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 9: “Gore! Gore! Gore!”

Week 9: “Gore! Gore! Gore!”

If you’re a fan of horror then eventually someone will ask you your thoughts on gore films.  These can include the infamous films of Lucio Fulci or even more recent film makers like Eli Roth and Tom Six (and if you don’t know any of these names then you are definitely missing out).  Gore films, like other subgenres of horror, have their place and purpose in the horror genre and should not be summarily dismissed.  There are, in fact, several that even the most placid fan should see for their own personal education if for nothing else.

What is a gore film?

Most people would determine this simply as a film with lots of blood and guts (and for the most part they are correct), but many include Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Tom Six’s The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2009) in this group and both of those have very little to no gore.  A better definition would include films that make audiences so uneasy that they appear to be filled with gore and blood and guts whether they actually have it or not.  Most torture porn films are included in this but there is very little gore in Captivity (2007).   Saw (2004) is also included in this but this film also has very little to no gore (unlike the many sequels).

Films that go beyond being just a simply gore film are Braindead (1992), Tokyo Gore Police (2008), and Re-Animator (1985) which all revel in the gore but are so darkly comic that you kind of dismiss it.  Comedy (especially in the films today) is used to off-set the copious amounts of blood and guts in a horror film which also changes the perspective of the genre.

Why is gore important?

Gore to horror films (or any genre of film) is important in that it off-sets our perspective on the events taking place in the film.  Sometimes dealing with something so dramatic as death and murder cannot be sugar coated.  Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) and Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) are so polarizing in the content of the story that the gore is secondary which doesn’t diminish the reality of the story being told.  In Dawn of the Dead (1978), director George A. Romero is presenting to audiences the most realistic zombie film ever made; he is erasing the memory of the placid White Zombie (1932), and presenting audiences with what would happen in a real zombie apocalypse.

Presenting events as they would be in reality is key to the success of a good gore film.  One of the goriest scenes in modern day cinema is the opening battle of Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), in which the film maker wanted to present war as it was in the most realistic way as possible.   The darkly comic Cabin Fever (2002) uses gore to represent what it would be like if a group of friends were forced to deal with a flesh eating virus.

Real Gore Vs. Comedy Gore?

In this day and age, some of the most well remembered gore films and moments in gore films are surrounded in comedy.  Day of the Dead (1985) has just as many gory moments as its predecessor and it is all presented in a realistic manner but in Shaun of the Dead (2004), which pays homage to that film, presents some of those same moments but mixed with comedy.  Re-Animator and From Beyond (1986) have many gory moments but director Stuart Gordon is pitch perfect with the dark humor.  There is nothing humorous in the infamous Cannibal Holocaust (1980) but Piranha 3-D (2010) has more gore in it than all the above films mentioned but it’s all played tongue firming in cheek. 

Does horror and gore need comedy?  There is no right or wrong answer to this because for every Martyrs (2008) there is a Bad Taste (1987) and for every Feast (2005) there is a Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979).  Real gore has its place and directors like Pascal Laugier and Ruggero Deodato relate and present it differently than Edgar Wright or Peter Jackson whose films are drenched in comedy and blood.

Some of My Favorite Gore Films:

I enjoy gore films of all types.  I believe there is a place for films like Sharknado (2013) just like there is for New York Ripper (1982) and Ichi the Killer (2001).  I do prefer my realistic gore films to have more of a point and not just be cannon fodder.  I love Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust and David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) for the message that they say but I also love Bride of Re-Animator (1989) and Evil Dead II (1987), which if they have a message I’m not aware of it.  I know I will probably never see Salo or Anthropophagus (1980) again but Hellraiser (1987) and Dead Snow (2009) are two of my all time favorites.  Fulci’s A Cat in the Brain (1990) is just as disturbing as Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer but I’ve only seen the latter more than once even though I love both equally.  The entire Feast franchise is one of the most entertaining and fun whereas the Saw franchise has only a few standout entries.  

I do tend to have more fun watching the gore films with comedy (because they are so easy to just pop in the DVD/BD player and go) but the more serious ones I tend to go back to when I need a good film that doesn’t talk down to the audience (hence my love of all the Romero zombie films and just about anything from Fulci and Dario Argento).

Is Gore Important?

