummins starred in the 5th installment A New Beginning and Psycho III, Kimberly McArthur is a former Playboy Playmate and last, but not least is Jennifer Rhodes probably best known for her role on Charmed. The actors all deliver really fun and energetic performances and while none may be Oscar worthy again all the actors really deliver fun performances and really help elevate the movie.
Atanas Ilitch as the Driller Killer is a total blast! While characters such as Jason, Freddy and Michael are the most popular choices for favorite villain I honestly would pick The Driller Killer over them. Ilitch is a blast to watch with his drill on his guitar and it’s hysterical when he starts to sing and dance before going back on the attack.
Overall Slumber Party Massacre II is one of my favorite horror flicks of the 80s and easily one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies. Despite being a continuation this movie very much strays from the original and is just a total blast to watch! Each scene is just as much fun as the last. There are also some nice homage’s in the movie with one character named Kruger (spelled Kreuger in the credits) and another character named Voorhees (spelled Voorhies in the credits). Also Heidi Kozak’s character is named Sally Burns, which is a nod to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Sally being the name of the lead character and the actress was Marilyn Burns.
—Dave Kaye (Last Road Reviews)
To order: The Slumber Party Massacre Collection (Roger Corman’s Cult Classics)
After the events of Child’s Play, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) was placed in a foster home with Joanne and Phil Simpson while his mother underwent psychiatric evaluations, because she supported her son’s story about a killer doll. Two years have passed since Chucky was destroyed and the bad publicity about Play Pals, Inc. (the company behind the “Good Guy” toy line) is all over the newspapers. The company has the original doll reconstructed for analysis and a worker is electrocuted. Chucky is brought back to life because of the accident and kills a client of Mr. Sullivan’s, named Mattson, to find details of Andy’s location.
Chucky disposes with and takes the place of the foster home’s Tommy doll by destroying it with Joanne’s priceless China ornament. That night, Chucky ties Andy up so he can finish what was started in Child’s Play; the transferal of his soul into Andy’s body. But Kyle, Andy’s foster sister, is sneaking back into the house through his bedroom window and she interrupts the process. Confused, Kyle tries to help untie Andy, but Phil and Joanne unexpectedly arrive and accuse her of tying Andy up. Phil then throws the doll into the basement.
In the middle of the night, Andy hears a noise downstairs. He arms himself with an electric carving knife and heads into the basement. Chucky wrestles with Andy, until Phil suddenly comes in and notices Andy holding the knife. Andy tries to warn him before he can walk down the steps, but Chucky trips him and leaves him dangling on the edge of the stairs, before dropping him, killing him from a broken neck. Believing Andy responsible for the murder, Joanne angrily packs his things and sends him back to the foster care center. Kyle, knowing that Andy didn’t kill Phil on purpose, tries unsuccessfully to reason with her and decides to have a cigarette outside, throwing Chucky into a garbage can. In using the tree swing, she accidentally uncovers the original Tommy doll, buried in the dirt. She then notices that the garbage can she tossed Chucky into is empty, causing her to realize that Andy was telling the truth. Terrified, she runs back into the house to warn Joanne, but discovers her dead body tied to a chair. Chucky reveals himself and threatens to kill Kyle, unless she cooperates. Will Andy and Kyle survive to tell the tale?
“Child’s Play 2” does what every good sequel should do: it tries to advance the story while stay true to the origins of the original. Alex Vincent is, once again, great as our “boy in trouble” Andy and newcomer Christine Elise is perfect as his foster care rebel “step sister” Kyle. Nonetheless, this movie does have a damn amazing end set piece in a toy factory making…wait for it…good guy dolls. The film lasts just 84 minutes and is probably the most fun you will have out of any of the sequels while still being entertained AND scared…something that is forgotten about in later installments.
To order from Amazon: Child’s Play 2
On the morning of November 9, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, while being chased by Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), Charles Lee Ray, a serial killer known as “The Lakeshore Strangler” (Brad Dourif), is shot and mortally wounded. Knowing he cannot escape, the dying Charles takes cover inside a toy store, finding boxes of talking “Good Guy” dolls, and uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into one of the dolls. The store is then struck by lightning and burns to the ground, although much of its inventory, including the dolls, survives.
