Revenge Of The Slashers: Billy Chapman

“Punish!”

Christmas hasn’t been the same since 1984. That’s the year that the highly controversial (for its time) Silent Night, Deadly Night was released in theaters. The film, released on the same day as the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, featured Robert Brian Wilson as Billy Chapman, a young man who, along with his little brother, witnesses the violent death of his parents at the hands of robber dressed as Santa Claus. Billy and his brother, Ricky, are placed in an orphanage headed up by the wicked Mother Superior, who brutally punishes any of the kids that get out of line. Years later, Billy snaps at a Christmas party where he slaughters his coworkers and then goes on a murderous rampage “punishing” any naughty people that get in his way as he makes his way back to the orphanage to kill Mother Superior.

Billy is perhaps best known for his affinity for axes, but he utilized a number of other weapons to dispatch his victims. From deer antlers to Christmas lights, anything could be a deadly weapon in Billy’s hands.

Sadly (spoiler alert) Billy doesn’t manage to achieve his goal of murdering Mother Superior. He does, however, inspire his little brother, Ricky, to pick up his axe and punish more naughty people in two sequels. Two more sequels, neither related to Billy or Ricky, were released as was a 2012 reboot. The reboot didn’t reference Billy or Ricky, either.

The original Silent Night, Deadly Night was a trailblazing film. Critics hated the movie and the fact that it took an innocent character like Santa Claus and made him a violent killer. There have been multiple killer and/or action-type Santa films released, but none of them come close to Billy Chapman’s Kringle killing spree.

Thanks for checking out today’s Revenge of the Slashers entry! It’s never too early to spread some Christmas cheer…..and blood!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Victor Crowley

“Tell Me This Is Part Of The Tour.”

If you’re ever out in the swamps just outside of New Orleans late at night, listen closely and you might just hear Victor Crowley calling for his daddy. Beginning in 2006, horror got one of its newest slasher franchises with Hatchet. As almost every film that takes place in Louisiana does, the original Hatchet movie starts out in New Orleans at Mardi Gras. A group of college kids decides to take a haunted swamp tour and find themselves knee-deep in the swamp, battling against an unstoppable force known as Victor Crowley.

Kane Hodder has starred as Victor Crowley in all four of the franchise’s films. Crowley, a deformed child who was constantly bullied, was accidentally smashed in the face with a hatchet when his father attempted to save him from their burning home. Crowley apparently died in the fire and his soul has been haunting Honey Island Swamp ever since, looking for revenge. Crowley seems to have zero weaknesses, as he has been blown up, sawed to pieces, shot, and set on fire, among other things, and has yet to die.

While a hatchet is Victor’s main go-to weapon, he’ll utilize just about anything he can get his hands on in order to kill his victims. He’s a lot like Jason Voorhees in this aspect. In fact, Victor shares a lot of the same characteristics as Voorhees. Both of them were bullied and deformed children. Both of them will kill anybody that comes to their home (swamp for Victor/Camp Crystal Lake for Jason), and they are apparently unstoppable.

The first film guest starred horror icons Robert Englund (A Nightmare On Elm Street) and Tony Todd (Candyman). This is a trend that would continue with all three sequels to the original film. Legendary horror actors such as Derek Mears, Felissa Rose, Sid Haig, R. A. Mihailoff, and Tyler Mane all had guest roles in the franchise. Almost all of them were ultimately murdered by Victor. Danielle Harris, a scream queen in her own right, took on the role of Marybeth Dunston in Hatchet II, replacing the original star, Tamara Feldman, and has portrayed the character in each film that has followed. Parry Shen has appeared in all four of the Hatchet movies, albeit as a different character in all but two of the movies.

The Hatchet films are great, brainless, lower-budget slasher films and Victor is a very violent, somewhat generic slasher, but it’s still fun to flip on one of his movies and watch him kill and maim anybody standing in his way!

Thanks for checking out today’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror entry. See you tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: The Phantom Killer

“If we do catch him, it’s gonna be a miracle.”

