“Don’t Go to the Reunion” Killer Facebook Contest

Slasher Studios*Don't Go to the Reunion

Don'tGototheReunion(HappyBdayposter)

The support for our latest feature Don’t Go to the Reunion has been tremendous and we are prepared to give back to the slasher fans. If we can get to 400 likes by the end of the week, we will give out a special slasher goodie pack with a combo dvd set and poster. Winner will be chosen at random so you don’t HAVE to be the 400th like. If we get enough likes, the winner will be announced live on Monday’s Slasher Studios Horror Podcast. Tell all of your horror friends and let’s see Don’t Go to the Reunion take over Facebook.

To like the film:
Don’t Go to the Reunion Facebook

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Not Quite Horror: Unknown Animal Husbandry Video (????)

Slasher Studios*Not Quite Horror

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Not Quite Horror contains reviews of films not traditionally considered horror films. By analyzing them as horror films (identifying the monster, discussing the shared worry for the audience and the main characters, and understanding the depth of horror available to the viewer), who knows? There’s more than one way to watch a movie.

Unknown Animal Husbandry Video (????)

(Note: The author encountered this video in the late 90s, while offering A/V assistance to an agricultural class.

The Monster: The monster is a harmless animal caregiver. Throughout the course of the video, he provides competent care to a variety of female horses. He speaks in a friendly manner, and he makes no sudden movements.

The Horror: The man stands beside a female horse while wearing a plastic glove that goes all the way up to his shoulder. He makes some small talk and, before you know it, he’s using all of that glove to examine the horse.

Then, another horse. Another glove. Another horse examined.

Things look up for the third horse. He’s not wearing a glove, and he’s talking happily. Everything is fine. Then, he reaches into his pocket. Pulls out his glove.

It happens again.

The Shared Fate: Like puppies and kitties, horses are magical creatures we like to think of as above vulgarity.

The animal husbandry video would not elicit a moment of horror from anyone who works with animals. For those who find a connection to their own gentleness and innocence in animals, seeing the biological reality of our inner childhood can be quite upsetting.

— I am indebted to Noel Carroll’s The Philosophy of Horror for his ideas on defining horror, as well as John Skipp and Craig Spector’s article “Death’s Rich Pageantry, or Skipp & Spector’s Handy-Dandy Splatterpunk Guide to the Horrors of Non-horror Film” in Cut! Horror Writers on Horror Film for a similar idea.–

–Axel Kohagen

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Kevin & Steve’s Horror Movies: “Blood Junkie” (2010) Review

Slasher Studios*Kevin & Steve's Horror Movies

BloodJunkiePoster

Kevin: From director Drew Rosas, Blood Junkie is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Actually, take that back, if you are a fan of 80’s no-budget slasher, it is EVERYTHING you’ve seen before. Nevertheless, this is the rare movie that uses familiarity with some stylish editing choices and godawful 80’s fashion to create a one of a kind slasher experience.

Steve: I had heard nothing but great things regarding Blood Junkie, but I was not sure if it was going to able to live up to the hype. Fortunately, this not only meet the hype, but exceeded any and all expectations that I had. Great script, great acting, and an all around great fun!

Kevin: Set in 1989’s Wisconsin and described as a “hyper-hipster 1980s horror comedy”, Blood Junkie tells the story of two teenage girls Laura (Sarah Luther) and Rachel (Emily Treolo) who are babysitting Laura’s little brother for the weekend. Left with $35 (“Do you know how much alcohol you can buy for $35? A LOT!”), the two girls head to the local gas station to get some supplies. It is at the gas station that they meet Teddy (Mike Johnson) and Craig (Nick Sommer), a couple of guys looking to go camping and score for the weekend. Before long the fivesome have made their way to the forest for some sex, drugs, and death.

Steve: After the girls find themselves too close for comfort with an unwanted stranger, the two boys go into hero mode and look to save the day! Armed with a gun and a hangover, Craig leads the way through the thick forest as the duo seeks out an abandoned factory that houses their dates. Will they be able to save the day or will they meet their demise at the hands of the Blood Junkie?

Kevin: Can I describe for you in a sentence how this movie looks? The sets look like someone threw up wood chips and the clothes look like they were hand me downs of hand me downs of hand me downs from decades past. This might not be a selling point for many, but for me, this film never loses sight of its 80’s homage style. The performances are all absolutely perfect with special attention paid to the Nick Sommer as hot-shot Craig with one of the ugliest mullets and sweaters around. If anyone could sell this asshole character and make him likeable, it is Sommer. An all around fun time, if you like your slasher films cheap with a good sense of humor about themselves, this is a must watch.

