Companion to “Conversations in Horror” - “The Best in ‘80s Slasher Films”

Companion to “Conversations in Horror”

“The Best in ‘80s Slasher Films”

In the podcast “Conversations in Horror” hosts Ron McLellen and I look at different aspects of the horror genre in order to entertain and educate fans.  This article is a companion to the show as a means to touch upon things that the show doesn’t have time to.  Enjoy.

I have a deep love for ‘80s horror films.  The ‘80s were a great time for filmmakers to explore every sub-genre of horror film out there.  It also happened to be one of the biggest decades for the slasher genre so I’d like to take a few moments to look out at all of my favorite ‘80s slasher films.  Some you may have seen while others you may have only heard about in whispers but all (in my opinion) are worth taking a peek at.  Films are presented in alphabetical order rather than in a list leading to the best of the best.

BOOGEY MAN, THE (1980)

This is an indie little slow burn of a psychological film that has a lot of atmosphere and mood.  Not necessarily considered to be an excellent film but it has its charms and its one of director Ulli Lommel’s best films.   When I first saw it as a kid I was expecting a monster film but I ended up with a film that was so much more so now I fondly remember it as a film that wanted to be something more than a simple slasher horror film.

CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)

Next to Black Christmas (1974) this is one of my favorite Christmas themed horror films.  Director Lewis Jackson’s blackly comic film about a crazed Santa Claus who decides who is naughty enough to be killed.  Unlike the similarly themed Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) this film doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a lot more fun.  I enjoy both films but this is the one I put in every Christmas (next to Black Christmas that is).

FRIDAY THE 13^TH (1980)

Everyone loves a great slasher and it doesn’t get any better than the original Friday the 13^th (even without Jason).  I’m still a fan of this film and prefer the mystery aspects of this film that was lost in the sequels (except for maybe Part V).  More modern audiences may scoff at this film since it doesn’t have Jason in it but it does contain the amazing special FX make up talents of Tom Savini which means this film never disappoints from beginning to end.

FRIDAY THE 13^th PART 3 (1982)

Jason is a force to be reckoned with and nothing makes that more true than this film which is in 3-D and Jason gets his signature hockey mask.  The 3-D effects may be dated (and don’t hold up so well in 2-D) but this film is one of the most fun of the sequels.  I’m not a huge fan of the franchise (sorry, but I’m a Michael Myers fan) but this is one of the most entertaining of the sequels and not one to be missed.

FUNHOUSE, THE (1981)

 I will say this for the Tobe Hooper directed film – it grows on you.  I was not a fan of this film when I first saw it.  I thought it was a badly done film with nothing interesting to say.  At the suggestion of my best friend (and co-host of the show) who loves the film, I decided to give the film a second chance.  This, like many of Hooper’s films, are better the second time around.  Hooper’s films generally lack a strong story but make up for it in visuals and flare which this film has abundance in.  Growing up I never took his films all that seriously so I never really cared for his style but that’s what makes his films so entertainingly good – Hooper has style and it permeates every one of his films, so, even if his films lack a good story they more than make up for it in different ways.

HALLOWEEN II (1981)

This is not my favorite of the Halloween sequels but it is one of my favorite sequels of the ‘80s.  Before the sequels post-Part IV came I watched this film (with the original) every Halloween as if they were one film.  For the longest time I couldn’t watch one without the other.  There are a lot of great things about this film that still resonate but I loved the fact that sacrifices had to be made to end pure evil at the end of the film and there were no true winners (at least until part IV reveals that neither Myers nor Loomis actually died at the end).  This was supposed to be the end of the Myers story and a start of something different for subsequent sequels but we all know how that ended.

HELL NIGHT (1981)

Whatever you have to say about this film “boring” isn’t one of them.  Linda Blair is fantastic in this by-the-numbers slasher.  Despite the film being pretty predictable it’s never boring and always entertaining from beginning to end.   My opinion of the film may be a little bit misplaced as I’ve always been a huge fan of Blair’s.  I had a crush on her from way back which still allows me to enjoy her films more than I probably should (hey, I’m someone who thinks that The Exorcist 2: The Heretic isn’t a bad film).

HUMONGOUS (1982)

This was one of the scariest movies I ever saw growing up.  This is probably because I remember seeing a dark and grainy version of the film so everything horrifying was amped up any more.  This was also one of my mother’s favorite horror films so I saw this plenty of times growing up and it still holds a special place for me.  Most of my friends had never heard of the film before I mentioned it to them and it seems to be one of those films that were quickly forgotten upon release but it is a film worth seeking out.

MANIAC (1980)

This is one of my favorite films that I don’t plan on watching a second time in a while.  This is part of the same list that includes Martyrs (2008), Cannibal Holocaust (1980), and The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2009) which are films I think are great but not films I’m going to stick in the DVD/BD player and re-watch when I want to be entertained.  This is a polarizing film with a gripping performance by Joe Spinell and beyond fantastic make up FX (again) by Tom Savini.

