My Month of Slashers (Part 1)

I've been on an absolute tear through horror and slasher movies lately.

I think it was sparked by this year's release of 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma', which funnily enough I still have to see. I do intend to rent it before Halloween passes by, but in the interim I've had an insatiable craving for 80s horror, but slashers in particular. The grainy film, the teased hair, settings in single locations, the increasingly bizarre murder weapons, the droning synths building dread, the terrible acting...it's been the flavor of the month for me this Halloween season and I've eaten it all up.

I have also, it should be mentioned, gone down some side avenues of 1950's horror this month as well that I've captured here.

These are the resulting reviews, in release date chronological order.

Dangerous Crossing (1953)

More thriller than horror, heiress Ruth Stanton Bowman is off on a cruise with a man she just married after a five day whirlwind romance, but when he vanishes from the ship no one on board can remember seeing him with her, in fact they can't even find proof that he was ever on board! Desperate to figure out why this is happening Ruth does whatever it takes to find out the truth (and prove she hasn't gone mad). Even at a very short 75 minutes it does drag a bit, but it's a good one nonetheless and the events of the movie take place over Halloween. Thumbs up.

Earth vs. the Spider (1958)

It’s as zany as the title would imply. A group of citizens must band together to destroy a gigantic house-sized Spider. It hits many wonderful 50s monster movie notes and some great special effects for the time. I hope the tarantula/s that played the titular spider were treated like ROYALTY. Thumbs up.

The House on Haunted Hill (1959)

This was a rewatch and always a fun time. Vincent Price offers $10,000 to strangers desperate for cash if they can survive the night in his haunted house. Also there’s a vat of acid in the basement and he gives everyone a gun! What could go wrong? 

This is the prime example of a goofy 50’s horror film, and a perfect starting point if that’s a wavelength you’re looking for and haven’t explored. Thumbs always up for this one.

Night of the Blood Beast (1958) 

A fun sci-fi horror about a pilot thought to be dead that comes back to life, only to discover he is gestating aliens inside of him, and it's parent is lurking in the shadows. It's low budget 50's science fiction at it's best (or worst, I guess, depending on how you look at it) and there are some very interesting parallels to the future sci-fi classic Alien. Thumbs up.

The Bat (1959)

Another great Vincent Price film but more of a mystery/thriller than a horror movie, and surprisingly gay. The movie opens with Vincent Price as a doctor on a secluded hunting trip with one of his male patients…that doesn’t feel like a thing that happened a lot in the 50s! And then we land on our main characters, Agnes Moorehead (of Bewitched fame) plays a mystery writer along with Lenita Lane as her devoted live-in maid. Hmm…

Thumbs up from me.

The Prowler (1981)

Okay we're in the 80's now. A small town's high school is throwing a graduation party again, 30 years after a horrific murder put an end to them...and with the party, the murders begin anew as well. If you’re a fan of the Scream franchise this feels like essential viewing. While Scream was influenced by many an 80s slasher, this one in particular feels like it contains some specific early DNA. Surprised I hadn’t seen (or heard) of this one before! Thumbs up.

Graduation Day (1981)

Like the Prowler this is also a 1981 slasher that also takes place around a high school graduation, only this time the track team is being killed off one by one! But why? Some wild editing happening in this one, immediately full of rapid-fire and disorienting cuts that do not always work but a fun time nonetheless. And includes an unexpected appearance by a young Vanna White. Thumbs up, but mildly. The Prowler is very easily the better of these graduation-themed movies.

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

The rare slasher directed by a woman and even rarer for the time (or any time, really) a slasher written by an out lesbian. A mad man with a power drill torments a high school girls basketball team having a sleep over while a team member’s parents are away. A solid slasher film with some surprising comedy. Another one where if you’re like me and wanted to explore this sub-genre outside of the usual suspects like Halloween, this too would be a good starting point. Thumbs up.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

A slasher aiming to ride the success of Friday the 13th. We’re back at a summer camp. This one is unusual in that rather than mainly objectifying young women’s bodies, this one tilts the focus more toward the men (many also wearing slutty little outfits). It also briefly depicts a gay relationship with a level of normalcy which was surprising to me for a movie of this time. Without getting too specific though, there is an insane twist that landed with a total thud for me initially. I have since been interested in different (specifically queer) perspectives on it. Further reading suggestions are welcome! Also a mild thumbs up, if only for how unique it is while taking place in a very typical slasher setting.

The Initiation (1984) 

A sorority pledge that is plagued by childhood amnesia and a recurring nightmare is, along with her fellow pledges and classmates, stalked by a killer overnight in a closed department store/mall while trying to complete their sorority 'initiation' prank. The acting in this one is noticeably not great at points, and there are some insane late-breaking twists, but there are some decent kills, and it's worth it to watch this one purely for the setting. The mall they get locked in is simply gigantic. It's so many floors high and looks almost like a parking garage at points. One wonders how the teens weren't able to simple find a very good hiding spot and wait it out in such a gigantic building, but I digress. This one is a fine enough slasher for me. Thumbs up.