Guilty Pleasure Horror Movies: “Black Christmas” (2006)

Slasher Studios*Guilty Pleasures

My choice for guilty pleasure week is brainless gore-fest remake Black Christmas.

The film tells the story of a group of sorority sisters; Kelli (Katie Cassidy), Melissa (Michelle Trachtenberg), Lauren (Crystal Lowe), Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Dana (Lacey Chabert), and their house mother Ms. Mac (Andrea Martin), who find themselves being stalked by an escaped psycho killer named Billy. It all begins with them receiving creepy phone calls, but as the sisters begin to notice that their other sisters are going missing, they realize that something is really wrong. When one of the missing girls’ sister (Kristen Cloke) appears to pick her up, she joins the girls in hopes of surviving the night. Merry Christmas Delta Kappa.

Let me start by saying that this remake is extremely bad and in no way comes close to being as good and amazing as the original. However, that doesn’t leave this viewer with a few positive things to say. The remake does try to follow the original, but what really ruins it is giving the killer a backstory, but also throwing an inbred daughter/sister in the mix. To me that’s what really prevented it from being good. The film is bad, but there is a lot of fun to be had here. It has blood/gore, hot girls, laughs, and a high body count. What more could you ask for with a mindless slasher? I will admit that it has some nice acting from its hot cast. Especially from Michelle Trachtenberg, Crystal Lowe, and Lacey Chabert. The film also has a surprisingly great atmosphere. It really sells the fact that it’s taking place on a stormy Christmas night, and it has that creepy empty house feeling with all the creepy noises an old house would make. The set design also throws it all together well. One other thing I felt this was really lacking a chase scene. Melissa does get one, but it is way too short, but I guess it’s better than nothing.

Despite what you may hear about this movie, I still highly recommend it. As long as you turn your brain off and just enjoy the great cast, kills, fun characters, and the atmosphere, you may just hate it much less. The original will always be amazing and a classic, but there is nothing wrong with a bad horror movie that will still provide some fun. Another note, forget everything you’ve seen in the theatrical trailer, because at least half of the footage does not exist in the film. Which is a huge disappointment.

–Cody Landman

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“The Gingerdead Man 2” Isn’t Quite as Fresh or Tasty as Original

Slasher StudiosGingerdead Man 2

After having a fun time with the original Gingerdead Man, I was more than excited to check out the sequel. The name alone hooked me right in-Gingerdead Man 2: Passion Of The Crust. This flick was distributed by Full Moon Entertainment, it’s got a perfect running time of 82 minutes and features the killer gingerbread man; what could go wrong???

The young owner of Cheatum Studios is doing what he can to save the business, but the blood-thirsty cookie has different ideas as he brings terror to the low budget productions. With fun and cheesy deaths and effects that one would expect, it is easy to have some fun with this film.
The downside, at least on my part, was the comedy aspect of this horror-comedy. I just felt like I wanted to laugh way more than I did. Maybe this is more of a movie to watch with friends while playing some kind of drinking game. That seemed to work great with Birdemic! Or maybe it just needed Gary Busey to return?

All in all, I found many pros and cons with Gingerdead Man 2: Passion Of The Crust, but this film sure can be part of a fun night if paired with the other parts of the series. So, go out and rent/buy the dvds and call it a Gingerdead Man marathon night!

–Steve Goltz

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“Trashology” Plays As Perfect Antidote to Bland Hollywood Filmmaking

Slasher StudiosTrashology

I guess you could say Trash Cinema is a bit of an acquired taste. Not everyone fan of film can fully appreciate the blood, sweat, vomit, and other bodily fluids that go into making a true Trash Cinema gem. With the death of the drive in and multiplexes popping up in suburbian America everywhere, it is a dying subgenre of film that hasn’t been visited in quite sometime. When I received word of a new Trash flick from filmmakers Brian Dorton and Douglas Conner, I jumped at the opportunity to review it. In the world of bland PG-13 horror movies and remakes, Trashology sounded like a breath of fresh, vomit infused air. Imagine the most twisted episode of Strangers with Candy you’ve ever seen, mixed with some early John Waters, and sprinkled with a dash of Troma. If that sounds like the perfect cocktail to you, Trashology is the movie you’ve been waiting for.