MOTEL HELL (1980)

A cult favorite and one of my favorite films of the ‘80s.  This is one of those rare ‘80s films that got the comedy and horror right without being an all-out spoof.   This may be a little dated but it is also one of the most entertaining films from the ‘80s that has been overlooked for far too long.  Check this film out if you never have.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981)

Next to Halloween this is one of the greatest films that depict the derailment of a holiday.  This is a great film from beginning to end and still holds up very well even to this day.  I love a good killer in a mask and this film has one of the truly very best.  This is probably one that everyone has seen.

SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE, THE (1982)

Okay, this is a guilty pleasure film if there ever was one!  This may not be a great film but it is entertaining from beginning to end and one of the best of the ‘80s hands down.  These types of “throw-away” films may not be everyone’s cup of tea and it might be dated but it’s still one of my favorites to just put in the DVD/BD player with a beer in hand and just enjoy which you should as well.

Okay, so here is a small sampling of some of my favorite ‘80s slasher films.  There are MANY more that I never mentioned that are favorites but these should get you started.  Enjoy and if you want to hear more go to the actual “Conversations in Horror” podcast – “Talkin’ ‘80s Slasher Films” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wc9g-QrU6U or visit our Facebook Page at - https://www.facebook.com/conversationsinhorror?fref=ts

"Rants & Ravings About Horror - Week 10: “Watching Bad Horror Films”

Week 10: “Watching Bad Horror Films”

If you’re like me then you’re a horror fan who has seen your fair share of bad horror films.  Now, I’m not talking about bad horror films that entertain you and you watch because they’re “so bad they’re good” (i.e. Plan 9 From Outer Space).  And I’m not talking about films you thought were going to be good because the trailer was good but turned out bad (i.e. The Pyramid).  No, I’m talking about watching the trailer for a film or reading about a film and knowing beforehand that it was always going to be bad no matter what.  I’m talking about a film like C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the Chud (1989) or The Lawnmower Man 2: Job’s War (1996) or House of the Dead 2 (2005) or The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1994) (yes, I use the original theatrical release title because that’s how I originally saw the film).  These are films with trailers so bad and a synopsis so bad that they shouldn’t have even been made much less watched.  But they are were and some even have a small cult following.

Having reviewed many horror films over the years I’ve watched more bad films than good ones at this point and many of them I’ve never seen a trailer so I’ve had to rely on poster images and synopsis to go by.  Films with titles like Airplane Vs. Volcano (2014) and Blood Valley: Seed’s Revenge (2014) and The Bell Witch Haunting (2013) and Paranormal Asylum (2013) and Don’t Go in the Woods (2010) and 13/13/13 (2013) you know going in that they’re going to be pretty bad and if not bad then completely ludicrous.  I mean, you can’t really (honestly) have high hopes for a film called Sharknado (2013), but we watch these films anyways regardless of how bad we know they’re going to be.

I enjoy bad horror films.  I actually enjoyed some parts of Airplane Vs. Volcano and I chuckle at Sharknado.  I’ve probably even seen Plan 9 From Outer Space more times than I should have but it’s a great movie to just have playing in the background when you just want to chill out, drink a beer, and relax.  I don’t think I can relax at home drinking a beer and watching Martyrs (2008).  It just isn’t happening.  Have you ever tried a night with your significant other and asking him/her to sit down and watch Hostel (2005)?  I’m sure it never goes over well, but if you said let’s watch Sharknado 2: The Second One (2014), they probably replied with they’ll get the popcorn and candy. 

When you want to watch to good comedy horror you pull out Shaun of the Dead (2004) not Day of the Dead 2: Contagium (2005) (which is funny for all the wrong reasons) but if you want stupid comedy you always pull out Army of Darkness (1992), which has many drinking games associated with it.  Why do some people love the horrendous Jason X (2001), when there is a Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) and a Jason Goes to Hell (1993) right before it?  Does anyone even remember Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) over A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)?  Both are considered the worst of the series but we’ve all probably seen them more times than we’d like to admit.  How about any one of the Hellraiser sequels after Part 3 or the Jaws sequels after the first one?  We’ve all seen them and we all consider them bad despite having seen them more than several times. 