Gore and gore films are important in that it allows us to view reality without the sugar coating.  It informs us about the reality of death and murder and more importantly all things in life.  In today’s climate gore is not only for horror but for all other genres as well.  This Is the End (2013) and The Expendables (2010) and Hot Fuzz (2007) and Fury (2014) and The Raid 2 (2014) all have their gory moments to make them more realistic which is what audiences today crave.  There is no doubt that sometimes gore can be excessive but where would we be if all the gore was stripped out of Dead Snow 2: Red Vs. Dead (2014) or the original Robocop (1987) but a hollow by-the-numbers (and highly forgettable) film.

Companion to “Conversations in Horror” - “My Favorite Evil Doll Films”

“My Favorite Evil Doll 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 decided that it was time to take a look at some of my favorite films that feature evil dolls.  Some of these films you may be very familiar with while others you may not be (which means you probably need to go out there and look them up).  If you listen to Episode #1002 then you will know that we touched upon some of these films but I will enlighten you even more. 

The film that got me most interested in evil dolls was Child’s Play (1988).  It had a profound effect on me as a child, so much that the franchise was and still remains one of my all-time favorites about Halloween, Friday the 13^th, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  The idea of using voodoo to become one with a doll and to continue killing people and manipulating a child terrified and fascinated me as a child.  It lead to my searching out other evil dolls especially Charles Band’s Puppetmaster (1989), which had some of the coolest dolls ever committed to film.  Chucky may have been the most terrifying doll there was but Band’s group of misfit and misunderstood dolls were among the most entertaining.  I still love all the films in the franchise and eagerly await a new film whenever they are released.

I think Charles Band and Full Moon Entertainment (and his various other companies) had the greatest effect on me growing up as a child because of the Puppet Master franchise and Demonic Toys (1992) and its various sequels.  Whereas the puppets of the Puppet Master franchise could be seen as good those in Demonic Toys were all bad which made them even more fun.  If there is one thing that Full Moon Entertainment does well, it is doll movies - others include Doll Graveyard (1995) and Dangerous Worry Dolls (2008), among many more.  One of the highlights of the Band produced films is Stuart Gordon’s Dolls (1987).  This is a superb film that’s over shadowed by Gordon’s other major works but no less a classic on its own.  I love this film.

Another one of my all-time favorites from this same time period is Dolly Dearest (1991), a largely ignored and forgotten film that doesn’t really have anything new to say but have always been an entertaining film.  It has not aged as well as some of the others but its slightly darker tone doesn’t come off nearly as campy as the Band produced films.  Another film in this same camp is the psychological thriller Pinocchio’s Revenge (1996), another largely forgotten film yet one that I really loved when it came out.  I’ve always had a fascination with doll films since the original Child’s Play and therefore any film featuring a doll was always high on my list.

Of a more adult vein is the Anthony Hopkins starring Magic (1978).  This is a classic psychological thriller that’s more of a character breakdown through the eyes of a ventriloquist who lets his fractured mind take over.  This is successful due to Hopkins’ powerful performance and descent into madness.  A mind not to be missed or forgotten.

Dolls continue to have a profound effect of children in the Tobe Hooper classic Poltergeist (1982) which is not a doll movie per say but it is most infamously remembered because of the clown doll that seems to have a will of its own.  This is not just a terrifying clown but a horrifying doll as well.  Makes you never want to have another doll around the house ever again.

Even more terrifying is the Zuni doll from Trilogy of Terror (1975) and its sequel of which most audiences remember the vengeful Zuni doll more than anything else in the film.  It overwhelms the narrative and ends the anthology film on a high note.  

More recent is the film Dead Silence (2007) which I thought was an amazing film overlooked by the fact that it is indeed a killer doll movie.  I love the atmosphere and the story and the look of this film.  It is written by Leigh Whannell and James Wan who had already created the creepy Billy doll in the Saw films but went one step further for this film.  They would go even one step further with their film The Conjuring (2013) which introduced the terrifying Annabelle doll (which would be the subject of her own film in 2014).

Dolls can be for good but more often than not they are the harbingers of evil (or that is there main function in horror films).  I’m not particularly afraid or scared of dolls and doll films simply interest and entertain me.  Love them or hate them evil dolls are here to stay.  I’m sure we’ll see more of them in the near future (especially in the Poltergeist remake to be released this year) but until then I suggest you seek out these films when you need something to take the edge off one night.

