Father Knows Best: “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” Review

Slasher StudiosNightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

If 1988 was Freddy at his peak, 1989 was the beginning of the end for Freddy. With 1989 saw the release of “The Dream Child”, the fifth installment of the Freddy franchise. Audiences were not impressed. The film grossed a little under half of what its immediate predecessor earned ($22 million vs. $49 million). Audiences seemed to have their fill of Freddy. Was “The Dream Child” just an underrated classic released at the wrong time or did this film deserve to be gutted at the box office?

Well, let’s start at the beginning. The film starts with Alice, having survived the previous installment of the Nightmare series, finding the deadly dreams of Freddy Krueger returning once again. This time, the finger-knifed murderer is striking through the sleeping mind of Alice’s unborn child. His intention is to be “born again” into the real world. The only one who can stop Freddy is his dead mother, but can Alice free her spirit in time to save her own son?

The biggest problem with “Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” is the same problem that exists in “Freddy’s Revenge”: it breaks the rules of the series. Why would Freddy want to live on in the real world when the real world is the only thing that can kill him? Add in some hokey mother moments and an “in the womb” Krueger and you get a pretty dreadful sequel. The cinematography is top notch and the actors do what they can but, by this point in the series, who really cares? This isn’t a terrible entry but just a middle-of-the-road one. By this point the series is starting to show its age. Can Freddy’s Dead turn it all around?

Buy It Here: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 – The Dream Child

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“Dream Master? Sounds Like a Game Show Host to Me.”

Slasher StudiosNightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

By 1988, the Nightmare series had reached its peak of popularity. Freddy was everywhere from the late night news to hosting his own show on MTV. Freddy was no longer scary, he was marketable. So it should come as no surprise that the fourth entry in the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series is the series’ least scary movie yet. That is not to say that “Dream Master” isn’t a hell of a lot of fun. Far from it. From the MTV style visuals to the use of pop music, the film is a kaleidoscope of the 1980’s. Scary, however, it isn’t.

“Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” starts with the surviving team of “Dream Warriors” united once again to battle Freddy Krueger. One by one the surviving group are killed off by Freddy. However, Kristen (who has the ability to draw others into her dreams) wills her special ability to her friend Alice before her demise. Soon after, Alice quickly realizes that Freddy is taking advantage of that unknown power she now wields to pull a new group of teenagers into his “chest of souls”.

Truth be told, “Dream Master” is probably the most fun a viewer can have with the series. The deaths are completely imaginative, the special effects top notch, and the acting is solid on all accounts. It is also probably the most quotable entry of the series. It is entertaining as hell. Nonetheless, part of me wants Freddy scary again. As cool as the deaths are (Debbie’s cockroach death being the highlight death of the entire series for me), something here is missing that made the third installment so special.

Buy It Here: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 – The Dream Master

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Arizona State Unversity was NOT Ready for Teddy

Slasher Studios*Teddy

As executive producer and director of TEDDY, we had two goals when we began this project. (1) We set out to create an in-your-face slasher film that would appeal to horror fans and (2) make a movie that we were proud of. We feel as though we achieved both goals. As many of you may know, TEDDY had been selected to the Chicago Fear Fest and received a fantastic review from Cinema Crazed. We thought everyone would love our film, we guess we thought wrong…

Every student coming into the Arizona State University film program is told that they will never be censored. That being said, this movie was not allowed to be shown in this year’s annual capstone showcase. We were shocked at the resistance we got from the capstone committee. One faculty member stated the film was, “troubling and traumatizing.” Our response? “Thanks. It’s a horror movie.”

Fellow students felt that completely censoring the film would do more harm than good. Being able to show the piece and then discuss it afterward would have been beneficial to all. But in the end, the committee wouldn’t budge and we were denied the screening that we had been looking forward to for years.

But this is about more than just us. Several students in next year’s class have already thought about changing their scripts or abandoning them all together in fear of being censored. Could the ASU film program be blocking the next big filmmaker?

Furthermore, we know our friends, family, cast/crew and myself were greatly anticipating this moment. We wanted this to be more about them, than about us. Being able to thank them and for them to see how their support has contributed to making this movie was exciting to us.

