Boo! It’s that time of the year again as Halloween 2024 is only a few days away!
For my annual recommendations of horror films, I’m separating the recommendations into genres … and today we’re again looking at: Slashers!
I guess you could say a lot of killers in horror films in the past were “slashers,” but the “slasher” genre really got kick-started with Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween” in 1978. After that, she became the “Scream Queen” and specialized in slasher films until she broke out into mainstream cinema with “Trading Places.”
Yet, the genre was off and running and spawned great franchises such as “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
So, let me guide you along the path of the slashers in alphabetical order (click the link on each title to read my review; one film has a link to IMDb.com):
‘Friday the 13th’ … Horror coefficient: B+
(1980; 95 minutes; rated X; directed by Sean S. Cunningham and starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King and Kevin Bacon)
Here is the most profitable of all horror movie franchises and it started out with a lead actress who did a “bad” film for the money to buy a new car! This one is the typical “slasher kills young people” with the identity hidden until the last reel (remember when movies were actually on film reels?). The majority of the time is on a Friday the 13th at a summer camp about to reopen years after the tragic death of a camper. Well, that wasn’t going to be the only death … don’t you know?
‘Prom Night’ … Horror coefficient: B+
(1980; 92 minutes; rated R; directed by Paul Lynch and starring Leslie Nielsen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Casey Stevens)
Here is one of several horror flicks released in 1980 that stars Jamie Lee Curtis. However, it is the weakest, but still manages to scare you with the slasher action. By the name, you know it happens to a bunch of high school seniors on … you guessed it! Prom night! Ah well, it’s stereotypical, but does star Ms. Curtis … and you can’t beat Jamie Lee in the realm of horror!
‘Scream’ … Horror coefficient: A+
(1996; 111 minutes; rated R; directed by Wes Craven and starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette)
Here is the only film that comes close to the all-time classic “Halloween” film with Jamie Lee Curtis. It re-energized the horror genre, which had stagnated through the late 1980s and into the mid-1990s with just a series of films that tried to out-gross each other. Legendary horror director the late Wes Craven made “Scream” renew a sense of real story-telling; a great young cast; and the way to scare the wits out of you … from surprise and shock to outright gore. Here is one of the two best-ever horror flicks ever made and it is a must-watch at Halloween.
‘Terror Train’ … Horror coefficient: A
(1980; 97 minutes; rated R; directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson and Hart Bochner)
Here is Jamie Lee Curtis’ most underrated horror flick. It is really a wonderful effort in creativity – not that a bunch of college kids get killed, but the location: on a train hired for a Halloween party run by a fraternity. Further, the killer assumes the costumes of the victims and actually makes you think to guess who’s the killer. Also, you get a wonderful supporting shot by real-life magician David Copperfield. All around, this one meets all the standards of a horror classic, but didn’t get the publicity.
Come back tomorrow for my final recommendation for Halloween! You guessed it! It’s …
(CLICK here … for all my reviews of horror movies)
(CLICK here … for links to all my movie reviews)
(CLICK here … for a chronological list of my reviews)
(CLICK here … for all my reviews of ‘007’ movies)
(CLICK here … for all my reviews of war movies)
CLICK here … for all my reviews of Christmas movies)
(CLICK here … for all my reviews of sports movies)
Actors: Charles Bronson | Michael Caine | Chevy Chase | Sean Connery
Jamie Lee Curtis | Matt Damon | Robert De Niro | Clint Eastwood
Gene Hackman | Tom Hanks | Steve McQueen | Brad Pitt | Dennis Quaid
Robert Redford | Burt Reynolds | Rene Russo | Donald Sutherland
Directors: Sam Peckinpah | Sydney Pollack | Peter Yates
CLICK TO VIEW MY PHOTO GALLERIES & MOVIE REVIEWS:
My movie reviews | Sunrises | Sunsets | DriveTime1 | DriveT2 | DriveTime3
Idiot Parking | Naples Driving Lessons | License plate game | Contrails | UF Gators
Naples1 | Nap2 | Nap3 | Nap4 | Nap5 | Nap6 | Nap7 | Nap8 | Nap9 | Naples10
Disney1 | Diz2 | Diz3 | Diz4 | Diz5 | Diz6 | Diz7 | Diz8 | Diz9 | Diz10 | Diz11 | Disney12
Diz13 | Diz14 | Diz15 | Diz16 | Diz17 | Diz18 | Diz19 | Diz20 | Diz21 | Diz22 | Disney23
NYC | China | Europe | Miami Dolphins | Halloween Horror Nights | Cruises | D.C.
© Chuck Curry and A Gator in Naples, 2024.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without
express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner
is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that
full and clear credit is given to Chuck Curry and A Gator in Naples
with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
