Week two of Halloweenfest, I decided to go with the slasher subgenre. This isn’t the most exciting subgenre, but it’s my favorite. I decided to go as obscure as possible, and most of these films I hadn’t previously seen. I will admit this collection of films is strange. Most are B movies, but they all have huge names involved. If you want to vote to decide what films I watch, go to @MidnightFilmReview on Instagram.
5. Cutting Class
Much like this list, Cutting Class is bizarre. The film stars a very young Brad Pitt, the boyfriend of the district attorney’s daughter, who put away another character for murder. Pitt was childhood friends with Brian Woods. The film wants you to make a decision early on who you believe the killer is. Is it Woods? Is it Pitt’s character Dwight? This back and forth isn’t very intriguing, and the script is full of holes. The kills are pretty decent, and there is a good amount of tension in the final act. The performances are average, and the direction is rudimentary. In some ways, this movie feels like a bad early version of Scream. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had some influence on Kevin Williamson when he was writing it. There is enough here to make the film fun, but there’s nothing remarkable.
Rating: 5/10
4. The Strangers: Prey at Night
The first Strangers film was brutal and an attempt at elevated horror. The sequel never aspires to be that type of film. It’s much sillier and falls into slasher tropes scene after scene. Prey at Night isn’t all bad, though. This film boasts some great performances. Christina Hendricks does a superb job of playing the scared, helpless scream queen. There are some eventful kills and a ton of relentless action. The three faceless killers are just as menacing as ever, and the absolute uniqueness of this movie is utilizing the three villains. Having our heroes face multiple killers is not very common in this genre, and Prey at Night does a great job of using this to its favor. The soundtrack is a homerun too. There is a fantastic scene involving a pool and Bonnie Raitt.
Rating: 6.5/10
3. Alone in the Dark
I’m surprised I had never seen this film. It seemed like the type of film I would’ve watched ten times by now. The film stars Jack Palance, Donald Pleasence, and Martin Landau. There are a ton of other familiar faces too. Everyone is excellent, but it’s Pleasence’s performance that was the most striking. It’s beyond odd, and he chews up his scenes. He’s not that kind of actor, but here he’s taking things to another level. This movie is so weird and atmospheric. It’s more of a home invasion film than a slasher, but the amount of craziness that happens on screen is astounding. The script is offbeat and written to give the actors a ton of leeway with their characters. The ending is genuinely unique, and ultimately, this film is super unsettling.
Rating: 7/10
2. Intruder
Intruder isn’t nearly as good of a film as Alone in the Dark, but I enjoyed this film so much. The movie takes place entirely in a grocery store. The staff is there all night marking down all the products because the store is being closed. The film has a few recognizable faces like Sam and Ted Raimi. There is also Renée Estévez. Yes, that name is familiar for a reason—the sister of Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estévez. The real star of the film is director Scott Spiegel. While the script is goofy and the kills are at times predictable, Spiegel has some obvious talent. Multiple shots are way too good to be in this film. Once the killer is revealed, the real fun starts. This movie turns into a bonkers bloodbath.
Rating: 7/10
- April Fool’s Day
There are several holiday-themed horror films out there. Halloween, Black Christmas, Better Watch Out, Krampus, and My Bloody Valentine have more than that in common with April Fool’s Day. They are all good. April Fool’s Day doesn’t have the right to be as good as it is. This film doesn’t have a ton of gore, but it is highly suspenseful. Amy Steel and Deborah Foreman do their best to the acting of the bunch, and I honestly can’t decide who is better. I’m not sure why this isn’t a bigger hit, and while it might be considered a cult classic, it should just be regarded as a classic. I’m sure there are right’s issues with this film because the first time I watched it ten years ago, it was almost impossible to find. If you love the classic slasher films of the past, you’ll love April Fool’s Day.
Rating: 8/10
Next week we are getting scared by monsters! So go to Instagram and vote which monster film I should watch.