Throughout this whole mess, Steve’s professor and many of his fellow classmates have showed amazing support. They wore TEDDY bracelets to show their support during the showcase. We thank everyone who stood up for TEDDY. Steve must also thank his professor for always allowing him to follow his creative instincts. This is definitely a trait every teacher should have.

Please leave any questions or comments you may have. We would love to hear what others outside of ASU feel about this situation.
　
Thank you,
Steve Goltz
Kevin Sommerfield

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Ain’t Gonna Dream No More: “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” Review

Slasher StudiosNightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

If ever there was a horror sequel that screamed the 1980’s, it would be “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors”. Crazy punk chick? Check. Wheelchair Dungeons and Dragons obsessed geek? Check. Zsa Zsa Gabor? Check. Dokken theme song? You better believe it, check! Dream Warriors is both a faithful to sequel to original masterpiece as well the rare sequel that actually advances the story without just being a carbon copy reboot of everything that made the first film great.

Picking up where the original Nightmare left off, Nancy has grown up and become a psychiatrist specializing in dream therapy. She meets a group of children at a local hospital facing Freddy Krueger, the same demon she once encountered in her sleep. The “leader” of the last of the Elm Street teens is Kristen. Kristen has the rare power to draw other people into her dreams. Nancy, with the help of Kristen, helps the kids realize their special abilities within the nightmare world. When Freddy captures one of her charges, she leads a rescue attempt into Krueger’s domain, in hopes of putting his spirit to rest once and for all.

Dream Warriors is just all around a great sequel. I love that Nancy’s back for one last final battle with Freddy. A new addition too is the fact that Freddy is now able to target the teen’s fears and use it against them in their dreams. This makes the deaths more frightening and some of the use of special effects (the puppet scene, the television scene, etc) are just ingenious. Everything about the sequel works and when Freddy and Nancy have the one last showdown there is a bit of sadness at the end. It’s ***SPOILER ALERT**** always sad to see your hero die in the arms of the villain but it’s nice to see that Nancy isn’t willing to go down without a fight. In all honesty, the series should have ended with this installment.

Buy it here: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 – Dream Warriors

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Nightmare on Gay Street: Freddy’s Revenge

Slasher StudiosNightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

I will start out by saying that I am a huge fan of the original “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. I happen to think that it is one of the greatest slasher films ever created. A strong heroine, a terrifying villain, and an intriguing concept make the film worlds better than your standard 1980’s slasher flick. As for the sequel, “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge”, well…it’s…umm…interesting.

The film has a teenage boy named Jesse Walsh and his family moving into Nancy Thompson’s old house on Elm Street. Within days of moving in, young Jesse begins to have horrific nightmares – ones that feature a burned man in a dirty red & green sweater, with knives on the fingers of his right hand. His neighbor & new sweetheart, Lisa, discovers the truth behind Fred Krueger and his horrible murder spree. Freddy vows to take over Jesse’s body to continue his vile crimes against the Elm Street residents. Soon, those closest to Jesse start dying violently. Will Lisa’s love for Jesse be enough to help him overpower the demonic presence inside him? Or will Freddy get what he wants to become Jesse and live on in the real world.

For those of you who haven’t seen this film, I don’t really know what to say besides the fact that it is very, very homoerotic. From the gym coach that Jesse finds at a gay bar (???) while sleepwalking to the gym coaches’ bondage death to the love scene between Jesse and Lisa in which Jesse can’t “perform”. Everything about this movie screams gay…and I haven’t seen talked about the dancing bedroom cleaning scene. It’s all funny, campy, over-the-top and “oh so 80’s”. haha

But the problem with Nightmare 2 isn’t its gay themes, it’s the fact that it breaks too many of the rules laid out by the original. Why would Freddy want to be in the real world when the real world is the only thing that can kill him? How does Freddy make the parakeet explode if no one is dreaming? It doesn’t make scene. I will give this film some credit. The imagery is imaginative, the acting solid, and Freddy is pretty damn scary. It just doesn’t feel like a Nightmare movie. This is both it’s greatest weakness and it’s greatest fault.