Later that morning, 6-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) tells his widowed mother Karen Barclay (a sweet but tough as nails Catherine Hicks) that he wants a Good Guy doll for his birthday. Unable to afford the full price, Karen buys a stolen doll from a street peddler, which is the same doll into which Charles Lee Ray had earlier transferred his soul. One of the nice things about “Child’s Play” is reveled in Karen and Andy’s relationship. They honestly feel like a real, flesh and blood mother/son. She cares very much for Andy and will do anything it takes to make him happy. Being a latchkey kid myself, I could relate to Andy and I could see my mother a lot in Hick’s wonderful performance.
That night, as Andy is playing with the doll – who has introduced himself as “Chucky” – Karen’s friend, Maggie Peterson (Dinah Manoff), who is babysitting Andy, scolds him for turning on the evening news and placing Chucky in front of the TV. When Andy tries to deny the accusation, she doesn’t believe him and sends him to bed. Maggie is later violently struck with a hammer by an unseen figure and falls out of the apartment kitchen window to her death. Andy, when questioned, insists that Chucky has revealed himself to be alive and that he killed Maggie. It is reveled that Chucky must take off the soul of the first person he told his secret to. Chucky now needs out of his doll body and will do anything to make that happen…including taking over Andy.
“Child’s Play” is a serious, white knuckle thriller that is nothing like the future installments of this series. You want a lovable, wise cracking evil doll? Rent “Bride of Chucky” because this movie takes both Chucky and his behavior deadly serious. Sure the voodoo elements feel a bit out of place and the ending lasts runs out of steam long before the movie is over. Nonetheless, there is a damn good reason why this movie is remembered as the best of the best when it comes to kill doll movies. The sequels all try to do their own thing and that is commendable but they were never able to outdo this classic.
To buy from Amazon: Child’s Play (Chucky’s 20th Birthday Edition)
Trish Devereaux (Michelle Michaels), an 18 year old teen decides to throw a slumber party while her parents are away and their neighbor Mr. Contant (Rigg Kennedy) is given the job of checking in on the girls during the night. That morning, she gets up, dresses and heads to school. Meanwhile, a mass murderer with a fondness for power drills, Russ Thorn (Michael Villella), has escaped from prison, killed a telephone repair woman (Jean Vargas) with a power drill and steals her van. Trish meets up with her friends Kim (Debra Deliso), Jackie (Andree Honore) and Diane (Gina Hunter) and the girls on her basketball team. The new girl, Valerie Bates (a sweet Robin Stille) is invited by Trish, but refuses after hearing Diane talking cruelly about her.
Russ Thorn watches the girls leave school from the van and a girl named Linda (Brinke Stevens) goes back inside the school to retrieve something, but is attacked by Thorn and murdered with a power drill. That evening, the party and the bloody decimation begins of the girls, as they smoke pot and talk about boys. Valerie lives next door conveniently and is babysitting her younger sister Courtney (a refreshingly innocent if slightly annoying Jennifer Meyers). Diane’s boyfriend John (Jim Boyce) and two other guys from school Jeff (David Millbern) and Neil (Joe Johnson) who spy on the girls undressing. Thorn kills Mr. Contant, drilling through his neck, and meanwhile, Courtney is begging Valerie to go crash the party, but Valerie protests. All hell is about to break lose at this party.
Probably the best known of the popular “girls have a sleepover and get murdered one-by-one†subgenre of horror movies. “Slumber Party Massacre†is fun, a little bit cheesy, and quite outdated. The film moves at a snail’s pace throughout the first half and when the killer is reveled, he isn’t exactly frightening. This is a prime example of ripe 80’s cheese. That being said, this film is a blast. Sure it a bit slow but the deaths are pretty damn interesting and it is nice to see a final girl who is actually willing to fight back. At a lean 75 minutes, this is the kind of meat and potatoes horror movie that Hollywood simply doesn’t make anymore. “Slumber Party Massacre” has the breasts, the blood and the beauties. What else could you want from an 80’s slasher flick?
Interesting Facts about SPM:
* The film was given a limited release theatrically in the United States by New World Pictures in November 1982. It was later released on VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment.
* Director Amy Holden Jones made a shot a promo film of the original script’s prologue for a $1,000 dollars so she could get a directing job from Roger Corman. Corman was so impressed by the promo that he asked Jones to make a feature length movie from the script.
* Andree Honore is the only cast member featured on the original theatrical one sheet poster. The blonde woman lying on the floor is late actress Jillian Kesner.