Sometimes bad films have good moments which is why we watch them and continue to go back to them from time to time to not only remind us how bad they were but how awesome that one moment in each of them can out shine all the other bad parts contained within.  I don’t know about you but I liked Super Freddy in Freddy’s Dead and Jason knocking a man’s head off with one punch in Jason Takes Manhattan was worth a film that’s all on a boat in a water way that’s somehow connected to New York City.  Sharknado 2 is well worth watching Tara Reid get her hand bitten off and replaced by a buzz saw as is watching Ian Ziering getting swallowed by a shark and surviving.  Jason beating some female campers trapped in a sleeping bag against a tree and not dying (you have to see it to believe it) is one of the funniest moments in the film as is watching director David Cronenberg die in the opening of Jason X.  Watching Gerrit Graham in C.H.U.D. 2 is like watching him reprise his Beef character from Phantom of the Paradise (1974), only dead.  And in terms of the Jaws sequels – I just like watching people get eaten by a great white shark and not realize that they should’ve closed the beach before it was too late plus Michael Cain does ham it up pretty good in Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

There is no denying that all these films are bad films.  They’re even worse horror films as they don’t even try to horrify, terrorize, or even bother with a coherent story (most of the time) and are mainly played for laughs anyways.  Most of the time they know they’re bad and are in on the joke (i.e. Jason X and Sharknado).

The real travesty is those horror films trying to be good but fall flat on their ass.  For one reason or another they just don’t click with an audience and, unfortunately, are easily forgotten.  Child’s Play 3 (1991) and Friday the 13^th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) and Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) and The Thing (2011) and Pulse (2006) and One Missed Call (2008) and They (2002) and Carnival of Souls (1998) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1962) and An American Werewolf in Paris (1997) and Prom Night (2008) and way to many more to mention but you get the picture.

Now personally I enjoyed some of these films that I just mentioned but for the most part the majority of horror fans (and audiences in general) has either ignored these films or forgot they even existed.  There is nothing bad about watching bad horror movies or even liking them.  I for one need the bad films for all my drinking parties because watching a good horror film is just not the same and if I want to enjoy a horror film with my girl it most certainly won’t be The Descent (2005) because she hates horror films but will more likely be Army of Darkness (because she loves Bruce Campbell but then again who doesn’t) or the latest Sharknado (which is how I originally watched the first two).

Don’t be afraid of bad horror films.  Embrace them just like the Syfy Channel does!

Film Review: ALLIGATOR X (2010)

Mad scientist who create mutated killer animals is nothing new which is exactly what’s wrong with the film ALLIGATOR X (also known as XTINCTION: PREDATOR X).  Locals in the swamp lands are mysteriously disappearing and a local Sheriff Tim Richards (Locklyn Munro) and his old flame Laura (Elena Lyons) soon discover that there is a new predator on the loose that has made their homes its stomping grounds.  After a short investigation it is revealed that Laura’s ex-husband may have something to do with resurrecting a long extinct dinosaur and is trying to find a suitable place to allow it to breed and multiply.

I wish I could say there was more to the film but there really isn’t.  As written by Cameron Larson (with story credit going to Larson, George Kostuch, Caleb Michaelson, and Claire Sanchez) and directed by Amir Valinia this film is an uninspired and unoriginal mess.  You’d think that with five people behind the story of the film that you would at least get something original or at least entertaining but this film is neither.  The film is a knock-off of the hundreds of mad scientist films that came before it and the direction is pedestrian at best.  The film lacks any suspense and the story drags on even with this type of film.   Performances are abysmal even for Munro, who has proven his talents in such films as DRACULA 2000 and FREDDY VS JASON.  He’s playing the by-the-numbers sheriff (a role he’s been pigeonholed in).

I appreciate the occasional mad scientist creating killer monster film (SPLICE (2009) is an excellent example of this) but this story has been done to death and that’s “bad” death at that.  The SFX are not at all passable and what little humor there is disappears due to all the bad character stereotypes.  It’s not a very competent film and if it was at least entertaining I might forgive the many other problems.   

Book Review: Making Friday the 13th: The Legend of Camp Blood by David Grove

 Few films have had as profound effect of the horror genre as the infamous Friday the 13^th film series.  It seemingly came out of nowhere and changed the face of the slasher genre for years to come.  David Grove’s book Making Friday the 13^th: The Legend of Camp Blood goes into elaborate detail on all the films in the franchise as well as getting to the heart of the film series from all those involved from the directors and stars of the film to the crew behind the films.  This is an exhaustive study of the films for both the good and the bad.

Grove makes no apologies for the films that make up the ten films in the Friday the 13^th saga not to mention the television series and the Freddy Vs. Jason film as they all have their faults.  Grove may spend the first several chapters on the original 1980 film but he spends a good amount of time on each subsequent film examining not only plot but how each of the films fit in the horror pantheon when it was released.  The greatest asset to the book is the candid way in which the cast and crew speak about their experiences which is a revelation for those tired of the “PC” response that most films get upon their initial release.  It is noteworthy to say that despite the quality of each film everyone involved seemed to have a wonderful time making the films.

There is no end to the plethora of information on the Friday the 13^th franchise out there due to the popularity of the films so there would be little reason to purchase this book other than the fact that Grove has a very entertaining view and outlook on the films that keep the reading fast and furious and there is obliviously a fan appreciation that goes with it.  Fans will appreciate the book and discover details about the productions that even they might not know.  Not all films are perfect but this is a pretty damn good book about those imperfect films.