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Reviews
The Nesting (1981)
Some Atmosphere
An agoraphobic writer gets a house in the country which turns out to be haunted. That's a great set up to a movie. You have a character who's scared to leave their house being stuck there with things even more terrifying than what awaits them outdoors. Unfortunately, there were times I almost forgot the heroine had this affliction, because she sure seems to get over it whenever the plot calls for her to and there aren't enough scares to make this slow burning, overlong movie very interesting.
Windows (1980)
Dull Thriller
Controversial at the time for depicting a lesbian as an unstable psycho, Windows has rightfully been forgotten by time. Even if you take away the controversy, it's not a very exciting movie which for a film advertised as a thriller is about the greatest sin it could commit. There are interesting ideas sprinkled throughout and Elizabeth Ashley gives a great performance as the psycho, but she's not given much to work with.
The Dollanganger Saga: Flowers in the Attic (2014)
Faithful without a Pulse
While this is technically more faithful to the novel than the previous adaptation, everything is crammed into 90 minutes so that the dramatic moments haven't time to properly breathe. It leaves the whole film feeling cold, emotionless, and oddly paced. Even an extra 15 minutes would have helped a little bit, but Ellen Burstyn tries her best to put her own stamp on the Grandmother role.
Demented (1980)
Too Shrill
After surviving a rape, a woman becomes unglued and starts losing her mind in what's essentially a low budget reimagining of Repulsion without all the class and sophistication. The lead actress does nothing but whine for the entire film and it makes it really hard to root for her, especially when she goes psycho. With a better leading lady, but most of the movie is spent with this character, so if she's not cast right, the whole film is doomed.
The Fog (1980)
Creepy Slow Burn Horror
A real slow burn that might turn some people off, but it's one of Carpenter's moodiest and most atmosphere-heavy films and has the feel of a classic campfire ghost story come to life. Wonderful ensemble cast as well with Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, Janet Leigh, and Hal Holbrook playing residents of a town being descended upon by the victims of their ancestors.
Mother's Day (1980)
Disturbing and Intense
Better than expected survivalist slasher with a great trio of leading ladies we get to know a little bit about before they bite the dust. This could easily have just gone into cheesy or sleazy exploitation, but because we've gotten to know the victims a little bit, it becomes harrowing and intense, especially once we're introduced to who they're up against - a demented mother and her two even crazier sons.
Nightmares (1980)
Doesn't Make Much Sense
Heavy on style and wacky P.O.V. shots, but very low on anything resembling a cohesive story. We're essentially told who the killer is from the start of the film, but the script tries to pretend like we don't know and keep it a mystery, but it's so obvious that it makes you wish they'd just throw any mystery out the table and just show the killer as they're doing their slashing instead of filming nearly all the murders in P.O.V. mode.
Final Exam (1981)
Why Is He Killing Everyone?
An unexplained killer kills college kids during final exam week because...the script told him to? If you thought Halloween was simplistic and threadbare in terms of plot, I give you Final Exam. The killer is just a nondescript man without a mask of any sort and there seems to be no motive to speak of. Thankfully, most of the college kids have enough personality to go around and, while it can be amusing to watch them go to the cafeteria, steal exams, and stage fake terrorist attacks to get out of taking exams (yes, this really does happen!), it takes a little too long to get to the slashing and, once they do, it's very light on gore.
The Dorm That Dripped Blood (1982)
Shoddy
College kids stay during Christmas break to clean up an abandoned dorm and get killed one by one for seemingly no reason at all. The Dorm That Dripped Blood is a shoddy slasher in most ways. The story isn't very interesting and the characters are about as exciting to watch as an elderly chess tournament, but the gore is there and the filmmakers do squeeze a bit of mood and atmosphere out of the creepy old dorm and deserted college campus.
He Knows You're Alone (1980)
Better Than Most
A bride-to-be suffers cold feet when her quirky ex comes back into her life and a serial killer stalks her every move. While an obvious Halloween rip off from start to finish, He Knows You're Alone has enough going for it to where you can eventually get on board with what it's trying to accomplish. It's not the flashiest or goriest of the 80's Halloween clones, but the characters are an enjoyable bunch to surround yourself with for 90 minutes and the director knows how to build suspense.
Hospital Massacre (1981)
Sinister Hospital Creepiness
One thing you can say about Hospital Massacre is that it seems like the filmmakers had a great time throwing everything they could at the screen and hoping something would stick. It seems pretty by the numbers, but at the same time, there aren't many other films like it out there and it has a mood all its own. Barbi Benton does just fine in the lead role, managing to conjure up some legitimate sequences of fear and some of the visuals such as a sinister doctor being backlit while racing towards an unlucky nurse in a deserted hospital hallway aren't things you forget anytime soon.
Unhinged (1982)
Lo-Fi Slasher
Unhinged might be a bad movie in most traditional ways. The acting varies from overenthusiastic community theatre level to appearing like they were just given strong hospital grade sedatives and it's not the most action packed script in the world with only 2 or 3 major murder scenes. That said, there's a lot to enjoy about Unhinged including an unforgettable ending and some good moody moments.
The Children (1980)
The Children Are Coming!
There's a leak at a nuclear plant and a bus full of the town's children are turned into undead, zombie like mutants whose touch can turn any adult into a puddle of steaming goo. It's a goofy premise and The Children makes the most of it with every member of the cast playing it deathly serious. You have to admire commitment like that. Harry Manfredini's score sometimes sounds like it's made up out of recycled cues from Friday the 13th.