Buy it here: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 – Freddy’s Revenge

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Going to “Hell” Has Never Been So Much Fun: “Drag Me to Hell” Review

Slasher StudiosDrag Me to Hell

I will start this review off with one simple fact: I love Sam Raimi. I remember staying up late at night as a child watching the original “Evil Dead” through the corners of my fingers. It scared the hell out of me but, at the same time, there was something genuinely gratuitously amazing about the film. It was bold, bloody, filled with puss and maggots, and gore. It was incredible. If the nine year old me at the time could have married anything, it would have been The Evil Dead.

After the Evil Dead trilogy, Raimi pretty much stayed away from horror (not including the excellent and sorely underrated “The Gift”). That is until 2009 when Raimi splashed his way back into the scene with “Drag Me to Hell.” I’ll be the first to admit that I had no desire to see “Drag Me to Hell.” PG-13? Yawn. Ancient spirits? Double yawn. Justin Long? I think I’m falling asleep already. Little did I know what I had coming.

The plot is relatively simple. Determined to impress her boss and get a much-needed promotion at work, Christine Brown lays down the law when mysterious Mrs. Ganush literally comes begging for mercy at her feet. In retaliation for being publicly shamed, Mrs. Ganush places the dreaded curse of the Lamia on her unfortunate target, transforming Christine’s life into a waking nightmare. Her skeptical boyfriend, Clay, casually brushing off her disturbing encounters as mere coincidence, Christine attempts to escape eternal damnation by seeking out the aid of seer Rham Jas. But Christine’s time is fast running out, and unless she’s able to break the curse, she’ll be tormented by a demon for three days before literally being dragged to hell.

What follows is gore, gore, and more gore. How this film was granted a PG-13 I’ll never know. A waterfall of a nosebleed, gooey dentures, dancing goats, maggots…if you can imagine it, it’s here. The film works as a social satire (the death of the middle and lower classes) and as a horror/comedy (the ritual at the end has to be seen to be believed). The performances are top natch and the ending is quite ballsy in its conviction (you’ll see it coming a mile away but will be surprised they actually follow through on it). Overall though, if you love movies like “The Evil Dead”, “Army of Darkness”, or “Cabin Fever”, it’s a must watch. It is one of the best horror films of 2009.

Buy it here: Drag Me to Hell (Unrated Director’s Cut) [Blu-ray]

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First review of “Teddy” is in…

Slasher Studios*Teddy

Felix Vasquez Jr. from Cinema Crazed says “director Steve Goltz is a talent to watch out for, if only for his ability to create one hell of a maniacal slasher film that is short in length but vast in talent and classic potential” and he foresees “”Teddy” being a hit at many horror film festivals from here on in and if you’re in the mood to bear this gem, by all means keep an eye out for it.” Thanks a lot for the awesome review Cinema Crazed. Below is a link where you can check out the review for yourself.

http://www.cinemacrazed.com/reviews-archive/138-teddy.html

"It's Gonna Be a Bear!"
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Top 10 Horror Villains

Slasher Studios*Top Ten

Kevin’s List

10. Flesh Eating Virus-“Cabin Fever”
While not a villain in the traditional sense, the villain of Eli Roth’s “Cabin Fever” is something much creepier than the norm for the slasher genre. The villain of the film is one in which you cannot avoid and it’s something that you cannot see, hear, or sense around you. The flesh eating virus is a staple that is rarely done in horror and, after seeing this film, it makes me wonder why. The villain uses your own body as a host and, in the end, even you cannot save yourself.

9. Chucky-“Child’s Play”
Everyone’s favorite little good guy started out scary and mean before becoming campy and hilarious by its third and fourth sequel. Whether you prefer Chucky to be a little bastard that can kick your ass or as the homicidal family man (alongside his bride, Tiffany), Chucky is hard to beat for pint sized terror.

8. Man/Woman-“The People under the Stairs”
So creepy, so weird, so fucked up, they don’t even have/need names. The villains of Wes Craven’s “The People under the Stairs” are incestuous, crazy, and looking for the perfect children. They represent the “family values” of the Regan era 80’s and Bush loving 90’s. The villains are social commentary at its finest but that doesn’t make them any less intimidating. “IT’S TIME TO CLEAN HOUSE!”

