On this week’s episode of Slasher Studios Horror Podcast, our hosts Andrew Beirl and Kevin Sommerfield discussed the battles that horror filmmakers and fans have had with the MPAA. It includes bogus ratings (The Conjuring is rated R?!?), the censorship of slasher films, and much more. Miss the podcast? Check out the link below to listen to an archive.
On Saturday I watched Annabelle (2014) for the first time. This was my latest DVD screener I received from my job to review. Annabelle is both a prequel to and spin-off of The Conjuring (2013) and was inspired by the real doll Annabelle. Upon its release I wasn’t really looking forward to this movie as much as some were. The trailers looked fine, but I didn’t have much confidence in the movie. The terrible reviews it got weren’t helping either. I ended up not seeing it in theaters.
Well I’ve seen it now and I was really disappointed by it, but I can’t say I’m all that surprised. Annabelle is nowhere near as good as the far superior The Conjuring, this ‘spin-off/prequel’ was obviously trying to bank off a popular gimmick. Considering how well it did financially at the box office, the makers definitely succeeded. But I can’t say the same about the actual movie. The story is interesting to follow but it never tries to be original or break new ground. There are a couple of well executed and genuinely scary moments, but also a whole lot of cheap jump scares. The acting was okay, I liked the performances of Annabelle Wallis (“Mia”) and Alfre Woodard (“Evelyn”). The soundtrack was pretty good. For a movie titled “Annabelle” you would expect that it would almost entirely focus on the doll itself, but that was definitely not the case here. The doll itself was pretty much in the background the entire time…
Its a shame to see a horror movie unabashedly borrowing elements from better horror movies like Rosemary’s Baby and Insidious. Annabelle is very predictable and overall its just not frightening, haunting or even remotely memorable to be in the same league as The Conjuring. It barely gets a pass from me… I’d say its worth a rental at most. Instead of watching Annabelle, watch The Conjuring. Already seen it? Then wait for the sequel!
Wanna read some more reviews of mine? Visit Ferdi’s Movie World and you can find plenty of more!
-Ferdi Akkulak
The film follows Jay (Maika Monroe), a young, friendly, and genuinely happy girl. One night Jay goes on a date with a young man and the two end up having sex. Upon doing so she gets knocked out. When she awakens, it is revealed to her that “it†has not been transferred to her. She is told that “it†will continue to haunt her unless she passes it on. However, if the person who currently has “it†is killed by it, the person prior will also die and continue down the line. Jay then begins to find herself being stalked by mysterious presences. She then enlists the help of her friends in order to help escape the curse.
It Follows is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell. I’d read a great amount of buzz about this film and I became extremely excited for it. The film did not disappoint at all. The story is an extremely cool concept. It takes the idea of sexual activity and the diseases along with it and flips it. The film is truly terrifying in that there is so much that is left unknown. We only get a vivid idea of what “it†is, but we are left just as clueless as Jay. It is because we are left with this unknown feeling that help make the film extremely terrifying. The whole film kept me on the edge of my seat with many intense and scary moments.
I won’t reveal any of these moments because they have to be seen in order to be felt. The presences that Jade sees are much more terrifying than I expected, a lot of this is due to how they are presented. Again, I won’t reveal exactly what makes them terrifying, because again, it has to be seen to understand. It is essentially something almost out of someone’s nightmare (ironically Mitchell was inspired to make the film because of a nightmare he had).
We are also given a group of VERY likable characters. Jay is an extremely likable lead and we really become connected to her and hope she makes it out okay. She is also played amazingly by Maika Monroe. Monroe is truly a discovery and a very talented actress whom I hope to see more of in horror. Hell, more of in general. The friends that the character Jay has are also extremely likeable. They come off a realistic and they are hands down the most dependable friends I’ve seen in a horror film. More often than not, the friends will believe the lead is crazy and don’t believe her. Here, they stand by Jay throughout the whole film and do what they can to help her.
Each of the actors provide great comedic timing with some of their lines, and you can really feel the chemistry amongst the group. Just a brilliant cast and performances. One thing that I just marveled at during the film was the EXCELLENT score. I cannot stress enough how amazing it is. It’s so perfectly used in the scenes and also what makes the scenes so chilling. It gave me the same feel as the scores of Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street and some of Texas Chain Saw Massacre combined with Suspiria.
