As part of our celebration of all things horror in the month of October, we’re having some of our favorite filmmakers, writers, bloggers, and so on write guest blogs for us all month talking about their favorite things in the world of horror and/or Halloween.
Today’s entry comes from our good friend and filmmaker Michael Subjack. You may remember Subjack from a few weeks back when we told you about his plans for an Eerie, IN movie. Michael decided to come up with a list of some of the lesser known, but still terrifying slashers. Check it out!
1. Cropsey (The Burning, 1981)
The film is not only significant for the feature-film debuts of Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander and Fisher Stevens, it also marks one of the first films produced by Miramax Films. In addition to producing, Bob and Harvey Weinstein also came up with the story for the film with Brad Grey, future CEO of Paramount Pictures. Pedigree aside, the film remains one of the best slashers from the sub-genre's "Golden Era." Cropsey's gardening shears as a choice of weapon gave him a distinct look and feel and this was further aided by the outstanding make-up and gore work done by special effects wizard Tom Savini. The infamous raft scene still holds up, even if it is a tad ridiculous when you think about it (I still don't know how he's able to stand straight up in a canoe like that).
2. The Miner (My Bloody Valentine, 1981)
Most of our favorite slashers are deformed or disfigured in some way but there are examples where it was simply a vengeful and/or crazy person in a mask. Scream ran with this concept in the 90s but the franchise was far from the first to do so. Despite the fact the killer in My Bloody Valentine looks like a bartender at a Dave and Buster's when he's unmasked, in full miner garb, he's a bad ass not to be reckoned with. His pick axe made for some suitably gruesome death (cut to shreds by the MPAA during its initial release) and his raspy, labored breathing adds to the overall ambiance of the film nicely. And while he's far less effective unmasked, his chilling laugh at the end is one of the most frightening and unsettling moments in horror film history.
3. Billy (Black Christmas, 1974)
Argued by many to the first true holiday-themed slasher (it pre-dates Halloween by four years), Black Christmas still holds up and remains the best Christmas-themed horror movie (sorry Santa's Slay and Silent Night, Deadly Night). Unlike most slasher films, we're never given a proper back story for Billy or even a good view of him, which makes his presence all the more mysterious and frightening. The film isn't particularly heavy on the gore, it relies on atmosphere to make its point and does so very successfully. Directed by Bob Clark, who would later find fame with Porky's and A Christmas Story, Black Christmas remains essential viewing for any horror fan.
4. Madman Marz (Madman, 1982)
This is probably the least known film on this list but it's still worth a look. Although he spends the first portion of the film hiding in trees for some reason, Madman Marz is a brutal and damn near unstoppable force once he gets going. A particularly choice death is when Madman breaks the neck of a young man hanging from a noose by pulling down on his leg as he tries to escape. The film features Dawn of the Dead star Gaylen Ross (billed here as Alexis Dubin) and has some appropriately moody blue filters that give the film a nice, creepy atmosphere. It's not the best of its era but it has enough to make it worth seeking out.
5. The Prowler (The Prowler, 1981)
Directed by future Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter helmer Joseph Zito, The Prowler is a gloomy and bloody affair, relying on the tried and true "past trauma" as a motivation for the killer. Like My Bloody Valentine, the killer here is a person and not an undead or deformed monstrosity. The reveal here is simply window dressing, though, as the film delivers what everybody really wants: Gore. And man, does it deliver. Tom Savini also did the effects here and he considers it (at least at one point) his best work and he may be right. It's brutal and unrelenting. The effects are made even more squeamish by Zito's decision to keep the camera on the victims for extended periods as they gag, choke and spurt blood. It gives the film an even more perverse quality (something most slasher films already deal in spades) and helps it rise above as one of the more vicious slashers of the era. The killer's look is that of a masked soldier. It's not particularly unsettling or memorable but his choice of weapons, ranging from a bayonet to a pitchfork, and the sheer brutality of the murders are what make The Prowler such a memorable film.
-Michael Subjack
1. Cropsey (The Burning, 1981)
The film is not only significant for the feature-film debuts of Holly Hunter, Jason Alexander and Fisher Stevens, it also marks one of the first films produced by Miramax Films. In addition to producing, Bob and Harvey Weinstein also came up with the story for the film with Brad Grey, future CEO of Paramount Pictures. Pedigree aside, the film remains one of the best slashers from the sub-genre's "Golden Era." Cropsey's gardening shears as a choice of weapon gave him a distinct look and feel and this was further aided by the outstanding make-up and gore work done by special effects wizard Tom Savini. The infamous raft scene still holds up, even if it is a tad ridiculous when you think about it (I still don't know how he's able to stand straight up in a canoe like that). 2. The Miner (My Bloody Valentine, 1981)
Most of our favorite slashers are deformed or disfigured in some way but there are examples where it was simply a vengeful and/or crazy person in a mask. Scream ran with this concept in the 90s but the franchise was far from the first to do so. Despite the fact the killer in My Bloody Valentine looks like a bartender at a Dave and Buster's when he's unmasked, in full miner garb, he's a bad ass not to be reckoned with. His pick axe made for some suitably gruesome death (cut to shreds by the MPAA during its initial release) and his raspy, labored breathing adds to the overall ambiance of the film nicely. And while he's far less effective unmasked, his chilling laugh at the end is one of the most frightening and unsettling moments in horror film history. 3. Billy (Black Christmas, 1974)
Argued by many to the first true holiday-themed slasher (it pre-dates Halloween by four years), Black Christmas still holds up and remains the best Christmas-themed horror movie (sorry Santa's Slay and Silent Night, Deadly Night). Unlike most slasher films, we're never given a proper back story for Billy or even a good view of him, which makes his presence all the more mysterious and frightening. The film isn't particularly heavy on the gore, it relies on atmosphere to make its point and does so very successfully. Directed by Bob Clark, who would later find fame with Porky's and A Christmas Story, Black Christmas remains essential viewing for any horror fan.4. Madman Marz (Madman, 1982)
This is probably the least known film on this list but it's still worth a look. Although he spends the first portion of the film hiding in trees for some reason, Madman Marz is a brutal and damn near unstoppable force once he gets going. A particularly choice death is when Madman breaks the neck of a young man hanging from a noose by pulling down on his leg as he tries to escape. The film features Dawn of the Dead star Gaylen Ross (billed here as Alexis Dubin) and has some appropriately moody blue filters that give the film a nice, creepy atmosphere. It's not the best of its era but it has enough to make it worth seeking out.5. The Prowler (The Prowler, 1981)
Directed by future Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter helmer Joseph Zito, The Prowler is a gloomy and bloody affair, relying on the tried and true "past trauma" as a motivation for the killer. Like My Bloody Valentine, the killer here is a person and not an undead or deformed monstrosity. The reveal here is simply window dressing, though, as the film delivers what everybody really wants: Gore. And man, does it deliver. Tom Savini also did the effects here and he considers it (at least at one point) his best work and he may be right. It's brutal and unrelenting. The effects are made even more squeamish by Zito's decision to keep the camera on the victims for extended periods as they gag, choke and spurt blood. It gives the film an even more perverse quality (something most slasher films already deal in spades) and helps it rise above as one of the more vicious slashers of the era. The killer's look is that of a masked soldier. It's not particularly unsettling or memorable but his choice of weapons, ranging from a bayonet to a pitchfork, and the sheer brutality of the murders are what make The Prowler such a memorable film. -Michael Subjack
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