“Dismembering Christmas” Poster Contest: Round 2

Slasher Studios*Dismembering Christmas

christmas

As many of you may know, Slasher Studios’ second slasher feature “Dismembering Christmas” has been running a poster contest to find the ultimate art for our home video release. We started with 26 kick-ass posters and the slasher fans have narrowed our list down to a final top 10. You can vote for the top ten through the link below. On December 1st, we will narrow this list down to a top 5 as decided by the fans. The top 3 posters will be featured on our blu-ray, dvd, and vhs releases respectively. Make sure to vote today. Each share/like/comment counts as one vote each so make sure to vote early and often. A big thank you to the amazing artists for creating this fantastic art and another huge thanks to the slasher fans for vote.

To vote for your favorite posters:
Dismembering Christmas Poster Contest (Round 2)

Share:

Horror Anthology Review: “Campfire Tales” (1997)

Slasher StudiosCampfire Tales

campfire-tales

Today I saw the horror anthology Campfire Tales (1997) on TV. It aired last night around midnight and I recorded it to watch the next day. I heard about it through a best friend of mine on Instagram and she highly recommended it and that’s how I found out about this movie. The trailer looked pretty good and the cast is amazing. I ended up really liking Campfire Tales even with its share of flaws.

The opening segment (“The Hook”) starts good but didn’t last long enough to really leave an impression. I loved Amy Smart and James Marsden in it but it needed to be longer! I was impressed with the black-and-white style however. The second segment (“The Honeymoon”) was suspenseful, creepy and unpredictable! I loved the comedic dark tone to it. I loved Ron Livingston in this segment. Definitely a great segment all by all, especially well crafted. The third segment (“People Can Lick, Too”) was my favorite of the four. Not only is it very original, I also loved how eerie and twisted it got. The characters were fun and the suspense was great. The end of this segment is downright creepy. The fourth and last segment (“The Locket”) was really bland and confusing. I don’t get the approach or the idea behind the story. It did very little to me and it felt flat. While it ends surprising enough its too late. I like the wraparound story of “The Campfire”. Fun characters, amusing jokes and overall a very unexpected twist at the end! Which blew me away, don’t let anyone spoil it for you, its a goodie!

Campfire Tales is a fun and well made horror anthology with half good and half bad segments, a great cast and a terrific plot twist at the end! Its not perfect, the acting isn’t always good but its a recommendation to fans of the horror genre! Definitely getting it on DVD!

–Ferdi Akkulak

Share:

“Dismembering Christmas” Slays New Leading Lady

Slasher Studios*Dismembering Christmas

10751892_804160056296605_1014617013_n

Due to scheduling conflicts, Kelli Anderson will no longer be playing the role of Sam in Dismembering Christmas. We wish Kelli the very best and hope to work with her in the future. However, we do have some very exciting news. The talented and lovely Nina Kova, who was originally playing Lauren in the film, will now be playing the lead role of Sam. We know Nina will make for a hell of a leading lady in our slasher and we are excited to see what she brings to the role! Let the slay ride begin!

Share:

Home Sweet Home: “Jessabelle” (2014) Review

Slasher StudiosJessabelle

325-s-jessabelle

Following an accident that leaves her crippled, Jessabelle “Jess” (Sarah Snook), returns to her childhood home with her father (David Andrews). It is during her stay there that she discovers video tapes for her made by her deceased mother (Joelle Carter). As she begins to recover more of the tapes, Jess finds herself being haunted by a vengeful spirit that is out to get her. Enlisting the help of her old friend Preston (Mark Webber), Jess sets out to uncover the secret of the home she thought she knew.

Prior to viewing the film, my expectations were really low. It didn’t look bad, but it didn’t look exactly enticing either. Seeing the trailer in the theater, only to have it receive a limited release and a VOD release. While I wasn’t entirely blown away, it wasn’t as lousy as I was anticipating. Sarah Snook provides a very well-done performance as the title character. I admit the accent was irritating a lot of the time, but she did very well with the role and conveyed the emotions she was supposed to spot on. The rest of the cast, while not bad, doesn’t provide anything noteworthy. As for the story itself, I did find myself growing antsy, it was consisting of so many elements of a typical haunted house flick. However, once the final act approached, things began to get interesting, and when the final act does happen, I found my attention completely glued. It features some pretty decent twists and turns, unfortunately, it bares a strong resemblance to particular horror film which I will not indicate in order to avoid giving anything away. Despite this fact, it was satisfactory and it actually made sense, and was very enjoyable. The Louisiana setting also worked very well for the film and provided a decent but familiar atmosphere.

While not exactly original and takes a while to finally gain momentum, Jessabelle goes out with quite a bang, and in the end provides a semi-interesting story. It also shows that Sarah Snook has what it takes to make it in the horror genre.

