Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Listonixio Fresh and Exciting

ShangLuda Admirable film.

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.

acidburn-10 I remember watching this movie on video many years ago, the title caught my eye seeing the fact that it had a previously banned sticker on it, but to be honest at the time I found it quite boring only saved by a few cool and graphic kills, but then it kind of faded from memory. Many years on I decided to purchase this movie on DVD, to see if my opinion has somewhat changed, and in a way yes and no.Now many years on I do appreciate the tension and the build up of this movie, and the effective POV killer shots, the story line is also quite fresh and original, well at the time anyway, a young woman having nightmares about a monster called "The Slayer". But also on my second viewing this movie still hasn't quite won my affection, the acting for one thing is quite poor and none of them are even memorable which prevents this movie from being scary. But the setting of the island though is very eerie and disturbing, and the cast do make the most of the creepy setting, and the fact that the main heroine is all alone in the head does build on tension and genially does feel unnerving.All in all an okay effort, saved by cool deaths but renders on the tedious side, while waiting for them to come.

Toronto85 The Slayer is a very good 80's slasher film that, unfortunately, is very hard to find. It's not out on DVD (Region 1) and the VHS tape is way too expensive online. I actually watched this on youtube the other day, that's pretty much the only possible way to watch this unless you want to spend upwards of $40 on Ebay. A group of four go on vacation to a deserted island. Every time the main character Kay goes to sleep, she has terrible nightmares of murder. Each time she falls asleep, someone around her dies. Are the murders a dream or reality? I have to say for a low budget horror film, The Slayer looks really good. The location shots of the beach and the sets are nice, and the gore is really well done and quite gruesome. The acting is actually pretty good from all of the main actors. I like the story too. Having Kay seem sort of "off" from the rest makes her a suspect. Maybe I am the only one who thought that, but an hour into the movie I believed their was a good chance she was the killer. The death scenes as I mentioned were pretty gruesome, namely the pitchfork scene. The ending was sort of hokey and a weak spot to the movie, but it was a little bit of a "twist" I guess. It didn't take anything away from the rest of the film.The Slayer is a low budget slasher film with a lot more class then many others made around this time. It's a shame this is not out on DVD because it deserves a release.8/10