To order the box set: The Slumber Party Massacre Collection (Roger Corman’s Cult Classics)
On Halloween night, Angela Franklin and her friend Suzanne are throwing a party at Hull House, a local mortuary abandoned years ago after the Hull family was murdered by an unknown member of the family within its walls. They have invited the usual assortment of party guests, including the class reject – Stooge, the resident tough guy – Sal, the preppy – Jay, the token black guy – Roger, the virginal heroine – Judy, the quiet girl – Helen, and another couple – Max and Frannie.
On the way to the store the teens victimise an elderly gentleman in a Green Ascot flatcap calling him names and telling him to “Look in the mirror” flashing a moon out the window. The old man stands up for himself. He is then terrorised by one with a rubber rat and nearly punches the teen in rage. When Judy tries to help him with his fallen bags, he insults her by calling her nasty names. The seemingly harmless old man shows a true twisted dark side, intending to put razor blades in apples to give to Trick or Treaters with a disturbing laugh and a gleeful look in his eyes.
Deciding to skip the annual school dance, Jay convinces Judy to attend a Halloween Party being thrown at Hull House by a classmate of theirs named Angela Franklin. Reluctantly, Judy agrees. Judy’s younger brother Billy later answers the door to Sal, Judy’s ex-boyfriend, whom tells him that she is attending a party at Hull House. Soon after, Jay picks her up along with their friends Max and Frannie. Meanwhile, Angela decides to shoplift at a local convenience store for party food while the salesmen clerks are distracted by Suzanne bending over, revealing her panties. Once outside, Angela reveals the plan is to scare everyone who attends.
One of my favorite slasher-undead movies of yesteryear, “Night of the Demons” is a rousing, gory, razor-in-the-apple type of horror pick. The actors are terrible, the pacing sucks, and the cinematography is mediocre. Hell, sometimes it is hard to even see what is happening on screen. What makes this film work? The rousing energy from the cast and crew and some of the best gore effects to come out of the 80’s. You want to see eyeballs gouged out? A tongue ripped out? A tube of lip stick stuck through a nipple? It’s all here and in a spectacularly gory fashion. “Night of the Demons” was one of the few genuine horror hits of the late 80’s and observably so. This movie is a blast from beginning to end and I appreciate the amount of energy that went into this production. This movie has its share of problems but everyone looks like they had their hearts in the right place—right on the bloody screen where we can see them.
To celebrate Women in Horror Month, Slasher Studios is proud to bring you our five favorite scream queens. Actresses that showed that the horror genre is nothing without a strong female presence. Enjoy Women in Horror Month everyone and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
5. Jamie Lee Curtis
Curtis’s film debut occurred in the 1978 horror film “Halloween”, in which she played the role of Laurie Strode. The film was a major success and was considered the highest grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic horror film. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, garnering her the title, “scream queen”.
Her next film was the horror film, The Fog, which was helmed by Halloween director John Carpenter. The film opened in February 1980 to mixed reviews but strong box office, further cementing Curtis as a horror film starlet. Her next film, “Prom Night”, was a low-budget Canadian slasher film released in July 1980. The film, for which she earned a Genie Award nomination for Best Performance by a Foreign Actress, was similar in style to Halloween, yet received negative reviews which marked it as a disposable entry in the then-popular “slasher film” genre.
That year, Curtis also starred in “Terror Train”, which opened in October and met with a negative reviews akin to Prom Night. Both films performed only moderately well at the box office. Curtis had a similar function in both films – the main character whose friends are murdered, and is practically the only protagonist to survive. Film critic Roger Ebert, who had given negative reviews to all three of Curtis’ 1980 films, said that Curtis “is to the current horror film glut what Christopher Lee was to the last horror movie glut-or Boris Karloff was in the 1930s”. Curtis later appeared in “Halloween II”, “Halloween H20: 20 Years Later” and “Halloween: Resurrection”, as well as giving an uncredited voice role in “Halloween III: Season of the Witch”.