The anthology flick begins with a wraparound story as we meet Tracy (a sweet but deliciously cynical Laura Lee Black). Tracy is a middle aged woman going to college to become the next underground Trash filmmaker. After giving her film professor oral sex for arriving late for class, she finds herself with a “Trashology” book full of stories featuring sex, violence, and just about every bodily fluid imaginable. Is Tracy ready for the journey into utter madness and will this help her become the next great Trash Cinema cult leader?

In the first story titled “The Vat” we meet Beatrice (Jenny Coulter) and Laura (Rodney Horn). Imagine Mink Stole as a 65 year old cranky, nicotine addicted spitfire and you have an idea of who Beatrice is. As for Laura, imagine Mrs. Fine from The Nanny cranked up to 11 with a delightful, mean spirited sense of humor. The duo are met by religious fanatic Claudia (Angie Keeling) who is severely pissed off she got ripped off at 25 cent Banana Wednesday. After a bit of a mix up, Claudia ends up dead and Beatrice and Laura are forced to bring her back using an Oujia board. By far my favorite segment of the film, “The Vat” features a knock out performance by Horn as the delightfully kooky Jewish woman Laura. I really can’t say enough about Horn’s performance as he had me laughing with every line that came out of his mouth. Coulter and Keeling are wonderful too and the trio are so off-the-wall and nutty that I would love to see an entire feature wrapped around these three characters.

Next up, we have “Big Debbie” as we meet a rather large woman in her wedding dresses crying as she is walking down the street holding snack cakes. Debbie (in another delicious performance by Horn) has just been stood up on her wedding day. She meets a young man on the street who offers her a shower back at his place to clean up. When she arrives at his apartment, his friend is waiting for her and the twosome plan to use her for some rather kinky sexual games. When one of the two men end up dead, Debbie is forced to get rid of the body. Little does she know an angry lesbian (Rachel Stout) bent on revenge has seen her and wants to get some justice of her own. This story is a lot of fun and doesn’t quite play out the way that many viewers will be expecting. Less grotesque than the first story, this installment still feels like a wildly over-the-top and gaudy episode of “Tales from the Crypt” meets Very Bad Things. No…I mean that in a good way!

In our final story, the amusingly titled “Inglorious Bitches”, we meet Katrina and Melissa (played in wonderful, go-for-broke performances by Dorton & Conner), a pair of female vigilantes who discover a cell phone application in which they are able to track down sexual predators in their area. Hidden secrets and a nice twist ending put a smile on my face through this entire installment. While this story runs a little on the long side (at least a few minutes could be trimmed as the story becomes a little repetitive), it features the same spirit of the other stories with an attitude that perfectly fits the style of films such as Pink Flamingos and Desperate Living.

“Trashology” isn’t a film for everyone. If you can’t handle vomiting, diarrhea, female masturbation, and gratuitous nudity..this film probably isn’t for you. Nonetheless, if you’ve been waiting for that perfectly trashy flick to offend your friends and shock the neighbors, “Trashology” is the cinematic obscenity you’re looking for. It’s rude, crude, and over-the-top. Something tells me John Waters would be proud. Long live Trash Cinema!

–Kevin Sommerfield

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Guilty Pleasure Horror Movies: “The Incredible Melting Man” (1977)

Slasher Studios*Guilty Pleasures

Heaven help me, but I’ve loved this goofy, gory B-horror film ever since I first saw it on Mystery Science Theater 3000 back in 1996. It firmly remains a favorite guilty-pleasure for me.

