Directed by-J.S. Cardone
Starring-Sarah Kendall, Frederick Flynn,Michael Holmes Carol Kottenbrook
It's a Saturday night and I'm in the mood for something a little scary, something a little cheesy...something from the decade of big hair and bad electronic music. That's right, I'm in the mood for a little bit of 80's horror. A few weeks ago I tracked down the Marquis Video version of The Slayer and I'd been saving it for just such an occasion. Let the fun begin.
The Slayer is about Kay, a painter who has been troubled since childhood by a recurring nightmare. Recently, the nighmares have become increasingly vivid and have started to spill over into her waking life, affecting her work. Her husband decides she needs a vacation and, accompanied by Kay's brother and his girlfriend, the couple flies to a secluded house on an island somewhere off the Atlantic coast. Once on the island Kay begins to feel a sense of foreboding. Places seem familiar to her though she has never been there before. Soon she's having nightmares about murders and the nightmares seem to be coming true. One by one the vacationers are picked off by something unseen. Is the murderer escaping from Kay's nightmares to attack theml?
The Slayer's interesting pre-Krueger plot could have made for an interesting movie if the film hadn't been hampered by a low budget. The lack of funds manifests itself in the lackluster performances by the cast of unknowns, and the very poor lighting throughout. Perhaps the print I got was a bad one, but most of the night scenes were so dark I could barely make out what was happening. This was especially unfortunate since most of the gory stuff happened then. Two murders in particular were so poorly lit the carnage was almost impossible to see. I wanted blood dammit and was pretty frustrated by the time the credits started to roll. Which brings me to the other thing in this movie that I really didn't like; the ending. I suppose the ending was supposed to throw a "clever" twist our way. Personally, I just found it annoying. That said, there are a few things to like about The Slayer. The island is cool, especially the old creaky house, and especially the old creaky house during a thunderstorm. The photography is pretty decent and the music (though a little on the tinny side) ain't bad. But alas, a horror fan can't live on atmosphere alone. Skip this one unless you're a real fan of sketchy 80's obscurities.
-Jenny Stumps
Rating-2 Brains |
