THE BEST (AND WORST) SLASHERS OF 1981!! (Part 1 of 2)

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 (1981) d. Steve Miner (USA)
HALLOWEEN II (1981) d. Rick Rosenthal (USA)
THE BURNING (1981) d. Tony Maylam (USA)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (1981) d. J. Lee Thompson (Canada)
MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981) d. George Mihalka (Canada)
THE FUNHOUSE (1981) d. Tobe Hooper (USA)
HELL NIGHT (1981) d. Tom DeSimone (USA)
THE PROWLER (1981) d. Joseph Zito (USA)
NIGHTMARE (1981) d. Romano Scavolini (USA)
JUST BEFORE DAWN (1981) d. Jeff Lieberman (USA)

**CLICK HERE TO WATCH FULL YOUTUBE EPISODE**

The early 1980s were a golden age for horror, and by 1981, the slasher subgenre had already exploded into a full-blown phenomenon, with producers and filmmakers eager to capitalize on the success of Halloween and Friday the 13th.

Fool's Views (2/1 – 2/14)

Better late than never, right?

Hello, hello.

Yes, it’s been a few weeks since I last reported in – anything new going on in the world?

I jest, of course. It’s an odd time we’re living in, with the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the globe and most of the U.S. on lockdown. My personal training career is at a bit of standstill, since our health club is currently closed, so I’m finally sitting down to catch up on the Views. I wasn’t really feeling motivated to do so over the past month, but thanks to a few inspiring emails from my Belgian blood brother Gert, I seem to have rallied for the time being.

This batch takes us to the halfway point of February, which I celebrated by watching a double-feature of Shout Factory’s extras-packed Blu-ray release of My Bloody Valentine and the surprisingly solid 3D remake from 2009. It also marked the spark for an unexpected deep dive into a certain action-star icon’s filmography which you’ll be reading about in FV reports to come. (You have Tim to thank/curse for this.) I also wrapped up the final lap (for now) of my animated features (itself inspired by legendary pun-meister Kevin Matthews’ Ani-May-Tion last year).

As always, feel free to leave your two cents worth – we’ll make sure you get some change back.

Enjoy!

October Horror Movie Challenge 10/18

GETTIN’ HUNGRY OVER HERE

Killer Tongue (1996) (2nd viewing) d. Sciamma, Alberto (Spain) 98min
Bank robbin’ lovers Jason Durr and Melinda (Return of the Living Dead III) Clarke pull a double cross on their partners, only to have all kinds of unholy and extraterrestrial karma come back and bite them…literally. While Durr sits out his prison sentence, Clarke and her color-coordinated poodles have a close encounter with a bit of space droppings (via a bowl of soup, no less) that transforms the pooches into a quartet of flamboyant drag queens and her tongue into a weapon of mass destruction. Courtesy of Image Animation’s worthy f/x, the titular premise lives up to its promise, with la lengua loca ramming, ripping and rending everything within reach – and considering its elastic properties, that’s covering some ground. Robert Englund devours the scenery as a tight-assed prison captain, while Doug Bradley (credited as “Dough Bradley”) lends able support as Durr’s fellow inmate. Alternatively deliriously madcap and batshit bonkers, this under-the-radar gem deserves some attention, in particular by fans of Clarke (who spends the majority of the film in a skintight black latex bodysuit).