Steve: Oh yeah, with top notch set design and cinematography, Blood Junkie easily sets itself apart from other indy horror films. The editing is also a factor that is not to be overlooked. There are a few stylish cut sequences and edits that had an Easy Rider feel to them. Not only did the editing work, but it worked great. Check this one out today and if nothing else, you will love the hilarious Lloyd Kaufman intro at the beginning.

To buy from Amazon: Blood Junkie (DVD)

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Slasher Studios Talks VHS with “Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector”

Slasher Studios*Interviews

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Slasher Studios recently had the chance to talk with Dan Kinem one of the creators of “Adjust Your Tracking: The Untold Story of the VHS Collector” about the VHS boom, VHS collecting, and how the format is making a comeback even today.

First off, tell us a little bit about your new documentary Adjust Your Tracking.

Adjust Your Tracking is a feature-length documentary directed by me (Dan Kinem) and Levi “Dabeedo” Peretic. It is a passion project of ours all about the love we and so many others share for VHS. It documents the culture surrounding VHS and VHS collecting and will hopefully give insight into why people still cherish what many call a “dead format.”

What made you decide to take on this project and has VHS always been a part of your life?

Well, I started a website called VHShitfest a few years ago where I published reviews for movies that I watched on VHS. I began getting heavily into the collecting world and thought now was the time to do a documentary sharing people’s love for the format. I realized there wasn’t anyone else who was going to be able to capture this subculture and knew that it was well-deserving of being documented. VHS has always been a part of my life. There hasn’t been a period where I haven’t owned at least some VHS, but for a while there I was caught up in the bug of DVD and heavily into collecting Criterions, but I never fully forgot about VHS and rekindled my love of the format when I slowly started purchasing and hunting down movies that you couldn’t get on DVD.

I know that you started out with Kickstarter as a way to raise funds for the documentary. What were some of the challenge of completing a successful Kickstarter campaign?

Well, I had to spend the majority of my time promoting the Kickstarter and the film and trying to get people to take notice, but I think once they saw how enthusiastic I was about it and saw the teaser trailer they were more willing to donate money. Kickstarter and all the people who donated really helped us out and I can’t thank them enough. Without them the movie would have probably never happened.

What makes VHS special to you?

Where do I begin? Getting a new tape is like getting a piece of history and seriously comes with hours of entertainment for me. It might sound nerdy or whatever, but I love being able to look at a new tape, the labels, how poorly the plot is written, how amazing the art looks, checking out the film to see what cut of the movie it is and what trailers are on it. There’s so much greatness that comes with getting a single tape and so many memories that come with revisiting or looking at my VHS that I don’t see how anyone could not like VHS. It’s one of the most fascinating aspects of film history and without it we wouldn’t have probably 10,000+ movies that we do. VHS made it possible for independent films and low-budget films to reach an audience and it gave way for many artists and hucksters to try to market movies in unique/entertaining (still to this day) ways. It’s just an amazing and vast world of amazingness.

Being made “by VHS lovers for VHS lovers,” what were some of the most fascinating collections you saw?

Without spoiling any of the documentary we saw some of the most impressive and amazing collections out there. From the biggest to the smallest, all of the collectors we talked to had great things to say and shared a great love for the format. I can say that we came across an entire COMPLETELY functioning video store in someone’s basement and an entire trailer in the middle of nowhere filled with possibly the rarest collection of films I’ve ever seen, even in pictures. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

At the height of the VHS boom, the UK revealed their “Video Nasties” list and many films were banned outright. What effect did this have on video collecting?

Well, I’m not from the UK and never had any experience with the Video Nasties list, but I know this had a huge impact on video collecting and film/film censorship as a whole. Many of these titles are still hard or impossible to get in their complete uncut forms there making the uncut versions on VHS highly rare and collectible. It sucks that many great horror films were unrightly censored and banned.

With several films like The Sleeper & V/H/S featuring special VHS releases, is the format due for a comeback?

I think we are currently experiencing that comeback. When I have random teen girls on Instagram asking me what I thought of V/H/S or when I walk into FYE and see The Basement VHS/DVD big box on the shelf I’m pretty sure that’s a comeback. Yeah, it might not have registered with everyone yet, but a vast majority of people who pay attention to what is going on in the film world should have begun recognizing that VHS isn’t a dead format and is well on its way to possibly becoming a marketed item again, maybe even being adopted by a major company.

What is your all time favorite VHS release?

I have so many favorite tapes and they change daily. I love both of my Snick VHS because those really take me back to my childhood. I also love my copies of Black Devil Doll from Hell, Spine, Lunchmeat, 555, Hellroller, etc. There’s too many to name!

What is status of Adjust Your Tracking and when will fans of the format be able to check out the film for themselves?

The film is finished besides a few minor tweaks. We are aiming for a world premiere some time in April for the movie, but no date or place has been set in stone yet. Beyond that, however, there will be a screening in Stroudsburg, PA at the second annaul VHS Collectors Unite Convention/Short Film Festival, which should be amazing. The movie will also headline the VHS Fest in New York state in June, as well as play at the release show for the new issue of Lunchmeat sometime in between then. More information about these screenings can be found at our Facebook.