What makes today’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror entry scarier than most of the other slashers that I’m looking at this month is the fact that he actually existed! While the 1976 film The Town That Dreaded Sundown took a few liberties with the actual Texarkana Moonlight Murders, people really were murdered by an unknown assailant in 1946 during a ten week spree that ended abruptly and without a criminal behind bars. While tons of theories, guesses, and rumors still abound about who the murderer, dubbed the Phantom Killer by an executive editor of the Texarkana (Arkansas) Gazette, his true identity was never discovered.

In the film, the Phantom Killer stalks out his victims, primarily couples on lonely roads, after dark. The brutality of the attacks, almost all of which end in murder, sends the town of Texarkana into a gun-buying frenzy. They board up their windows and live in fear as the local and state authorities attempt to find the killer.

The Phantom Killer was portrayed by Bud Davis, a stuntman and stunt coordinator who has appeared in or coordinated the stunts for tons of films that you’ve probably seen. Just a few of the films that he worked on include Star Trek: Generations, The Blob, Child’s Play, the CHiPS television series, and Sliver.

The Phantom Killer had no specific weapons, but his most iconic kill in the film is probably the trombone stabbing murder of Peggy Loomis. As far as his look, the Phantom Killer wears a sack (possibly a pillowcase) tied over his head, a jacket, pants, and dark boots. The boots are utilized throughout the film to signify that the killer is walking amongst the citizens of Texarkana all of the time. We never see his face.

Director Charles B. Pierce and writer Earl E. Smith changed the names of the victims from the actual murders in Texarkana, TX and the surrounding area that went into Arkansas. They also changed certain details, locations, and times for most of the events as well. If you’d like to know more about the true Phantom Killer and the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, check out this article from The Crime Wire. If you’re interested in more information about the film, check out my review.

Actual crime scene photo from the Texarkana Moonlight Murders investigation.

A very, very forgettable “sequel” was released in 2014 by Blumhouse Productions. It uses the original film as a trigger for a new Phantom Killer to slip the sack on his face and start a new killing spree in Texarkana. It’s entirely fictional and not recommended.

Crime scene photo from the real investigation.

Thanks for checking out today’s slasher! If you haven’t seen the original The Town That Dreaded Sundown, I highly recommend it. There’s plenty more mayhem left for this month, so stay tuned!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Alex Hammond

“Do you still like to play games?”

Wendy, Jude, Kelly, and Nick scare young Robin while playing in an abandoned building. She accidentally falls out of a window to her death. The four kids swear to never tell a soul about what happened….but someone saw Robin’s fall and knows the truth. Six years after her death, someone leaves yearbook photos stabbed with shards of glass of each member of the group and makes cryptic calls to each of them, promising to “see them at the prom.” Then the body count rises. If you’ve seen 1980’s Prom Night, you know who that someone is: Alex Hammond.

You might be wondering why I’m including Alex Hammond, a one film killer, as a member of the slashers in this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror. I actually have a few reasons. For starters, Alex is probably the most sympathy-worthy killer on this list. He witnessed the death of his twin sister and had to deal with that as a ten year old kid. Secondly, he only killed those involved in the death of his sister with the exceptions of Slick, who was collateral damage, and Lou, who, let’s be honest, nobody really missed. Also, Alex wasn’t a professional killer nor was he supernatural in any way. The poor guy just wanted revenge. Seeing him stumble around, get smacked by his victims, and almost die in a van crash reminded me of multiple Ghostface killers from the Scream franchise. To top it all off, Alex never appeared in any of the three sequels or the reboot of the Prom Night franchise, but without him, none of them would have existed.

Alex wore a simple black face mask, black sweater, and black pants. He looked like your standard cat burglar with the exception of his affinity for mirror shards and axes. He dispatched his victims with difficulty, but managed to get the job done. When he met his untimely death, you sort of felt for the guy as well.

Alex was portrayed by Michael Tough. Three sequels followed the original film with none of them featuring Alex or a similar character. Instead, Mary Lou Maloney, a vengeful prom queen who wants her crown, took over as the primary antagonist in Prom Night II: Hello Mary Lou (1987) and Prom Night III: The Last Kiss (1989). Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil (1991) introduces the demon-possessed priest named Father Jonas. The final sequel is actually a reboot of the original film. In 2008’s Prom Night, however, the killer is an obsessed former teacher, Richard Fenton.

The name “Alex Hammond” may not strike fear into the hearts of filmgoers like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, or Michael Myers, but he was definitely one of the best early slashers.

Thanks for checking out my post. More mayhem will come tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Freddy Krueger

“Don’t Fall Asleep!”

2024 will mark the forty year anniversary of the A Nightmare On Elm Street film series. That means that today’s Revenge Of The Slashers icon, Freddy Krueger, has been terrifying audiences for nearly four decades. His impact, not only on the horror genre, but on pop culture in general, cannot be denied. Created by horror legend Wes Craven, Freddy is horror royalty and consistently ranks in the top five slashers of all time on numerous lists.

Freddy, for those that have been living under a rock for the last forty years, was a janitor who killed numerous children in Springwood, Ohio. When he was finally captured, he managed to elude imprisonment due to a technicality. Enraged by the fact that the murderer of their children walked free, parents of Freddy’s victims cornered him in a boiler room and burned him alive. Freddy returns to Springwood via the dreams of teenagers, turning their nightmares into reality. If Freddy kills you in your dream, you die in the real world.

Freddy is known for wearing a ratty fedora, an even rattier green and red sweater, and a bladed glove. As the film series grew, he became known for his sadistic wit as well. This wit would eventually make Freddy a somewhat comedic character. While the glove is his signature weapon, Freddy utilizes the fears of his victims to create unique ways in which to kill them. From crushing a gym enthusiast in a “roach motel” to literally transforming a young man into a flesh motorcycle, Freddy has come up with some extremely crazy methods of mutilation.

Another unique thing about Freddy is the fact that for nearly the entire franchise, he’s been portrayed by the same actor, Robert Englund. Two other men have portrayed the character. Michael Bailey Smith portrayed the Super Freddy that appears in 1989’s A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (although Englund portrayed Freddy throughout the rest of the film) and Jackie Earle Haley portrayed Freddy in the 2010 franchise reboot. Despite these other performances, most fans only consider Englund to be the true Freddy Krueger.

There have been nine A Nightmare On Elm Street films. Of these films, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) is actually a film within a film wherein Freddy becomes part of reality and begins killing filmmakers on the latest Nightmare movie, Freddy Vs. Jason (2003) is a crossover film that also features Jason Voorhees of Friday The 13th fame, and 2010’s A Nightmare On Elm Street attempted to reboot the franchise. Despite being a financial success, the reboot was panned by critics and fans alike. Freddy was also the host (and occasional antagonist) of Freddy’s Nightmares, a syndicated horror series that lasted for two season (1988-1990). He has also appeared in numerous video games, books, and has occasionally popped up as a guest character on television.

So, what is your favorite Elm Street film? Have you ever met Robert Englund in real life? What is your favorite Freddy kill from the films? Let me know that and more in the comments section!

Thanks for checking out Day One of the 2023 edition of Thirty-One Days O’Horror. More maniacs will be loosed daily throughout October!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Revenge Of The Slashers!!!!

I’m gonna cut-up all month long!

Thirty-One Days O’Horror begins TOMORROW!!!!! Be sure to check my blog at 10 AM CST on Sunday, October 1st, to check out the first entry in a month-long celebration of legendary slashers, long forgotten stalkers, and a few surprise stabbers! Yes, Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Ghostface, and Chucky will all be there, but so will a few surprises and lesser known deadly dudes and dudettes that deserve a little attention.

Did your favorite baddie make the cut? Keep up with my blog all month long to find out!

Throwback Thursday: 1998 Godzilla/Taco Bell Toys And Cup Holder

“Gojira……Gojira…..Gojiraaaaaaa!”

Whether you liked the 1998 film starring Matthew Broderick or not, you can’t deny that the Taco Bell/Godzilla tie-in items were pretty cool. While I didn’t personally go for any of the toys, I did make sure that I got my hands on all of the cups and that wonderful cup holder. I believe that it was actually supposed to fit into your car’s cup holder, but I never used it for that. Instead, I used it at home to sip my favorite beverages.

The toys were fine enough. From a disc-shooting “Jet Shooter” to a flying “Escape Flight Helicopter,” the toys were made at a slightly higher standard than one would expect from Taco Bell in the late 1990’s. That cup holder, however, was pure perfection. Just look at it in the photo below. You cannot deny how cool it is!

Between five different moves between 1998 and 2009 or so, I managed to lose my cup holder. I really miss it. It was a very unique item to own. I lost all of the cups as well, most likely tossed out by my wife as she attempted to make me grow into full adulthood. Twenty-four years of married bliss later, I’m still a big ol’ kid.

Did you have the Godzilla cup holder or any of the toys? Let me know in the comments section.

Thanks for checking out my post!

Classic Cinema: Gaslight (1944)

“Suddenly I am beginning not to trust my memory at all.”

According to the American Psychological Association, “gaslighting” is a term used to describe “the action of manipulating another person into doubting their own perceptions, experiences, or understanding of events.” It can lead to “confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator” (Merriam-Webster). It’s an effective tool that has been used by many abusers over the years, and while 1944’s Gaslight is often referenced as the origin of the term, it was actually inspired by the 1938 play Gas Light that inspired the film and another film in 1940. The 1944 movie takes many liberties with the play but is often cited as the most sadistic adaption of it.

In the film, Ingrid Bergman stars as Paula Alquist Anton, a young woman who struggles with the unsolved murder of her aunt, who moves into her aunt’s former home in London with her new husband. The husband, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), begins to note that his new bride has started to misplace things, forget events, and even accuses her of stealing things. When Gregory is away, Paula begins hearing noises in the attic and starts questioning her mental state. Gregory, in an attempt to “help” her, begins isolating Paula from the outside world. A Scotland Yard detective named Cameron (Joseph Cotten), who once fancied Paula, takes an interest in her strange behavior and begins digging around her aunt’s former home to find out what is really happening. As Paula starts to lose grip on her sanity, Cameron discovers what sinister deeds are really going on in the house. Watch Gaslight to find out what happens next!

This is a brilliantly executed film. It holds up extremely well to this day. Directed by George Cukor, the film pulls you in and manipulates you almost as much as the antagonist manipulates Paula. The performances of the core cast of Bergman, Boyer, Cotten, Angela Lansbury, and May Whitty are simply amazing. Bergman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film and Boyer was nominated for Best Actor. Lansbury was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor. In total, the production was nominated for seven Academy Awards. It won two awards, Bergman’s Best Actress Award and the award for Best Cinematography-Black And White. It also received multiple other nominations and awards and was inducted into the National Film Registry.

I highly recommend Gaslight. It’s an award-winning film that is part of the National Film Registry for a reason. It’s excellent. Charles Boyer is absolutely sinister in his role and witnessing Ingrid Bergman spiral into insanity and hopelessness is brutal to watch. That said, this is a must-see film. Check it out!

Thanks for checking out my post. Have a great day!

Throwback Thursday: Dungeons And Dragons Toys (1983-84)

“The fantasy comes alive!”

Way back in the early 1980s, toy company LJN combined forces with TSR to release a series of toys based upon the popular and, at least in the early 80s, controversial role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons. Despite my very strong Southern Baptist roots and the alleged Satanic portals that DnD potentially opened, my mother actually purchased a number of the figures and other toys from this line for me. They were some of my favorite toys at the time and the 3 3/4″ action figures quickly found themselves in battle with Star Wars figures, Indiana Jones figures, and just about any other figure that I could get my hand on at the time. With the recent release of the Dungeons & Dragons film (which I still haven’t reviewed), action figures for the classic cartoon were released and the nostalgia hit me big time.

There were action figures, one playset, bendy figures, monsters, animals, PVC figures, and die cast miniature collectible figures in the line. The first wave was released in 1983. It featured named characters like Warduke, Elkhorn, Ringlerun, and Strongheart, who were all based upon their coinciding characters types like Paladin, Wizard, Dwarf, Fighter, etc. The second wave featured some of the same characters along with new ones, all of which had a “battle-matic” action feature. There was also a Tiamat dragon toy.

