DAY 19:
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I'm a little surprised that I had never managed to catch Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare in its entirety until this year. I've spent far too much time over the past twenty-plus years being fixated on and fascinated by horror icon Freddy Krueger's evil deeds, but yet never took the plunge with this one. Perhaps it was due to a fairly bad reputation that it's garnered over the years. Perhaps it was due to the fact that it essentially felt like one of the final nails in the coffin of the slasher genre (until Scream brought it back to the mainstream) by having an awful box office intake. Whatever the case, there was no excuse for missing it now since it popped up on Tubi. Plus, I have to be a Nightmare completist. I don't expect to be reviewing the Freddy's Nightmares TV show this year though.
If the title wasn't a dead giveaway, Freddy's Dead was intended to be the final entry in New Line Cinema's once profitable A Nightmare on Elm Street series. Box office receipts had started to dwindle and the folks at New Line (specifically Bob Shaye) felt like it was time to finally move on with different projects. Stepping into the director's chair for this sixth installment was Rachel Talalay, who had been involved with prior Nightmare projects in various capacities (and also wrote the story this time around). Said story begins with the introduction of the amnesiac John Doe who is seemingly the last survivor of the (now) almost childless town of Springwood, Ohio. Through some screwy means, he is taken into a shelter for troubled kids, where he meets their doctor, Maggie Burroughs (played by future L.A. Law co-star Lisa Zane). Hoping to cure his amnesia, Maggie takes John and a trio of her patients to Springwood for a trip. Of course, ol' Freddy is waiting for them to just fall asleep so he can dispatch of them in gleefully creative ways. But could one of these rapscallions hold the key to truly defeating the man also known as "The Springwood Slasher?" And does one of them hold a stronger connection to Freddy that even they would realize sounds crazy?
Certainly sounds like I'm hyping this up to be a rather grandiose conclusion to this saga, yes? Well, that idea sounds promising, but Freddy's Dead is unfortunately a colossal misfire and proof that maybe killing Freddy was the absolute best thing you could have done to spare this icon any further embarrassment. Nothing really works here. The script is peppered with some pretty lousy dialogue, with Freddy himself going into full-on Bugs f'n Bunny territory (NOT a compliment) and losing any menace he had retained throughout his prior outings. In terms of our protagonists, going from the excellent Alice Johnson (of parts 4 & 5) to the pretty bland and forgettable Maggie is also a shame, especially when you discover just how vital the latter is to the franchise halfway through this flick's running time. It makes you REALLY wish she was written to be more interesting or that they had hinted at her importance in prior pictures (possible spoiler, sorry). Still, you do have a fairly fun performance from Yaphet Kotto here, who gets to beat Freddy up with a baseball bat. Points for that. Speaking of violent behavior, even the kills this time around just feel tiresome. I'd argue that the most impressive death comes via a hearing aid tampering, but that's only because everything else just kind of stinks (especially when the final kill of the film, originally filmed to be in 3D along with the final ten minutes of the actual movie itself, looks even worse). Seeing a creatively bankrupt Nightmare movie is like going to your favorite restaurant to only discover than the menu has been completely revamped and they're using McDonald's hamburgers to make their patties instead of making them in house. It's serviceable, but not what you paid for and will not likely warrant a return from you.
Freddy's Dead is kind of a necessary evil in the Elm Street franchise though. It's not a good film. AT ALL. You could honestly just skip through all of the fluff and watch one of those "Kill Count" videos on YouTube instead (not hating at all, I really like the Dead Meat folks). However, its failure did ultimately lead New Line Cinema back to Krueger's "father" Wes Craven, and he gave us a fan-fucking-tastic return to form for the character (albeit in a "noncanonical" sense) in Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Go seek that out instead if you haven't already.