A big thank you to Dan for the awesome interview. Make sure to keep the lookout for Adjust Your Tracking and long life VHS!!

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Kevin & Steve’s Horror Movies “Halloween: Obsession” (2013)

Slasher StudiosHalloween: Obsession

Kevin: From indie filmmakers Nick Petito & Ron Paglio Jr. comes “Halloween: Obsession,” a 40 minute homage to John Carpenter’s “Halloween” that tackles powerful subjects such as bullying, horror movie obsession, and the effect parents and peers can play on a teenage horror fan.

Steve: This film can relate to any of the horror fans out there on a number of levels. Horror fans, can at times, feel like the outcast like the main character Marco. With slashers taking a back seat to pretty much everything, we as horror fans feel the need to defend our love. We all have had the odd times dealing with parents and kids at school and this film brings that to the front in an eye opening, yet fun way.

Kevin: As the film begins, we meet Marco (played with sincerity by co-director Ron Paglio, Jr.) as he is tortured and tormented by the teens he goes to high school with. They tease him mercifully about his obsession with the Halloween series and his family at home is even worse. They continue the torment at home and all he has to look forward to is watching his favorite “Halloween” series to pass the time away. One day Marco says enough is enough and….well, this being a 40 minute short, I don’t want to give away too many of the surprises.

Steve: The characters and acting in this film exceeded my expectations and I loved Marco’s parents the most. The back and forth between the mom and dad had me laughing out loud and the acting was spot on for the this particular film. The bullies featured in the film were also solid and acted as comedic relief as well. The acting was very well rounded for a low budget film and it was a great surprise.

Kevin: “Halloween: Obsession” is a very worthy first feature that hits on a lot of sensitive subjects while, at the same time, staying very true to the independent horror genre. It isn’t perfect, some of the sound is a bit muddled and the film is a little on the long side for a short, but it is very entertaining and I can’t wait to see what these guys do next. The passion and drive shown here is exactly what independent horror needs.

Steve: Passion in exactly what these filmmakers have and it shows. Not only did they put in the work to create a film, but they revolved the film around what they love. With a few audio tweaks and a few cuts to trim the running time, I’m sure this flick can find itself in a festival near you.

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Not Quite Horror: “Three Men and a Baby” (1987)

Slasher Studios*Not Quite Horror

three-men-and-a-baby

Not Quite Horror contains reviews of films not traditionally considered horror films. By analyzing them as horror films (identifying the monster, discussing the shared worry for the audience and the main characters, and understanding the depth of horror available to the viewer), who knows? There more than one way to watch a movie.

Three Men and a Baby (1987)

The Monster: Three Men and a Baby’s monster does not come from the movie itself. In fact, this monster is the unintentional result of accident and imagination.

The monster is the ghost of a 9-year-old boy who committed suicide on the set of the film and shows up in the background of a scene, peeking through curtains. Except the scene was filmed on a soundstage and the image of the ghost is really a cardboard standout from an odd angle (if you’re not familiar with this particular urban legend, read more about it here).

The Horror: Reality never stopped a good haunting. The wacky, heart-warming comedy becomes horrifying and upsetting when it is watched specifically for the purpose of finding the boy’s ghost.

The movie is about three bachelors opening their hearts to love a baby left on their doorstep. Watch the same film to see the ghost of a sad, dead boy and the joy turns to a powerful sadness. What would go through the mind of such a lost soul? How dark and angry would he become, watching and waiting? Who could blame him?

The Shared Fate: People die. More than that, they die in all sorts of places. If a PG rated family comedy can be haunted by a dark force, can anywhere truly be safe?

After all, do you know everything that happened in the buildings you work in? Shop in? Live in?

What’s peeking through your curtains?

— I am indebted to Noel Carroll’s The Philosophy of Horror for his ideas on defining horror, as well as John Skipp and Craig Spector’s article “Death’s Rich Pageantry, or Skipp & Spector’s Handy-Dandy Splatterpunk Guide to the Horrors of Non-horror Film” in Cut! Horror Writers on Horror Film for a similar idea.–

–Axel Kohagen

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Slasher Studios Tournament: The Best Horror Movie Director (FINAL Round)

Slasher Studios*Horror Directors Tournament

Tounament_of_directors_final_round

In round 2, YOU the slasher fan had final cut as to what directors made it to the next last stage of the horror director game in our Ultimate Best Horror Movie Director Challenge. It is now Craven Vs. Carpenter in the match made in hell. You can vote once per day for your favorite horror director and the winner will be announced on March 31st. Let’s see who gets crowned the ULTIMATE horror movie director.