To watch the episode of “Conversations in Horror” go here –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypOa_wliFEI

“Rants & Ravings About Horror” - Week 5: “VHS Collecting For the Horror Fan”

Week 5: “VHS Collecting For the Horror Fan”

As we move ever so closer to an all-digital, world DVD and BD sells, for the most part, have dwindled year upon year except for maybe for us horror fans who continue to purchase Special Editions and Anniversary Editions of some of our favorite horror films.  Recently, a 30^th Anniversary Edition of Ghostbusters I & II was released to BD.  The entire Halloween series was released in a massive 15 disc BD collection not to mention the long awaited Clive Barker’s Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut and such companies as The Criterion Collection, Scream Factory, Shout Factory, Kino Video, and Blue Underground are among some of the more boutique distributors who cater to horror fans. 

But what about all the long forgotten horror gems still left unreleased either to DVD or BD?  For every new version of Army of Darkness re-released to DVD/BD there are ten Willard (1971), Ben (1972), Amsterdamned (1988), and Tobe Hooper’s Night Terrors (1993) which can only be found on VHS.  This is a reason why the VHS secondary market thrives to this day.  For every ten films newly released to DVD or BD there are still another 100 films yet to be released whether they be films like Bog (1983) or Peter Jackson’s Forgotten Silver (1995).  To make matters worse there are also the plethora of OOP films like Watchers (1988) or Fright Night Part 2 (1988) whose DVD on the secondary market can command upwards of $80 or more.  Instead of shelling out this crazy amount of money for a single film many horror fans have continued to purchase VHS copies of some of their favorite films (or the strange oddity relegated to the VHS dump bin).

I’m a huge collector of horror films both from some of my favorite directors and even more of the obscure horror films and documentary specials like Transmutations (1985) and Clive Barker: The Art of Horror (1992).  A lot of television specials made their way to VHS but have been completely forgotten since then like Dracula in the Movies () and Dean R. Koonz’ Whispers (1990) and Servants of Twilight (1991).

As I continue to research more forgotten horror films I try to search them out whether they are on DVD/BD or still languishing on VHS.  My VHS collection continues to grow year over year.  For me, searching out horror films that I either didn’t know about growing up or haven’t seen since I was a kid is a huge joy.  Every year my list gets longer and longer but I still manage to cross many off from time to time.  My VHS films share the same space on my shelf with all my other films.

Now, collecting VHS, like collecting anything else, can take up a lot of shelf space.  One of the great things about DVD and BD are that they take up so little space but VHS tapes look so much better on display.  Besides the regular VHS style boxes there are the Big Boxes and clam shell boxes and Special Widescreen Hard Cases that make VHS tapes more appealing.  My Widescreen, Hard-cased Dawn of the Dead (1978) makes a great visual companion on the shelf with its DVD cousin and the rest of my George A. Romero films (it sits with my VHS Widescreen Editions of NOTLD: 30^th Anniversary Edition and Season of the Witch).  My Special Edition of King Kong (1933) in a box that (still) roars when you press on Kong sits next to my Special Edition DVD Box Set (and the Peter Jackson remake).  Of great proud to me is my VHS screener copy of Rawhead Rex (1986), originally given to video stores to entice them to purchase more copies of the film for rental. 

On a non-horror film note I also have VHS copies of animation auteur Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin (aka Streetfight - 1975) and the polarizing The Plague Dogs (1982).  Movies from all genres are still waiting legitimate DVD/BD release.  I’m always on the lookout for films from all genres that are hard to find.  Most of the films I find can usually be found on eBay or Amazon but collector editions of even VHS films can carry a hefty price tag.  I can still manage to find some used book stores and Goodwills that still have VHS tapes at cheaper prices (because they have no idea of what they may truly have gathering dust on their shelves).

VHS collecting is not for everyone.  The industry to moving to an all-digital world and pretty soon (unfortunately) both the DVD and BD collecting market may completely dry up which means that the VHS market will ultimately completely disappear and become extinct.  I don’t look forward to the day when I only have a large hard drive to look at rather than my large Big Boxes and Clam Shell VHS tapes and Special Edition DVD and BDs.

What about you?