DAY 20:
Despite sporting what I think is an undeniably awesome poster and tagline, 1984's The Mutilator (also known by the far more fitting title of Fall Break) is ultimately more of a perplexing entry in the absurdly large slasher subgenre than an outright good or bad one. The plot is pretty standard, with a cluster of coeds going to an island property during a break from school and encountering a psychotic madman who may or may not have connections to said island (and one of the characters). The real standout of The Mutilator comes not from its villain or even its kills, but rather its tone. It's very difficult to tell whether or not this was filmed with sincerity or if they were trying to go for intentionally campy. The movie features both opening and closing credits that are shot akin to that of a silly 80s sitcom (complete with goofy, uplifting music). That is certainly.....a choice. If I'm being brutally honest, this is the perfect kind of low-grade slasher that works best with a group of friends and some sort of recreational assistance. My days of drinking regularly are over though, so I wish I could give this a stronger recommendation.
DAY 21
OOF.
Well, 1982's Nightbeast (a loose remake of Maryland director Don Dohler's own picture The Alien Factor) is this year's reminder that perhaps I SHOULD take up drinking again. I found this one to be a bit difficult to get through, but admittedly I was battling some pretty bad food poisoning that day so my opinions and enjoyment may have been swayed by feeling like my body was housing a chestburster from Alien. Maybe I'll revisit this one again someday when I'm feeling better and have a bit freer time away from work. Fun monster design though.
DAY 22
Interestingly enough, I believe that this is one of the few times where I've revisited a film from a prior year's "Unseen Terror." Once I heard that 1991's criminally underrated Popcorn was getting the "Last Drive-In" treatment via horror streaming service Shudder, I figured that there was no better excuse to revisit it for the first time since I reviewed it back in 2015. Thankfully most of its charm and cleverness still remains intact, and I think it's just such a goddamn shame that Jill Schoelen never became a bigger star. Not really sure that I can add a whole lot more that wasn't covered before seven years ago. If you enjoy movies which feature a love FOR horror movies as a core part of its plot, check it out.
DAY 23:
Oy vey. I know that it isn't some sort of shocking revelation, but man did studios just churn out way too many slasher pictures during the decade of decadence. What caught my eye about 1981's Graduation Day (which is about, brace yourselves here, a mysterious figure killing off horny and gullible teens days before their graduation) however, was its very peculiar cast of somewhat familiar faces. I can't say that seeing fan favorite scream queen Linnea Quigley (Night of the Demons, Return of the Living Dead) pop up here was terribly surprising, but seeing Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White? Michael Pataki of Halloween 4 and Ren & Stimpy fame (where he voiced the quite gruff George Liquor)? Christopher George of City of the Living Dead and Pieces infamy? I most certainly was on board for this train ride.
Unfortunately, Graduation Day is kind of a mixed bag. Its first half is at times brutally slow (bordering on nap-inducing) but once the body count begins, it is a hoot of the highest regard. None of these kills are going to change the game (though pole vaulting onto a bed of steel spikes is undeniably gnarly) but they are serviceable given the visibly lower budget and (what I can assume to be) rushed shooting time. The killer reveal is a bit of a disappointment, but the journey along the way is a fairly fun one. Although I believe that Happy Birthday to Me is likely to take home the silver medal for "Best Slasher" during this year's marathon, this could end up with a shiny medal for third place by the end of the month.
I'm certain that you'd be reading that last sentence and asking what will likely be taking top honors in that category though. Well, here's your blood-soaked, nasty grand prize winner.
DAY 24:
I have been having the hardest time trying to write about Terrifier 2, and that is for a multitude of reasons. For starters, I have watched this Covid-delayed sequel TWICE now (the first time during its initial theatrical run towards the beginning of October), and I had to refresh my memory a bit before finalizing a published review. The follow-up to 2016's surprise hit Terrifier (both written and directed by Damien Leone) had been sitting in my queue for what felt like an eternity and was an early addition to this year's selection. However, I could have never anticipated that it would receive any sort of release in a cineplex (save for maybe something like the Drafthouse cinemas), as the first film is absolutely the kind of monstrosity that even modern horror audiences might find to be a bit too gross for their liking (need I mention the "hacksaw" scene?). Much to my delight though, this movie has been sticking around past its initial release schedule and has been EXPANDING into even more theaters over the weeks. Whether you count yourself as a fan of Art the Clown or not, the runaway success that it's been having (almost all due to word of mouth) is a pretty outstanding triumph for independent horror cinema.