7. Leatherface- “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
Transvestite, cannibal, family man. How does one put a label on Leatherface? Sure, he’s a little bit “out there” and his passion for wearing the skin of those he kills is a bit umm….off putting..but he’s a good guy. Right? I mean, just look at the way he swings that chainsaw to bring “food” home for his family. Yeah, he’s just a family man doing what he can to support his low income family. Doesn’t mean he still doesn’t scare the fuck outta me….

6. Billy-“Black Christmas” (1974)
Forget neon yellow Billy and his tranny sister in the god-awful, but still perversely enjoyable remake, THIS is the real Billy. Throughout the entire film, we see various sorority girls getting hacked to death and receiving strange telephone calls. What we don’t see is Billy. No motive, no reason, no face, no man..Billy could be anyone of us. If that doesn’t make a true psycho, I really don’t know what does.

5. Ghostface-“Scream”
The 90’s villain of fear and fun. “Scream” to often gets a bad rap with horror genre fans. “It’s too mainstream! It’s too hip! It’s too clever!” Forget that. “Scream” gave the horror genre a shot of adrenaline that it so sorely needed at the time. It’s postmodern horror at its finest and Ghostface was the perfect villain of this era. Faceless, shapeless, and blank, Ghostface is scary because like the best villains, he could be anyone.

4. Candyman- “Candyman”
Candyman was THE horror villain that scared me the most when I was a child. I don’t know if it was the bloody stump of a hand, the oversized phallic hook, or the swarm of bees that swarm around his chest. For me, Candyman just oozed creepiness. He is scary as hell and made me terrified of Chicago for years to come. I still refuse to ever step inside Cabrini Green.

3. Michael Myers- “Halloween”
America’s “original” boogyman, Michael Myers personifies fear. The film and the villain that started the slasher craze cannot be given enough credit by me or anyone else. Without Michael and without “Halloween”, horror would not be what it is today. A masked killer stalking babysitters? Sounds routine today but this started an entire genre. Michael is scary because as Dr. Loomis says he IS evil and you can’t destroy evil. No matter how hard you may try.

2. Jason Voorhees- “Friday the 13th”
One man, TWELVE movies. It’s hard to imagine the 1980’s without Jason and without this series of films. This, out of all of the films on this list, really started the whole rule of slashers. “You have sex, you die.” If those teenagers hadn’t been making love….there would be no movie series. Whether you like Jason as a child, Jason as a potato head, or Jason with the hockey mask, Jason is just fucking cool. He may not be as scary as some of the other villains on this list but he is something that Michael never was. Fun

1. Freddy Krueger- “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
America’s favorite child killer. Ick…just typing those words gives me the creeps. But, Freddy truly is the best of the very best. He is scary because he attacks something that you cannot control: your dreams. He is in control of your dreams and he knows it. Armed with a razor hand and hideous burns, he is truly terrifying. While I’m not as big of a fan of “Funny Freddy” as some, you gotta give Robert England credit. He took that role and never looked back.

Steve’s List
10. Teddy.
He has the motivation. He has the look. He has the moves. He has the teddy bear. Pretty much you perfect killer.

9. Jaws
This shark has struck fear into many movie goers in the past years.

8. Jigsaw
Although he was doing the actual killing, he did set up the games that lead to the demise of many.

7. Billy loomis/stu macher
The original of the scream series lead the way for the stream of copycat killers.

6. Leatherface
He’s big and dumb and kills people like other villains could only dream of. The chainsaw brings him to the 6th spot.

5. Angela Baker
So this killer has all the motivation needed to slaughter up a handful of victims at camp. Its a dude that was forced to dress up as a chick!

4. Jason Voorhees
“Kill kill kill kill.” Enough said.

3. Michael Myers
Just his theme music alone is enough to creep someone out. Michael has been killing since he has just a kid and has no intentions of stopping anytime soon. This puts him at #3.

2. Chucky
Yep that’s right, chucky. He has the unique factor going for him. As opposed to the countless other killers who are big and tall and wear a mask, this guy is small and short and wears bib overalls. Plus, he has quite the mouth on him.

1. Freddy Krueger.
Horror movie villains don’t get better than this guy. With his always recognizable glove, Freddy slices and dices with creativity and style. What gives Krueger a one up over the rest? He can kill you in your sleep. A true living nightmare.

Buy the Nightmare Box Set: Nightmare on Elm Street Collection

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