–Cody Landman

2

Share:

“Don’t Go to the Reunion” Cuts Into New Grindhouse Trailer

Slasher Studios*Don't Go to the Reunion

1396054_526580624093097_1232475869_n

It’s been over a year since we released our first slasher feature, Don’t Go to the Reunion, and you guys are still wowing us with your slasher love. A huge thank you to the incredible Jayme K for creating this Grindhouse style trailer (below) for the film. Have you picked up your DVD yet? We started out with 1000 dvds and now we have less than 100 left so act fast. Once these are gone, these are gone for good!

Plot synopsis:
Scott Rantzen (Brady Simenson) is a horror movie loving misfit who is teased by the popular students in school. When a date with the very popular and very beautiful Erica Carpenter (Stephanie Leigh Rose) backfires, he feels as though his life is ruined. Ten years later, the gang reunite for their class reunion. Little do they know that someone is waiting for them and ready to see that they pay for what they did. Is Scott back for revenge and will the old gang survive to tell the tale? It’ll be more gore for Class of 04.

Region Free, Factory Sealed Don’t Go to the Reunion DVDs are now available!
* Audio Commentary with the filmmakers
* Teaser Trailer
* Blooper Reel
* “Class of 2004” Yearbook
* Audition Reels
* Three Slasher Studios short films (Teddy, Popularity Killer, Blood Brothers)

Order your dvd today:
http://slasherstudios.bigcartel.com/

Share:

“Dismembering Christmas” Poster Contest: YOU Pick the Winner!

Slasher Studios*Dismembering Christmas

mBNkIIK

Here’s the drill, horror friends! We are starting the contest early to pick the new Dismembering Christmas artwork to be used in the official release of the film. Check out the 26 posters through the link below. We need your help in picking THREE posters to be used in the DVD, Blu-Ray, and VHS releases of the film. Simply comment DVD for your DVD choice, Blu-Ray for your Blu-Ray poster pick, and VHS for your VHS poster pick. Each one counts as a vote. Sharing the posters you want to win counts as another vote as well. The top 10 will be announced on November 20th as we start round two of the contest. Any questions? Let’s do this!

To Vote:
“Dismembering Christmas” Poster Contest: YOU Pick the Winner!

Share:

Horrific Brand New “Dismembering Christmas” Posters

Slasher Studios*Dismembering Christmas

rsz_dismembering_christmas_contest_poster

10704087_647158368737973_2514237475408198347_n

Xmas3

We have FOUR brand new Dismembering Christmas posters to share with you incredible slasher fans. You guys are really killing it when it comes to these amazing designs. We can’t thank you enough and we are ready to get gory with this holiday slasher. Hope you guys are as ready as we are!!

A special thank you (in order) to Garreth Gibson Illustrations, Jeff Quick, Austin Hinderliter, Joseph Henson, and Noah Nicholas Nelson for creating these fantastic posters!

Make sure to like the official FB page for updates on the film:
Dismembering Christmas Facebook

64744_647545978699212_3605693054940448463_n

63400_647085515411925_7442503414920555491_n

Share:

31 Days of Horror: “Ouija” (2014) Review

Slasher StudiosOuija

ouija-movie

When her friend Debbie (Shelley Hennig) dies in what appears to be a suicide, Laine (Olivia Cooke) thinks there’s more to her death and it may involve the Ouija board that was in her house. Laine then enlists the help of her boyfriend Trevor (Daren Kagasoff), her sister Sarah (Ana Cato), her friend Isabelle (Bianca A. Santos), and Debbie’s boyfriend Pete (Douglas Smith). The friends decide to use the same Oujia board the home where Debbie died. When they think they’ve made contact with Debbie, they feel they can finally put things to rest. However, something dark and sinister has broke through and they must figure out how to stop it.

Ouija is made from the much hated company known as Platinum Dunes, and it is a PG-13 horror film. This alone makes the horror community already hate it. However, this viewer found the film very entertaining film. It takes a simple idea as a Ouija board that’s been used in several supernatural films and throws into a very well-executed script. It does feature a few horror cliches such as people suddenly appearing, doors slamming, and even the cliche of the parents conveniently going out of town right when things are about to go down. However, the overall story is interesting and features a pretty decent, although not totally surprising twist. One thing I always give Platinum Dunes credit for is their excellent use of setting, filming style, and atmosphere. All of which shows up here. Many of the settings the characters find themselves help boost the the spook/creep factor, as does the cinematography and set design. The film isn’t scary, but it does a great job of providing just enough a creep factor to put the viewer in the right mind-set. And it does have seem genuine creepy moments, especially in the final act. The young cast also does very well with their roles, we believe them as a young group of kids, and they come off as pretty realistic. Olivia Cooke in particular who is known from the popular series Bates Motel shows that she can definitely pull of the role of the main girl. We really believe her as a girl wanting to know the truth and eventually wanting to save her friends. Definitely one actress to keep an eye on. One thing that particularly makes the film enjoyable is an excellent cameo made by an actress very well known in the horror genre.