Astronaut Steve West returns to Earth from a disasterous (and unconvincing) space voyage to Saturn. However the radiation from the mishap has had some alarming side effects. Steve is now melting, literally, and becomes a gooey, murderous monster that wreaks havoc on the suburbs. The amazingly wooden Dr. Ted Nelson is mankinds only hope and gives chase!

The Incredible Melting Man is a cheesy delight of B-horror goodness. Recalling the old fashioned sci-fi horror yarns of the 1950’s yet with a rich dash of 70’s grindhouse tackiness, this bloody trip is terrifically entertaining. The cast is suitably bland and over-the-top in their performances, as their vague, sometimes downright weird, characters deal with the issue of being mutilated by a dribbling monster. The movie has several silly offbeat moments – a fat nurse runs through a window, a photographer hits on Cheryl Smith, and a wacky old couple decide to steal lemons (don’t ask). The direction is fairly static, the music score typically 70’s synth noodling, and the retro styles loud. What is perhaps most impressive here are the gruesome makeup effects of a young Rick Baker. Baker’s work is great here, as the film truly hangs it hat upon the slimy monster effects.

Whether you laugh, scream, puke, or just groan at this campy venture, fans of B-horror are sure to chew up this old school ditty.

–Alex Dillard

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Tim’s Horror Tweet Reviews: “The Lost Boys” (1987)

Slasher Studios*Slasher Tweet Review

Our one and only resident twitter reviewer Tim Schilling is back with a look at the vampire classic “The Lost Boys.” One of the first “MTV style” horror movies some have slammed the film for being a case of style over substance. Nonetheless, the film was a huge hit on initial release taking in nearly $40 million and has remained a popular horror movie to this day. Let’s see if Tim’s stab at the film turns him into a fan of vampire flicks.

Thoughts before the film:
If you’ve talked to me about horror movies before you’ll know I’m not a huge vampire fan. Tons of people recommended this one. #TheLostBoys

Thoughts while watching:
0:05 This movie already has an advantage of being made in the 80’s. I’m a sucker for a good 80’s movie.
0:07 I don’t want my grandpa to play dead next time I see him…
0:09 Read the tv guide, you don’t need a tv! Perfect sense.
0:22 I swear the mother in this movie is smoking something.
0:32 I don’t understand what these vampires are trying to do. Hanging from a bridge?
0:37 I should keep count how many times they said Michael/Mike in this movie. It’s literally every other word.
0:40 You wait until mom finds out you’re a vampire!
0:51 Yup the mom is definitely on something.
0:58 This is such an awkward dinner.
1:01 These vampires are straight up hooligans.
1:14 I want everyone in the town to end up being vampires at the end.
1:23 Death by stereo!
1:24 Are you serious? That was a little boy? I thought it was a girl this whole movie…
1:29 I knew he was the head vampire. I knew it when he asked to be invited in the house.
1:30 I bet the mom is thinking she’s having a bad trip right now.
1:33 Hahhaa, grandpa. “All the damn vampires!”

Final Verdict:
Pretty much loved #TheLostBoys. So corny but smart with tons of horror references at the same time. Great story and music. Not sure if it was supposed to be funny but I got a bunch of laughs out of it. Definitely one of my favorite vampire movies now.

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

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Slasher Studios Horror Webcast: Guilty Pleasure Horror Movies

Slasher Studios*Slasher Studios Podcast
Where Shopping Costs You an Arm AND a LEG!

On this week’s episode of Slasher Studios, our hosts Kevin Sommerfield and Steve Goltz will be joined with special co-host Dave Kaye as the three discuss their all time favorite guilty pleasure horror movies. Movies they should be ashamed they love but still love anyway. Show starts Monday September 3rd at 10PM central. Find out if your guilty pleasure makes the cut! Simply click on the link below to listen in live or to catch an archive of a previous show.