Luckily I was able to catch an early screening of it at the Fargo Film Festival a whole week before its actual release. The producers did a Q&A after the screening and revealed that a lot of their inspiration for the film as far as its atmosphere and tone and filming style came from classics like Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream. This I agree with wholeheartedly, I could totally sense elements of each of these films in it. Which also added to one of the reasons I genuinely loved the film. It Follow is easily the best original horror film I’ve seen in a LONG time. It is genuinely scare, has some good laughs, great characters and story, and solid performances. It is a film that will definitely stay with you after you see it.
–Cody Landman
At Slasher Studios we like to spotlight up-and-coming horror films that we think are working checking out for all the horror fans out there. Today we are taking a look at The Nightmare Man, a new film written and directed by Jason Harlow, that has mere hours left on Indiegogo to raise funds. This sounds like a killer movie and for fans of Slasher Studios, they even have some Don’t Go to the Reunion & Dismembering Christmas signed posters as rewards. Check it out below and remember to keep supporting indie horror!
From The Nightmare Man creator:
Hello, my name is Jason Harlow, and I am the writer/director of The Nightmare Man. With The Nightmare Man, my team and I want to make a film that is not only original and unique, but also 100% serious in tone and remarkably terrifying. We’ve already assembled an insanely talented cast and crew; all we need now is the funds to get this thing rolling.
We are looking to raise $13,000 to help cover the cost of special effects, post-production, catering, transportation, and locations, as well as the many other grueling costs we may be faced with over the course of the production of this film. Donations begin at just $1 and any donation of $50 or more will result in your name being listed in the closing credits! If you want to be a part of a ridiculously memorable supernatural horror film, here’s your chance.
The film follows a man named Jonathan Nelson, who has spent his last few weeks suffering from insomnia. He soon begins to have trouble distinguishing the difference between dreams and reality after having a series of disturbing dreams orchestrated by a creepy figure known as THE NIGHTMARE MAN.
Become a backer: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-nightmare-man-feature-horror-film
Like The Nightmare Man on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thenightmaremanmovie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W93vRJa40a8
Katharine Isabelle is back with a vengeance! 88 follows the story of Dwen a young women who is seeking revenge on the people whom she thinks brutally murdered her boyfriend. With nothing but revenge on her mind she ultimately puts herself and those who try and help her in dangerous.
88 comes to us from director April Mullen and stars horror icon Katharine Isabelle who takes on the lead role in this gripping thriller. 88 was actually the first film I saw of 2015 and I must say it is a shockingly brilliant thriller. Running at just 88 mins it was exciting from start to finish.
The film introduces new ideas for the audience and makes you think about new and interesting concepts which before you may not have thought about. The ideas and themes which are raised in this film should alone be a credit to it as it makes it more than just your average revenge thriller.
There were moments in the film where the tension is so high you can’t take your eyes off the screen. Katahrine Isabelle is mesmerizing as always and another reason why your eyes will be glued to the screen.
There are many scenes of awesome gore effects and blood splatter that makes this film brilliant for gore fans out there but doesn’t overuse the gore factor. Without giving too much away, one shockingly moment that got me finds Gwen (Isabelle) in a motel bathroom pulling back a shower curtain. That scene stuck with me for some time after the film ended mainly for the fact it was so unexpected.
As the film reaches its suspenseful ending, I actually didn’t want the film to end as I felt that it was completely brilliant in every way. However, the ending might be a bit of a let down for some people in its predictability but, for me, I loved it! I thought the ending (although I kind of seen it coming) was still unexpected in many way. That I gasped at the end tells you that I enjoyed the film.
Overall, I can not recommend this film enough horror fans, crime film fans and thriller fans across the board anyone will like this but as with most films it will not be for everyone.
88 received a US DVD and Blu-Ray release from Mulenium Entertainment in January 2015 with a Canadian Release expected for March 2015. The film makes its world premiere at Glasgow Fright Fest this Friday.