4. Adrienne Barbeau
The ever enchanting Adrienne Barbeau is best known among horror fans as one of the original Scream Queens. She is one of the few actresses who is not afraid to attack each role with gusto. From Stevie Wayne, the beautiful, gravelly voiced DJ in John Carperter’s “The Fog†to the biggest bitch of in all horror anthologies, Wilma Northrup, in George Romero’s “Creepshowâ€; there is simply nothing that Barbeau can’t do. She has worked with some of the greats of the genre, including the aforementioned Carperter and Romero, she has also appeared as Alice Cable in Wes Craven’s underrated classic “Swamp Thingâ€. More recently she appearing in one of the best direct to video horror films Slasher Studios has ever seen, “The Conventâ€. A mix of “Evil Dead†and “Night of the Demonsâ€, “The Convent†is a hoot and a must see for every genre fan. If you haven’t seen it yet, go over to Amazon and order your copy now. You won’t be disappointed.
3. Danielle Harris
Danielle Harris is, and has always been, one of my favorite “Scream Queensâ€. She has shown a dedication to the genre ever since she was a child. She has appeared in over two dozen horror movies, four of them in the “Halloween†series: “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers†and “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers†as Jamie Lloyd and Rob Zombie’s remakes “Halloween†and “Halloween II†as Annie Brackett. In 1988, she auditioned and was chosen (beating out Melissa Joan Hart) for the part of Jamie Lloyd, Michael Myers’s niece, in the movie “Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myersâ€. Just one year later, she would reprise the role in “Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myersâ€. The character of Jamie returned in 1995 for “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers†but Harris did not participate due to disagreements regarding the changes to her character on the script. After seeing the final film, at least part of me is glad that she didn’t participate.
Harris would later return to the franchise in a much different role, that of Annie Brackett, in Rob Zombie’s “Halloweenâ€, a 2007 reboot of John Carpenter’s classic 1978 original. In this film, she had nudity for a sex scene and her encounter with the dangerous Michael Myers, a career first. She stated “[It] is something that I wanted to do because everyone’s like, ‘Oh, she’s little Jamie. She’s 14.’ And it’s like, no, actually, I’m 30. It’s something that I’ve never done before.†She reprised her role in Zombie’s sorely underrated “Halloween IIâ€.
2. Neve Campbell
Campbell’s first widely released film was the fun, “witchy†horror movie “The Craftâ€. She then got the role of her career. A role that would change her life as a Scream Queen forever. She was offered the leading role in “Screamâ€, directed by horror master Wes Craven. In the film, she plays Sidney Prescott who receives threatening phone calls from a killer with, who is obsessed with scary movies, on the anniversary of her mother’s death. Campbell stated that she “adored†the character saying “She’s a fantastic character for any kind of movie.†Sidney is depicted as an intelligent, resourceful young woman who slowly becomes stronger as she attempts to overcome the threats and deaths around her.
The film was a huge success, earning over $173 million at the worldwide box office, and winning critical acclaim. Campbell’s role as Sidney Prescott has received significant critical praise throughout the series, earning her the title of “Scream Queen in the 1990sâ€. Campbell won the Saturn Award for Best Actress for her role in “Screamâ€. She also received two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Favorite Actress – Horror, for “Scream 2″ and “Scream 3″. The film was followed by two sequels, both of which were also hugely successful, with “Scream 2″ earning over $170 million and “Scream 3″ earning over $160 million. Campbell won the MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance for “Scream 2″. Roger Ebert, in his review of “Scream 3″, wrote of Campbell, “The camera loves her. She could become a really big star and then giggle at clips from this film at her AFI tributeâ€. In 2011, she reprised her role as Sidney Prescott in the wonderful “Scream 4″.
1. Heather Langenkamp
Heather Langenkamp wasn’t always a horror fan and admits that before she was cast in the role that would change her life that she had never seen a horror film. Funny that now, nearly 30 years later, the actress is remembered as one of the greatest horror Scream Queens of all time.
While she was studying at Stanford University, Wes Craven cast her as teen heroine Nancy Thompson in the original “A Nightmare on Elm Street†as he wanted someone very “girl next door†to play Nancy. He believed that Langenkamp met this quality. For the part, she beat out over 100 actresses. The film, follows the story of a group of teenagers who are killed in their dreams one-by-one by a past child murderer turned supernatural serial killer, whom their parents killed. The film was continued the 80′s slasher movie craze, following the trend set by “Halloween†and “Friday the 13thâ€.