Graduation Day (1981)
Ok Slasher Flick
This one tries. That's about all I can say. The sister of a girl who tragically died during a school track race tries to figure out who should be held responsible for it as members of said team keep being murdered and other quirky side characters keep pushing her story out of the way to make way for roller disco and dive bar crooner music teacher sequences. It can't just stick to the landing and keeps going off in all these strange directions. It does have a death by flying football, which is definitely something I've never seen before.
Just Before Dawn (1981)
Compelling Backwoods Horror
There's something to eerie about the sound in this movie. It's not a film with a lot of bombastic music that plays every time something scary happens and all the kids look like real people - attractive, but not airbrushed supermodels. Something about that makes this all feel more real to me and it's very disturbing. When the music does come in, it's soft, dreamy synth which almost always elevates the moment. Director Jeff Lieberman knows how to handle suspense and shock equally well and it has enough in common with other woods based slashers like Friday the 13th to be enjoyable for that crowd and enough uniqueness to be appreciated by other types of film fans.
Eyes of a Stranger (1981)
Nasty and Suspenseful
A TV reporter believes the man who's responsible for a recent string of rapes and murders lives across from her and her blind and mute sister. When no one will take her seriously, she does a little investigating herself, but it might be the last case she ever investigates. You have to give Eyes of a Stranger a pat on the back for focusing more on suspense than most of the other films released around this time. Depending on which version you see, there's still more than enough gore, but the story itself seems better plotted than a lot of other similar films.
Cheerleader Camp (1988)
A Few Good Kill Scenes
A suicidal teenage cheerleader becomes a lead suspect in a string of murders at the cheerleading camp she's attending even though there are more than enough unsavory characters surrounding her that could have also done it. Cheerleader Camp doesn't do anything any better than most slashers, but it also doesn't do much worse either. There are some amusing quirky characters, a great final twist, and some memorable murder sequences.
Hide and Go Shriek (1988)
Middle of the Road Slasher
Kids sneak into the furniture store one of their parents owns and are targeted by a killer who likes to play dress up after killing their victims. There's enough camp here with the kid's fashions and bad hairstyles if that's what you watch 80's slasher films for and the killer's monologue and reveal has to be one of the most bizarre you're likely to see in a film like this. There's a really nasty decapitation scene, too, which did boggle my mind when I first saw it. I'm still not sure how they did that.
When a Stranger Calls (1979)
When It's Good, It's Great
The classic "babysitter and the man upstairs" urban legend comes to terrifying life in the opening 20 minutes of When A Stranger Calls and it's bone chilling. Unfortunately, after this section of the film is done, the wind is let out of the sails and the movie limps along for another 45 to 50 minutes trying to track down the mysterious murderer from the opening sequence. While adding psychological complexity to a child murdering, babysitter stalking psycho could be interesting, it doesn't feel like the right choice for this movie since it was clearly more effective when it kept him the shadows. The film does reclaim a little bit of the creepiness towards the end of the film, but it still leaves us with a movie that has only 35 to 40 minutes of greatness.
Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1990)
Campy and Dumb Fun
One of the few sequels in the series that's actually related to the previous installment which brings back evil prom queen Mary Lou for one more go as she tries to manipulate a high school boy into spending eternity with her in hell by murdering everyone close to him and making him look like a murderer. A concept like this could go either way - dark or comedic - and The Last Kiss decides to go mostly for the comedy even if it does end on a really sour, mean spirited note.
House (1985)
Enjoyable Horror Comedy
A Vietnam vet writer's son disappears and he thinks it might be tied to a mysterious house he inherited. If Vietnam flashbacks, blob-like witches, and re-animated fish corpses are your idea of a good time, you'll probably love House. William Katt commits to the silly nature of the film and goes along for the ride.
Prom Night (1980)
Slow Moving
Children playing a game of hide and seek in an abandoned building accidentally throw a classmate off the roof, killing her. They make a pact to never speak of this again and let the world believe she was the victim of some crazed maniac. Flash forward to their senior year of high school and someone is leaving them threatening messages and phone calls on the anniversary of the child's death which just so happens to take place on prom night. This isn't a great slasher movie and most of the actual slashing takes over an hour to get to, but some of the characters are interesting to spend time with and the finale more than makes up for any slow periods earlier in the film.
Office Killer (1997)
Funny and Smart
A mousy wallflower accidentally kills a co-worker and suddenly realizes her life would be better without some of these fools in her life and goes on a killing spree, murdering several people in her office. Carol Kane gets a chance to shine as the lead character in this and does a great job creating such a unique and bizarre woman. Molly Ringwald is also a lot of fun as the office gossip. Some of the dark humor might not amuse those looking for a straightforward horror film, but I found it really delicious.
Waxwork (1988)
Incredibly Fun
College kids attend the midnight opening of a new wax museum and find themselves sucked into the exhibits themselves if they dare step over the rope in front of them. Waxwork is an unusually smart and imaginative 80's horror film that homages some of the best the genre has to offer without drawing too much attention to itself. The low budget does shine through in a few spots, but when a movie is this much fun, why complain?
Dark Water (2005)
Not Bad, But Not Much of a Horror Film
A recently divorced woman and her daughter move into a cheap apartment and start to think that the disgusting black stains on their ceilings might be the calling card of a little girl ghost who's trying to get their attention. This film is more sad and moving than scary and, if that's a problem, you might as well not bother with this one. For those with a more open mind and a good deal more patience, you'll be rewarded with a very well acted and moving drama with a fantastic central performance by Jennifer Connelly.