Ouija may be made by a company with a bad rep in the horror community, and it’s PG-13, featuring some horror cliches. But it is a very entertaining film with a fun story, a great cast, excellent and creepy atmosphere/settings, and some genuinely spooky moments. Easily the most enjoyable PG-13 horror film since Insidious.

–Cody Landman

3

Share:

31 Days of Horror: “See No Evil 2” (2014) Review

Slasher StudiosSee No Evil 2

18d81y

Following the events of the first film, the sequel takes place shortly afterwards. We meet Amy (Danielle Harris), a young woman just finishing up her shift as the local morgue. When news arrives that the corpse of killer Jacob Goodnight (Glenn “Kane” Jacobs) is about to arrive, Amy cancels her birthday plans to help her co-workers Seth (Kaj-Erik Eriksen) and Holden (Michael Eklund) with the body. To Amy’s surprise, her friends show up unexpectedly to celebrate her birthday. The group features the feisty Tamara (Katharine Isabelle), her whipped boyfriend Carter (Lee Majdoub), the bubbly Kayla (Chelan Simmons), and Amy’s brother Will (Greyston Holt). It’s not too long before Jacob Goodnight rises from his slab and is out to crash the party and the group must find a way out of the enclosed morgue to survive.

While I was a fan of the original film, I didn’t find it anything great, but still fairly fun. I was shocked that it actually snagged a sequel. And it was ultimately an enjoyable one. It wasn’t miles better than the first, but still entertaining and slightly better. The film takes place in an excellent setting, many places to run, but plenty of places to get lost. Especially in the dark. Kane is badder than ever in his return as Jacob Goodnight. Showing no mercy for our characters. Scream Queen Danielle Harris is solid as always as our leading lady. She’s a friendly girl with edge who will do whatever it takes to get her friends and herself out alive. Also notable is other Scream Queen Katharine Isabelle. She plays the rule of Tamara with a perfect amount of feistiness and provides laughs with her over-the-top character moments. The rest of the cast does a decent job with their roles. As opposed the first film, the characters themselves range from tolerable to likable, and it helps that they are diverse and have their own personalities. The kills, while sometimes brutal, aren’t nearly as fun or creative as the ones in the original film, but it doesn’t bring the film down. What also scores the film points is the shock factor for a certain moment that occurs towards the end of the movie.

Overall, See No Evil 2 isn’t a perfect slasher film, but it is a fun sequel that features a nice cast with likable enough characters, and a decent body count. But what really stands out the most is the setting and following the characters throughout it. Keeping the audience on edge, not knowing what lies around every corner or in any room they find themselves.

–Cody Landman

2.5

Share:

31 Days of Horror: “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” (2014) Review

Slasher Studios*31 Days of Horror

TownDreadedSundown_OneSheet_OCT16_F

Many years after the killings in small town by a killer known as “The Phantom” resulted in the making of the 1976 film The Town That Dreaded Sundown, Texarkana is once again plagued by murders. Every Halloween, the town has a drive in screening of the original film depicting their own town. On this particular night, Jami (Addison Timlin) and her boyfriend Corey (Spencer Treat Clark) decide to bail on the film and go elsewhere. When they are attacked by an assailant dressed as The Phantom, Jami starts to suspect that history is about to repeat itself, and the new Phantom has certain plans for Jami and her small town.

It is difficult to say whether this version of The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a reboot or a sequel. But whatever it is, it works. The original film had its creepy moments, but this film has a lot more going for it. For starters, this definitely has more of a slasher film feel to it than the original. We are given a very creepy killer, plenty of great and spooky night time scenes with him, plenty of chase scenes, and excellent and bloody kills. Not to mention it is VERY well-filmed with a great atmosphere and nice splicing between this and the original film. It also keeps you guessing as to what exactly is going on. Our leading lady played by Addison Timlin, while definitely isn’t legendary as far as a Final Girl, but she’s likable enough for us to root for her. And she has very sweet scenes with her grandmother, played by Veronica Cartwright. The acting isn’t bad, but it’s not anything great either. Timlin does well with the lead role, and easily does give the best and only note-worthy performance of the film. The concept itself is very interesting in how it is trying to bring new life the original film, and bring in a new generation. However, the concept does have a few problems. It bares a very strong resemblance to Scream 4 in trying to re-create the events of a real story/film in the film’s world. In fact, there’s a few things that can be compared to with Scream in regards to this film. The twist is another one of its weak spots. When it’s revealed, it’s not so much shocking as it is that you don’t see much point to it.

Despite the film’s borrowing of ideas and strong resemblances to Scream/Scream 4 and the awkward twist, this reboot/sequel is ultimately a fun slasher film. Let’s face it, there haven’t been many good ones. So if you look for particular aspects in a slasher film like a creepy killer, chase scenes, a decent body count, and bloody kills, with a likable lead, you may just enjoy this. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, which makes it all the more fun.

–Cody Landman

3

Share: