4 star restoration of this 1980’s obscure but classic slasher flick.
The Slayer was first released in 1982 and is presented here following a 4K restoration courtesy of Arrow Video. It is written and directed by J.S. Cardone (The Covenant, Prom Night) with screenplay by Bill Ewing (Deathmaster, The Hoax).
Kay (Sarah Kendall – The Karate Kid Part II) is an artist, previously successful but now facing criticism over her new surrealist style of painting. Since childhood, she has had nightmares of a demonic entity which wants to kill her and recently they have become more frequent, so she paints what she sees in her dreams.
Her doctor husband David (Alan McRae – 3 Ninjas, Breaking Point) is worried about her and decides that a holiday is just what the doctor ordered.
Along with her brother Eric (Frederick Flynn – The Forsaken, 8MM 2) and his wife Brooke (Carol Kottenbrook – Thunder Alley) the four hop onto a plane and head off to an incredibly remote island to relax and get away from it all.
On first inspection they are not particularly impressed with the place, especially Kay, who believes that the old abandoned theatre is in fact in one of her paintings, but when they see the interior of the house they warm to the idea, it’s beautiful and well stocked and they soon settle in.
Despite ominous warnings from their suspicious pilot Mr. Marsh (Michael Holmes – Waiting Game) about an incoming tropical storm, they decide to stay and enjoy their holiday.
It’s not long however before things start to fall apart, they begin to disappear one at a time as Kay’s dreams intensify. Is there a crazed killer on the island or are Kay’s dreams manifesting and becoming a reality?
The Slayer had passed into relative obscurity, so fans of the genre will be overjoyed to finally be able to own it in a modern format. The film has a lot of issues, it’s very slow to get going and action is few and far between, meaning it loses its suspense quite often, but it’s still enjoyable and quite scary when stuff does happen.
As always with these films, the decision making processes of the characters are questionable at best, but the idea of a supernatural creature emerging from dreams was ahead of its time and makes for a good story. With a host of special features, this is a must own for fans of a good slasher flick.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
- Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentations
- Original Mono Audio (Uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio Commentary with writer/director J.S. Cardone, actress Carol Kottenbrook and executive in charge of production Eric Weston, moderated by Ewan Cant
- Audio Commentary with The Hysteria Continues
- Isolated Score Selections and Audio Interview with Composer Robert Folk
- Nightmare Island: The Making of The Slayer documentary featuring interviews with J.S. Cardone, Carol Kottenbrook, Eric Weston, producer William Ewing, director of photography Karen Grossman, camera operator/2nd Unit DOP/still photographer Arledge Armenaki, special creature and make-up effects creator Robert Short and Slayer performer Carl Kraines
- Return to Tybee: The Locations of The Slayer featurette revisiting the shooting locations on Tybee Island, Georgia
- The Tybee Post Theater Experience join the audience of the Tybee Post Theater (one of the film s key locations) for this very special home-town screening of The Slayer! Includes event introduction, feature-length audience reaction track and post screening Q&A with Arledge Armenaki and Ewan Cant
- Still Gallery
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Lee Gambin
“Just stay awake…”
The Slayer is available to buy now on Blu-ray.
| Director | J.S. Cardone |
| Genre | Horror |
| Starring | Sarah Kendall, Frederick Flynn, Carol Kottenbrook, Alan McRae |
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