–Ross Wilcock
Today I watched Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988). This was the first Friday the 13th installment I had ever watched, I saw it on VHS a few years back. Now that I’ve seen Parts 1-6 and reviewed all those already I decided to give Part 7 another spin so I could write a review for it as well. In my honest opinion, I think ‘The New Blood’ is one of my personal favorites of the Friday the 13th franchise. And not only because it was the first installment I had ever seen. There is something about this well thought out concept that is inventive yet original. Especially it being the 7TH installment in a long running franchise, I have to say I’m very impressed.
It is a very fun and entertaining sequel with some very good death scenes. (although there is an obvious lack of gore in them, which we can blame the MPAA for!) The characters are well written and very straightforward, one of the many aspects I loved of this sequel. Lar Park Lincoln was absolutely amazing as Tina Shepard. Great performance and one bad-ass and resourceful final girl! Also really loved the late Susan Jennifer Sullivan as Melissa, probably one of the best bitchy characters in horror movie history. She’s truly memorable! Also loved Susan Blu, Diana Barrows and Kevin Spirtas in this sequel. Kane Hodder makes for a frightening and surprisingly human Jason Voorhees, quite possibly my favorite Jason! The telekinesis aspect in this movie is quite great. The soundtrack, directing and dark humor are also very outstanding. I wish the running time was a bit longer but I can still recommend this classic 80’s slasher sequel to everyone. It’s not perfect but it damn sure is enjoyable to watch every single time.
Wanna read some more reviews of mine? Visit Ferdi’s Movie World and you can find plenty of more!
–Ferdi Akkulak
Today I watched Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) for the first time. I had seen parts 1 till 5 before and my favorites of those are definitely the original and Part 2. The rest felt either just good (Part 4) or just utterly bad (Part 3). While I did hear a lot of praises about Jason Lives I wasn’t that sure if I’d love it as well. Well I’ve seen it and its suffice to say that it’s one of my favorite entries in the Friday the 13th franchise! In my opinion its MUCH better than 3, 4 and 5.
This installment definitely took me by surprise since I noticed a downward spiral ever after Part 2 of the franchise. It was fun, campy and I loved the characters and especially the deaths. The performances weren’t exactly mindblowing but I am willing to admit that Jennifer Cooke as Megan became one of my favorite Friday the 13th final girls! A very sassy and likeable character that you gotta love. Also Thom Mathews as Tommy Jarvis was fantastic, my favorite ‘Jarvis’ performance of the three actors that portrayed the character from 4-6. Much better acting abilities and let’s not forget about his very charming looks! This sequel totally justified Jason Voorhees as he strikes back with a vengeance. The dark humor in this sequel was on point and I love how little I knew about this installment which made the whole experience even more awesome.
The soundtrack is superb with the highlight being the ‘He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask)’ song by Alice Cooper! Loved this sequel from beginning to end, from the rad ‘Jason Bond’ opening credits to the jamming end credits. It had some minor flaws but none too drastic. Highly recommend this slasher sequel to anyone, I was blown away by its awesomeness!
Wanna read some more reviews of mine? Visit Ferdi’s Movie World and you can find plenty of more!
–Ferdi Akkulak
The slasher sequel Urban Legends: Final Cut follows the story of Amy (Jennifer Morrison, Once Upon A Time), a young film student who, after hearing the story of the events which took place in the first film, comes up with the idea to make a film based on Urban Legends. However, as the film begins shooting, a mysterious killer begins picking off Amy’s cast and crew one by one. Amy soon realizes that her script has become reality and the horror isn’t staying on her script page.
I found this to actually be a very strong sequel, Although nowhere near as good as the first, it still manages to keep the eeriness of the first plus it has much bloodier kills. The acting, like the first, is pretty good mainly because you have relatively known actors such as Joey Lawrence (Blossom, Melissa and Joey), Eva Mendez (The Place Beyond the Pines) and Matthew Davis (Legally Blonde, The Vampire Diaries) adding their acting chops to this low budget sequel.
I found that this film had a lot more humor in it compared to the original. This made for a different tone in the film and separated it from its predecessor, which actually worked quite well in this sequel. The main thing for me which stuck out for the film was the fact that this one only received a 15 rating from the BBFC when the original was given an 18. It felt as though this one was much bloodier than the original. This got me thinking about horror films and their ratings, but also what goes into a film rating. After rewatching the first Urban Legend recently it crossed my mind that possibly the 18 was given for the threat more than actual on screen violence. For the most part many of the kills in the original were off screen.