I had two of the 3 3/4 figures, Warduke and Strongheart. Needless to say, Warduke was my favorite of the duo. I also had some of the metal collector figures. If memory serves me correctly, I had Warduke, Strongheart, Ringlerun, Skylla, and Kelek. I had one lone bendy figure, the Neo-Otyugh, and a pair of the PVC figures, Bullywugs of the Bog. The Bullywugs often fell victim to the schemes of Skeletor and He-Man battled the Neo-Otyugh on numerous occasions. While I never owned the Fortress of Fangs playset, I always wanted it. I wanted Tiamat as well, but I never got that figure, either.

Believe it or not, as much as I loved the DnD action figures and the cartoon series that began in 1983, I’ve never actually played the game. I never had friends in my area that wanted to play and until I became an adult, I had zero friends that actually played the game (as far as I know).

Did you have any of these toys growing up? Do you still have them? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks for checking out my post. See you again real soon!

Classic Cinema: The Unknown (1927)

“Hands! Men’s Hands! How I Hate Them!”

Considered by many to be the greatest film collaboration between director Tod Browning and the legendary Lon Chaney, 1927’s The Unknown is a twisted silent film that features a love triangle, murder, deception, and heartbreak. It stars Lon Chaney as Alonzo the Armless, Joan Crawford as Nanon, Norman Kerry as Malabar the Mighty, and John George as Cojo.

In the film, Alonzo is an armless circus performer who shoots a rifle and throws knives at his lovely assistant, Nanon, using his feet. Nanon, desired by both Alonzo and the circus’ local strongman, Malabar the Mighty, fears the touch of a man. While it is never openly stated, it is implied that Nanon’s father, or some other, unknown man, sexually assaulted her at a young age, causing her to fear the hands of men. Because of this fear, Nanon only feels comfortable around Alonzo because he is kind to her….and armless…..or is he? When Malabar saves Alonzo from a violent assault from Nanon’s father, he tells Alonzo of his love for Nanon and asks for his help in winning her heart. Hoping to win Nanon’s love for himself, Alonzo tells Malabar to embrace Nanon as much as possible in the hopes that it will actually draw her farther away from him and into the arms of Alonzo instead. What no one at the circus (other than Cojo) knows, is that Alonzo actually has arms and a double thumb on his left hand. Oh, and he’s a violent murderer as well, who went into hiding as an armless circus performer to hide from authorities. He eventually murders Nanon’s father but gets away with it when the police question him because, hey, no arms, and Nanon’s witness statement claims that the assailant had a double thumb. Eventually the circus moves on, but Alonzo and Nanon stay behind. Alonzo tells her that she must stay behind to avoid the horrible memories of the murder but, in actuality, hopes to woo her for his own.

Cojo tells Alonzo that he must never allow Nanon to embrace him since she will discover his secret. Desperate for her love, however, Alonzo seeks out an old “friend” and convinces him to amputate his arms. In his absence, Malabar has managed to win Nanon’s heart and the two plan to marry. Distraught, armless, and spiraling out of control, Alonzo makes one last attempt at eliminating the competition. Who lives? Who dies? Watch The Unknown to find out!

I went into this film knowing nothing about it and was completely blown away! There’s so much going on in this film under the surface that it’s simply amazing. Lon Chaney’s acting is amazing and beautiful in a twisted way. He says more with his eyes in this film that many actors do in extended monologues in other films. Norman Kerry was great as Malabar and John George was a hugely sympathetic character. The entire cast did a great job, but Joan Crawford stole the show. Not only is she simply gorgeous, she was bleeding agony and pain on the screen during her scenes. She was amazing. I can say nothing bad about her or any of the other performers in this film.

I rarely stick my neck out like this when it comes to films, but The Unknown is a must-see piece of art. It’s great. I love it. Need I say more? Watch this movie and let me know what you think about it in the comments section.

Thanks for checking out my post!