The film introduced the iconic villain Freddy Krueger, played by Robert Englund. Nancy, as the film’s protagonist, lives, and defeats Krueger after he has killed all of her friends. Johnny Depp, in his feature film debut played Nancy Thompson’s boyfriend, Glen. Veteran film actor John Saxon played Nancy’s father, police lieutenant Donald Thompson. The film was both a critical and commercial success, earning a total of $25 million at the American box office. In 1985, she received the Best Actress Award at the Avoriaz Film Festival for this role. She also became one of the original scream queens and final girls.
She continued her role as Nancy in “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriorsâ€, in which she co-starred alongside Patricia Arquette and Laurence Fishburne, and “Wes Craven’s New Nightmareâ€, in which she played herself, and through events in the narrative, she is compelled to reprise her role as Nancy Thompson. John Saxon also returned with Langenkamp in “Dream Warriors†and “New Nightmareâ€. “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors†earned nearly $45 million at the domestic box office, making it both the highest grossing film for the studio that year. “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare†earned $18 million at the U.S. box office. The three films in the series in which Langenkamp stars are considered the three best due to their critical reception. As Craven write on the script that Langenkamp reads from, “Thank you for having the guts to play Nancy once last timeâ€, the horror world couldn’t agree more.
I spend a lot of time on Slasher Studios updating the site, promoting upcoming horror movies, and writing reviews for slasher films that hope other horror fans will eventually have the time to enjoy. One thing that I normally do not do is talk about myself. Well, today that is about to change. I figured it would be interesting for those of you out there to get to know the face behind Slasher Studios. The following are ten very random horror facts about me in no particular order. Read them and hopefully enjoy…maybe we are more alike than you may think.
1) My favorite horror movie is the original Black Christmas. Don’t quote me on this however because it tends to change on an almost monthly basis. This, however, is the one that I recommend to everyone whether they like horror or not. It’s a great starter horror film as well as a good first date movie. If your date doesn’t like it, make sure there is no second date.
2) My favorite scream queen is Heather Langenkamp. I adored Heather as Nancy in the three Nightmare on Elm Street films that she appeared in. She brought strength and humanity to the role. She was one of the first Final GIrls to actually put up a fight and destroy evil…at least for the time being. It’s a shame she never broke out because she is one fine actress.
3) I don’t understand the love for Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. I know this is many fans favorite of the Friday the 13th series but I always found this installment to be mean spirited (this film seems to hate women—almost every woman in this movie is either a slut or needs the assistance of a man) and I hated Corey Feldman’s performance as young Tommy. Just annoying and the deaths aren’t even all that great.
4) On the flip side, I don’t understand why more horror fans don’t love Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. A smart, cutting edge horror film that was ahead of its time, this movie is seriously scary and asks the burning question that most horror movies are afraid of—What impact does a horror movie have on those watching it? Scream toyed with this idea a few years later but I think New Nightmare is even better.
5) I don’t understand the love of supernatural horror movies. Don’t get me wrong, these can be done and done well (see Poltergeist and House of the Devil) but normally these types of films just leave me cold. You know you are going to get some doors that slam on their own as well as some creepy music but little else. I don’t mend tension but these films have just become an open invitation to make a bad, cheap horror movie.
6) If I’m not a fan of supernatural horror movies then I really hate found footage horror. I love Blair Witch, I think the first Paranormal Activity features some decent shocks, but…that’s about it. These are cheap, insulting movies that pander to a horror audience that want to see “the real thing”. They are also incredibly lazy and an excuse to feature poor acting (These are real people!). Case in point watch “The Devil Inside” or, better yet, don’t.
7) My first horror movie experience was when I was 6. I watched the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre with my parents. I stayed up all night because I was so scared out of my mind. As soon as I got over my initial shock, I went back for more. Twenty+ years later and I’m still looking to recapture that wonderful experience.
8. I obnoxiously quote horror movies that I’ve seen a million times to friends who haven’t seen them and don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. The biggest offenders: Scream (all four movies), Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Poltergeist III, Slaughter High, and Black Christmas.
9) I have never seen The Exorcist. There is no excuse for this one.
10) If I could meet one horror movie director, it would be Wes Craven. He created at least a dozen of my favorite horror movies and I’d ask him for both advice and tips of the trade. I’d also ask him to see the original cut of Cursed with Mandy Moore.
That is all. Hope that was informative. What are some random horror facts about you?