Urban Legends Final Cut is possibly one of the better “recent” horror sequels. Although it has its connections to the first, it could be watched as a stand alone film. However, as a fan of the original, it is possible to imagine that many fans would possibly have liked to see or at least know what had happened to the characters in the first film. To be fair, in this sequel, they do try and pass the first film off as an Urban Legend story.
Overall I would highly recommend this film. As previously mentioned you do not have to watch the first to enjoy this film, although I do advice that you do as it is a great slasher film. Urban Legends: Final Cut is widely released on DVD and should be easy to get. In the UK it is also on Netflix.
–Ross Wilcock
Yesterday I saw Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) for the first time. I had previously seen the original Sleepaway Camp (1983) and I found that a pretty good slasher with a noteworthy twist ending, which still manages to shock and controversy to this very day. Going into the sequel I had modest hopes, obviously the character of Angela Baker was portrayed by Pamela Springsteen this time around instead of Felissa Rose. Other than this character, there are none recurring characters in the sequels of Sleepaway Camp. I wasn’t sure about the swap of actress at first but wanted to give it a chance since I’ve been hearing great things from friends and slasher fans.
I have finally watched ‘Unhappy Campers’ and while it lacks in shock value and thrills the original Sleepaway Camp obviously had going for it, this comedic sequel takes a perfect direction with even bloodier and gorier kills as the body count has raised. Pamela Springsteen truly did a bang up job as Angela, I loved her line delivery and comedic chops. Her portrayal is slightly better than Felissa Rose but not by much. Still a very refreshing take on this special character. I also really liked Renée Estevez and Tony Higgins in this sequel. The characters were fun but very over the top and there were many parts that cracked me up. The nice references, touches and winks to classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre were totally on point. As far as watchability goes, the sequel is more watchable than the original in my opinion. Characters were fleshed out better and the acting was a slight improvement over the original. The dark humor in this was spot on but its not considered scary or surprising in my books as opposed to the original.
Still a fun and campy comedy slasher with cool death sequences, a fantastic 80s soundtrack, a hilariously good Pamela Springsteen, fun characters and some witty dark humor. Not a movie I would consider ‘great’ by any means as some is left to be desired, like the non-effective ending but it does offer exactly what it promises and then some. I was not bored for a second watching this movie and would highly recommend it to everyone!
–Ferdi Akkulak
Yesterday I saw Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) for the first time, also as part of the ‪#‎80sHorrorWeek‬. I have seen the first four Friday the 13th movies before this. 1 and 2 were fantastic entries in the horror genre, 3 was very mediocre and 4 was only half good. Well I’ve seen ‘A New Beginning’ and while its not as good as ‘The Final Chapter’, it still left a better impression on me than Part III did. The storyline, while different this time around, was interesting enough. I know most fans weren’t pleased with the approach the franchise took with this installment but I didn’t mind it to be perfectly honest with you. However, this doesn’t mean that I loved this installment as it was very by-the-numbers and filled with cliches.
The acting performances were pretty much awful. Melanie Kinnaman (as Pam) might be one of the prettiest final girls of the Friday the 13th franchise but her acting is very over the top and flawed in a lot of parts. John Shepherd (Tommy Jarvis), Carol Locatell (Ethel) and Tiffany Helm (Violet) were very solid in this film. The characters weren’t very likeable in this installment as most weren’t even trying to achieve that level. And the kills, while high on body count, were decent but pretty much bloodless. The soundtrack is pretty good, just as in the other installments. The plot twist at the end was surprising and wasn’t a letdown whatsoever, it only made up for most of the film. There aren’t many ‘scary’ scenes in this installment and the suspense is also hard to find. I did love all the scenes with the character of Ethel and the ‘robot dance’ scene with Violet was awesome! (the soundtrack ‘His Eyes’ by Pseudo Echo is my favorite of the entire franchise!)
Overall, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning isn’t one of the better Friday the 13th movies but its definitely fun to watch and I enjoyed this 80’s slasher for what it was, even though it was nothing I’d call outstanding either.
–Ferdi Akkulak