Anonymous Andy (Minus_The_Beer) Struggling artist Kay (Sarah Kendall), her husband (Frederick Flynn) and another couple (Carol Kottenbrook and Alan McRae), take an impromptu vacation to a remote island to get away from it all. Unfortunately for them, the terrible dreams that have haunted Kay since girlhood have followed her to the island. While Kay slumbers, one by one, her beloved and her friends are slowly and gruesomely picked off. Is it Kay's subconscious or is it... "The Slayer"?Released in 1982, a time where you couldn't throw a cat (or a hammer?) without hitting a slasher film, "The Slayer" is in good company, but also stands out from the pack in a few ways. First off, unlike your "Prom Night" or "My Bloody Valentine," this film isn't about teens getting cut up. This is a movie about adults, and despite some dodgy acting here and there, these characters feel like a real, tight-knit group of people who care about each other, which makes their grisly fates even more effective. Also, this isn't exactly a body count flick. With only four characters (well, there's also the pilot who pops in and out of the plot), that pretty much goes without saying. As a result, "The Slayer" is slow and steady, and focuses on the surreal more than it does in grossing you out. On the technical side of things, the haunting, desolated beach-side setting and the gorgeous cinematography help to keep things interesting during the movie's slower parts. Also of note are the special effects which, while few and far between, are pretty well accomplished for such a small-budget affair. They couldn't get Tom Savini, but Robert Babb does his best to keep you (ahem) hooked. Likewise, the score that serves as the backdrop to the horror adds a touch of class rarely associated with the genre.There's a lot going on in this deceptively simple little film. Much like, say, "Phantasm," it plays with your expectations and makes you question that what you've seen was real (or at least real in the context of the film). If you watch it late at night, it will beg another viewing in the morning just to make sure you got everything. It's that kind of movie. For its modest intentions and humble origins, "The Slayer" pretty much slays. Fans of the genre who have patience for the more deliberately paced side of things won't want to sleep on this.

Mark Turner I've noted before that the eighties were a high time for low budget horror films, equaled only by the ton of horror movies released to the drive-in market of the early sixties. But with the drive-ins in decline the outlet that took advantage of this were the mom and pop video stores across the country. In need of product for their shelves all sorts of movies were being made and horror was one of the main staples. Some were good and some were bad but most landed somewhere in between. THE SLAYER falls into this category but leans to better than expected.Kay (Sarah Kendall) is an artist plagued by terrifying images in her sleep. In an effort to relieve the stress of an upcoming gallery showing her husband David (Alan McRae), brother Eric (Frederick Flynn) and sister in law Brooke (Carol Kottenbrook) have arranged a short vacation. The location is a secluded island owned by one of Eric's friends. It's the off season and no one else is on the island. With the pantry and fridge stocked, the four set off for a quiet time away from phones and worries.But once they hit the island the fears Kay has had come up again. Various items on the island are scenes she has painted in recent months, even though she's never been to this island. The rest of the group tells her she's imagining things and they find the house and settle in. Then things begin to happen. Eventually the members of this group begin to be killed one by one. Is someone else on the island, perhaps the pilot who brought them there? Or maybe someone else, someone who has been stalking Kay? Then again maybe it is the terrifying creature she only catches glimpses of in her dreams.The movie is well made and for a group of actors who were basically unknowns they to a good job here. Kendall is particularly good with a haunted look to her that makes the character of Kay, a woman who is afraid of sleep for fear of her dreams, quite believable. Of the four main actors Kottenbrook comes off as the most skilled and her shift from perturbed at their vacation location to concern for her sister in law is well played.What makes the movie work most of all though is the way it's plotted out. We don't take too much time in exposition setting up the story but it does give us enough background to inform us. The pacing works well here too without providing an immediate murder to keep us watching but playing out the suspense enough to make us ponder whether or not Kay is insane or being pursued by a potentially supernatural force.Of course the first thing horror fans will note is her fear of sleeping. Some might think that this makes the film a rip off of the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films. But check the date of release and you'll find that this movie predates the first film of that series by 2 years.Arrow Video does their usual bang up job here offering a restoration of the film from 4k scan of the original negative. Extras are fairly limited but include new interviews with the cast and crew, the original theatrical trailer, a reversible sleeve with artwork by Justin Osbourn and a booklet featuring new liner notes by writer Lee Gambin for those who pick up the first printing of the disc.A few companies have seen the success that Arrow Video has had by reclaiming these lost video store gems and are trying to compete with them now. But no one has equaled the amount of affection that Arrow has for these titles. Until they do Arrow will be the company to look for when choosing movies from this category and time period.

MARIO GAUCI I have toyed with the idea of renting this obscure "Video Nasty" from my local DVD shop for years but only now – that I have watched Nucleus Films' exemplary VIDEO NASTIES: MORAL PANIC, CENSORSHIP AND VIDEOTAPE (2010) documentary and have been going through a handful of them for this ongoing "Halloween Challenge" – have I finally bit the bullet and went for it. Unfortunately, THE SLAYER turned out to be one of those titles in that much-discussed list which does not deserve its inclusion, being far too slowly-paced to compel one's full attention and, ultimately, far too tame to satisfy the gorehounds' tastebuds. Sure, there is a bizarre beheading (sort of), a beating-to-death with a paddle (to a completely peripheral character!), a human 'hooked-up' like a fish, a flare being shot into a man that subsequently catches on fire and an impalement-by-pitchfork but, for the most part, the four lead characters spend the time talking in circles (about the artistic female protagonist's current frame-of-mind) or wandering around the abandoned island they are ostensibly vacationing on looking for one another! Apart from a few welcome humorous touches present during its earlier stages, the best part of the film is decidedly the concept – originated in the classic sci-fi piece FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956) and clearly picked up and improved upon by Wes Craven for the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984) and the consequent "Freddy Krueger" franchise – of a murderous being from the id, created by the lead character in her dream-state, eventually materializing in the real world to violently dispose of her unbelieving friends. However, the film-makers end up fumbling that asset as well because, not only is the talon-sporting titular character hardly seen at all, but when he does appear in close-up towards the end, his merely skeletal visage leaves one underwhelmed. To add insult to injury, the film leaves off with one of those stupid cop-out endings where it is revealed that all the events that had gone on before were only the nightmare suffered by the leading lady who, in this case, even goes all the way back to her childhood trauma of receiving a black cat as a gift…WTF?!

Red-Barracuda The Slayer is one of the tamer films to make the notorious video nasty list. It's a slasher movie with a supernatural angle. It essentially concerns two couples who go holidaying on a deserted island. Immediately after arrival people begin being killed off by a mysterious assailant.The movie does try to be a little original with the idea of sleep being a catalyst for the murderous mayhem, however, despite this, The Slayer is no more than a reasonably solid film. Like most slasher flicks the murder set-pieces are the main draw. While there are some other good macabre details such as the severed head scene. Unfortunately, the moments between the gore and suspense aren't especially interesting meaning that it drags at times. Bizarrely enough, in the closing moments we see the monster that is responsible for the killings but only for a few brief seconds. This seems like a bit of a waste, seeing as the creature was quite well put together. While the twist ending at the end was silly but memorable.At the end of the day The Slayer is a fairly undistinguished and average video nasty. But at the very least it does try to build up atmosphere and it does try to do something different with the stalk and slash genre.