As for the finished product itself? Well, I don't know if maybe I'm becoming a bit too sensitive in my older age, but Terrifier 2 will likely go down as perhaps the ghastliest, most disgusting, cruelest, and just all-around most brutal picture I'll see all month (if not all year). Leone has managed to take his own creation and turn this sequel up to eleven and then some by adding in some interesting lore surrounding its bad guy and a stronger script than its predecessor. The violence splits its time between being gloriously over-the-top to downright uncomfortable, and it features some of the best practical effects/makeup work you're likely to see in a modern-day horror film. Hell, its centerpiece kill will go down as an all-time classic (actress Casey Hartnett deserves a bonus and full course meal for going through it) and once/if you see the horrific crime committed, the revelation that this flick has been causing some audiences to either walk out, pass out, or feel quite ill will be far more understandable. Art the Clown (played perfectly yet again by David Howard Thornton) continues to earn his place alongside other legendary, silent, stone cold killers from yesteryear. Even as someone who doesn't have coulrophobia, there is just something so unnerving about the character that gets under your skin like few horror antagonists can do these days. Opposite the maniacal Art is a surprisingly solid cast of characters, and ones who I found to be even more memorable than those found in its predecessor. Teenager Jonathan, played by Elliott Fullam (who you can find on the very charming "Little Punk People" channel on YouTube) is a young man fascinated by true crime stories and all things morbid, and his fascination with this "evil clown" that has made a name for himself over the past few years could have some serious consequences if he keeps sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. His strict (if not extremely cautious) mother is played rather well by Sarah Voigt, who despite having a fairly small body of work, portrays her character as if she's been doing this longer than most in her field. I do have to save the most noteworthy performance (well, at least among the new cast) for last though: Lauren. F'n. Lavera. Y'all, we gotta talk about this actress, because she absolutely ROCKS in Terrifier 2. I'm certain that even those who have derided the movie agree that this woman is a goddamn star (and I'd be willing to bet that the character of Sienna could hold her own against anything thrown her way, be it from this world or not). It has been far too long since I've rooted this hard for a "Final Girl" in any horror picture to kick the villain's keester, and she'll stand alongside folks like Sharni Vinson in You're Next, Jessica Rothe in Happy Death Day, and Samara Weaving in Ready or Not as some of the best we've seen over the last decade or so. My apologies if it sounds like I'm gushing: when I enjoy great protagonists in the scarier side of cinema, it is a fabulous feeling.
It isn't all terrific, however. Perhaps the biggest derision that Terrifier 2 seems to be getting from critics (well, besides the violence) has been its incredibly lengthy running time. While I will admit that it didn't necessarily bother me personally because it just adds to the tension, any "slasher" picture that runs for close to 2.5 hours could probably use a bit of editing here and there. Then again, my screenings were presented as the "Uncut" version of the movie (Lemmy help whoever has to edit this into a "Rated" cut), so perhaps that's a bit of a silly complaint. I do also think that despite my enjoyment and sympathy for most of its cast, some of the supporting players feel a bit underwritten. But hey, that's horror for ya sometimes. Finally, without going into spoilers, it does leave the audience with a lot of unanswered questions and certain plot elements are a tad confusing (particularly its mid-credits scene). I assume that those will be answered in the inevitable Terrifier 3 though.
Discussing and giving my final thoughts on Terrifier 2 is a rather difficult task, only because I know that half of the people who read this crummy blog of mine are looking more for genuine scares rather than gore-filled extravaganzas. Hell, I've even said before that though I love a good ol' bloodbath, I'm more frightened of the living than the dead, and chills/dread will often trump body parts flying all over the screen. That being said, I do believe that Damien Leone's follow-up feature can serve as that rare example which can satisfy both crowds. If you have a strong stomach, are searching for a new horror figure to genuinely creep you out or are just in the mood for something that can best be described as "utterly, unabashedly insane," give this one a watch however you can. I'm planning on preordering the Blu-Ray as soon as it becomes available.
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