Samantha Sherwood is a beautiful, aspiring actress who has herself committed to a mental institution to do some background research for the role of a lifetime. Sherwood will be playing a woman with unstable sanity in a film called ‘Audra’. Little does she know that well known director, Jonathon Stryker, plans to leave her at the mental institution for good. After finding out Stryker is letting a new group of girls audition for the role of Audra, she escapes the asylum and plots for revenge.
One of the girls who was going to audition, Amanda Teuther, is stabbed to death before she even gets the chance to go to Stryker’s mansion for the audition in a hilariously over-the-top set piece that actually made me jump a bit. The next day we are introduced to the five other women auditioning for the part of Audra. The girls consist of Patti, Brooke, Laurian, Tara, and Christie. The remaining five girls are left to audition meet Stryker at his mansion. Surprisingly, these five are given more personality than is usually the case in such slashers. These girls are catty, bitchy, and willing to kill for this dream role. Little do they know that there is another visitor along to surprise the hell out of them. If you didn’t figure out that Samantha would be appearing at the house without welcome, you owe me your slasher card. Well, after a night of the girls getting to know each other Christie is brutally murdered while figure skating by someone in a grotesque hag mask outside of Stryker’s house. Are the rest of the girls next?
“Curtains” is a whopper of a slasher film that does nearly everything right. Creepy costume? Check. Intriguing backstory? Check. Likable, if slightly over-the-top, characters? Check. Great death scenes? Double check. I know this movie went though hell in post production. Rumor has it that the film was shelved for a year, during which there were re-writes, re-shoots, and one major re-casting done. Eventually numerous crew members had to be re-hired to shoot the footage to complete the film.
This movie should be a mess. The fact that it isn’t is a miracle in and of itself but the fact that the movie is a damn near masterpiece? Well, let’s just say that the slasher gods must have been looking down on this movie because it is simply incredible. Love the twist at the end, love the figure skater who gets killed by the masked man in the old hag mask, and love the final chase. Sure it isn’t entirely believable and there is a bit of logic that must be stretched thin but that doesn’t stop this movie from being one of the best of its kind. Definitely worth checking out for slasher fans everywhere.
“Final Exam” begins with two college students (Carol Capka and Shannon Norfleet) busy making out in a parked convertible. Ignoring the girl’s frequent objections, her boyfriend pushes on. Watching this scene I couldn’t help but think of Slasher Studios’ own “Popularity Killer.” Crazy how slasher minds tend to think alike as I had never seen this slasher before writing own film. Well, wouldn’t you know it, there is a sound outside…a shadowy madman jumps on top of the car, slicing his way through the fabric roof. Reaching inside, the lunatic grabs the young man and pulls him up and out onto the car’s hood. Brandishing a blade, the killer stabs the poor man to death. Cue opening credits and we are off to a decent start to a decent slasher that you will forget about ten minutes after you are done watching it.
Sleepy Lanier College is nearing the end of Final Exam week, a frenzied semester cap time of grades, goodbyes and pranks. As the students prepare for their tests as well as the coming vacation break, little do they suspect a psycho in a black van is stalking them one by one. Plain but amiable Courtney (Cecile Bagdadi) is completing her exams and studying hard. Averse to hitting the books, her roommate Lisa (DeAnna Robbins) is busy packing and getting back to the city.
Meanwhile, Gamma Delta fraternity pledge Gary (Terry W. Farren) has pinned his girlfriend Janet (Sherry Willis-Birch)…and paid for it by being treed by his brothers, stripped to his briefs, awash in shaving cream and ice cubes shoved down his underwear. As night falls on Lanier, a freezing Gary hopes his beloved Janet will free him from his humiliation. Untied from the tree by an unknown figure, Gary breathes a sigh of relief…and is then stabbed to death on quadrangle lawn. The fun has now begun!
The problem with “Final Exam” is that the last thirty minutes of this film are pretty damn good: suspenseful, fun, and very entertaining. The deaths are mainly bloodless but the suspense is plentiful. Unfortunately it takes an HOUR of lame college hijinks to get the fun stuff. I love character development in horror movies but the little we get to know about these characters in this hour could have easily been covered in twenty minutes tops. That’s not to say this isn’t worth a watch. The acting is pretty solid all the way around and the film is never truly boring. Nonetheless, there is a great slasher here just waiting to be unleashed. This is a film that I would kill to see a remake of. As is, this movie is fairly run-of-the-mill. Nothing special, nothing great, but nothing all too terrible either.
To buy on Amazon: Final Exam (1981) (remastered edition)