[polldaddy poll=6956265]

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“Popularity Killer” Wins Best Scene at Peculiar Film Festival

Slasher Studios*Popularity Killer

PECULIAR_WINNER_copy

We are proud to announce our slasher short “Popularity Killer” has been received the award for Best Scene from Peculiar Film Festival. A big thank you to everyone involved with the Peculiar Film Festival and a huge thank you to the wonderful cast and crew of “Popularity Killer” for making this happen.

Plot Synopsis:
“After a young girl is found murdered, a group of teens at Payton High must band together to piece together the horrifying travesty. The teens soon discover the mysterious killer is killing only the most popular students in school. As their friends die one-by-one in the most shockingly gruesome ways possible, they realize that being “in” may not get them out…alive. Every school has an it list…pray you’re not on this one.”

“Popularity Killer” stars Courtney Ellen Bay, Matty Dorschner, Mike Goltz, Jennifer Frey, Hannah Herdt, Dana Michele, Jamie Jo Roen, and Kevin Sommerfield. Directed by Steve Goltz and Written by Kevin Sommerfield.

To order a copy of the “Popularity Killer” Special Edition DVD featuring filmmakers commentary, photo gallery, trailers, and much more click on the link below:


Popularity Killer DVD




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Picking Favorites: The “Final Destination” Series

Slasher Studios*Picking Favorites

Ranking a horror film series is usually just asking for trouble. For every one person that agrees with you, there will be at least a dozen that feel cheated by your list. “How DARE you rank X above X? What were you thinking?!?!” Today at Slasher Studios we have decided to take my ranking skills to the test and take on the Final Destination franchise. Agree with the list? Disagree? I want your feedback! Which Final Destination film do you feel is the most successful? The following is my list from best to worst. Let the games begin!

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“Final Destination 2”
“Final Destination 2″ is wittier, smarter, and bloodier than its original. It is clever in the way that it ties our characters from this film with characters from the previous installments. The deaths are incredibly inventive and stand as the best deaths of the entire series. The ending in particular is a black comedy miracle that shouldn’t work but does. Granted some of the acting can be a bit over-the-top and melodramatic and some of the effects don’t hold up as well as others. Nonetheless, this is still the rare sequel that takes everything that works about the original film and adds to it. A definite must see for fans of the original.

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“Final Destination 5”
Original concept? No. Great acting? No. Wonderful story? No. But..let’s be honest…who cares? “Final Destination 5″ is the most fun I’ve had at the theater thanks to an ingeniously clever ending. This movie works from beginning to end thanks to some incredible death scenes and some solid performances. This is actually the first “FD” movie that I’ve seen since part 2 in which I actually CARED about the characters. This isn’t a perfect movie. The middle drags a bit and I did feel a bit cheated by at least one death. Nonetheless, this is by far and away my favorite of the series. Just don’t let ANYONE give away the twist ending. That’s the best part of all.

“Final Destination”
“Final Destination” found mixed reviews as it was released. Some complained about the acting and felt the film was dramatically flat. Many critics found it be be crude and a waste of time and money. But, with all the negativity coming from these old-stuffy and out-of-touch “film critics,” the film found itself a worthy fan base and took in 10 million on its opening weekend. The film peaked at number three and lasted in theaters for 22 weeks in the United States and took home an impressive 112 million internationally. With the financial success from Final Destination, this movie was able to spawn multiple sequels with extremely high success overseas, a rarity for a slasher series. Overall, it’s a fun start to a fun series. The characters are fairly likable here and the death scenes are fairly ingenious. But, I still enjoy Part 2 more.

“Final Destination 3”
The cons: The acting is bad, the story borderline, but it doesn’t really matter. The pros: The deaths (nail gun, tanning bed, cherry picker) are ingenious in their design and that ending is one of the better ones of the series. Nonetheless, in all honesty, this is probably my least rewatchable of the franchise (four is worse but at least it is twenty minutes shorter). The characters are pretty annoying and movie feels strangely padded. After the wonderful “Final Destination 2”, this feels a bit like a let down. That being sad, there is enough carnage candy to go around for those who love their bodies extra bloody. This isn’t high art by any means but it gets the job done.

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“The Final Destination”
At barely 82 minutes, its hardly even a movie. The film plays out like a collection of “best of” deaths that you might find in the $5 bin at Wal-Mart. It’s a collection of been there, done that situations in which the actors don’t have names, they have death orders. I can just see the production team now, “Body #18, you are needed on set now!” It’s all just really, really stupid. But, and this is a huge but for a lot of slasher fans, it somehow all works. It’s less serious than the disappointing “Final Destination 3″ and the actors seem to be having a good time with their meager parts. I know a lot of slasher fans hate this sequel but I had a good time. Go in with low expections and maybe you’ll have a bloody blast as well.

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