Slasher Studios Horror Webcast

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Death Of The Day: “Cabin Fever 2” – Paul’s Bus Smash

Slasher Studios*Death of the Day

Director Ti West takes on this ultra gory sequel with one thing in mind: BLOOD! And he sure does deliver the goods. Paul, played by Rider Strong, makes an appearance (it’s short, but an appearance nonetheless) as he tries his hardest to make it out of the woods alive. Unfortunately for him, but lucky for us horror fans, he picks the wrong time to cross the road. As a school bus comes barreling down the road, the bloody and bloated Paul begins to lose his balance and falls victim to the bus as his body is BLASTED into a millions pieces and scattered across the road.

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Tim’s Slasher Tweet Reviews: “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3” (1990)

Slasher Studios*Slasher Tweet Review

It’s been awhile but our Twitter reviewer Tim Schilling is back with a brand new tweet by tweet review on “Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3.” The film was a box office bomb when released grossing less than $10 million in theaters and receiving harsh criticism among both fans and critics of the series. Out on DVD in an unrated cut, does the film deserve the scorn it received or does the added carnage make the film worth the buzz?

Thoughts before the film:
I get to choose to watch the rated version or the unrated version. I wonder what I’ll pick. #TexasChainsawMassacre3

Thoughts while watching:
0:02 Oh hey Ken Foree. I didn’t know you were in this.
0:15 …when is something gonna happen.
0:18 There’s at least one Psycho reference in every slasher film.
0:22 This chase scene makes no sense.It was day when they left,guy in the truck left at night, now they’re together.
0:26 Leatherface what did I tell you about coming out of no where and making me jump like that!
0:27 How did this woman get her license!? She hits everything on the road!
0:31 Ken Foree doesn’t age.
0:38 Leatherface is like a ninja in this one with all his little gadgets and how he keeps appearing out of nowhere.
0:45 The Texas in this series is completely different in each movie. Very few things are simar about the setting.
0:50 Grandpa looks dead again. I bet he’s gonna walk around later as usual like nothing happened.
1:01 I just want Leatherface to be as mean as he was in the first one.
1:06 No Leatherface, ‘food’ is not the correct way to spell Santa. Try again.
1:12 These fight scenes have great music.
1:15 Chainsaws don’t float around in water!

Final Verdict:
I’m not sure why I love The Texas Chainsaw series as much as I do, and Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III just proves it again. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III was a good spin on the simple story that the first made, I loved the sets, and all the characters were different from each other and the characters from the other movies which made it even more entertaining.

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

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Fairy Tale Horror Movies: “The Company of the Wolves” (1984) Review

Slasher StudiosCompany of the Wolves

Good, fairy tale-based horror films are a rare breed. RARE. Anyway, here’s my favorite: The Company of Wolves (1984)

Young Rosaleen lives in a colonial village on the outskirts of the dark European wilderness. Her grandmother tells her cautionary tales of the wilderness, not of monsters but rather mysterious men who can become wolves. Grandmother warns Rosaleen not to venture into the woods, but of course, she does and, of course, she meets a shifty, strange man – who grows increasely hairy.

I love films that embrance the beauty of surrealism and what I like to call “nightmare logic.” The Company of Wolves is a perfect example of a film that does just this. Rather than feed its audience a typical werewolf horror yarn, we are taken on a truly dream-like journey through a series of fairy tale-like vinyets, myths, episodic terrors, and darkly humorous moments. The plotting is complex, but brilliant in it’s own way, enhabiting an atmospheric world full of compelling pathos and haunting mood.

Director Neil Jordan shows a serious flair for stunning visuals, while the cast delivers nicely, and the makeup department turns out some startling creations. Most memorable are the wolf transformation scenes, wherein an entire wolf emerges from the mouth of the mysterious stranger. Jaw-dropping indeed.

For anyone who appreciates the unique horror oddity, or just a good Grimms fairy tale, The Company of Wolves is a perfect choice. Not for all tastes, but that just makes it all the more appealing in my mind.

–Alex Dillard

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