Revenge Of The Slashers: Timmy Reston

Searching For The Final Piece Of The Puzzle

Equal parts giallo slasher and exploitation film, 1982’s Pieces tells us the story of little Timmy Reston, a kid who really, really loves puzzles. When his mother discovers him putting together a puzzle of a nude model, she goes through his room looking for any and all pornography and demands that he get a plastic bag for her so that she can throw away the filth. Instead, Timmy grabs an axe and hacks his mother to death. He tells the police that a stranger came into the home and murdered his mother, and little Timmy gets away with his diabolical crime. Years later, young girls are found dismembered on a college campus. As the police go on the hunt for the killer, Timmy, who now goes by the name Dean Timothy Foley, is putting together the perfect puzzle.

You can check out my review of the film here, but let’s focus on Timmy in this post. Timmy is clearly insane. He’s killing young women and taking specific pieces of their bodies to create a human puzzle. His weapon of choice is a chainsaw, although he has one particularly brutal murder that takes place on a water bed that involves his use of a knife. Although it initially appears like he is randomly choosing victims, it’s revealed in the end that he wants specific parts from certain women to form his creation.

We don’t get that many glimpses at Timmy in his full gear, as most of the shots focus on the gory dismemberment of his victims. When we do see him, it’s pretty obvious that the pulp hero known as The Shadow is an inspiration for his look. Timmy is a brutal murderer, and he definitely earned his spot on this year’s Thirty-One Days O’Horror list.

Have you checked out Pieces? If you haven’t, please note that it is very violent and features a lot of exploitative nudity. Honestly, the director, Juan Piquer Simon, comes off as a real creeper, as he rewrote entire scenes to add more nudity after seeing the actresses that were cast in some of the roles.

Thanks for checking out today’s post. More mayhem is coming your way tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: Chucky

“I’m Your Friend To The End!”

Charles Lee Ray is arguably the most well-rounded serial killer you’ll ever meet. He’s dabbled in voodoo, married, had a gender-fluid child, hosted talk shows, started his own cult, and……..killed a lot of innocent folks over the years. Of course, you may know Charles Lee Ray by another name, Chucky. Inspired by the Cabbage Patch Kids doll craze of the 1980s, Don Mancini developed the character of Chucky as a satirical take on those dolls. The resulting film would be called Child’s Play (1988). That film would spawn six sequels between 1990 and 2017, a reboot in 2019, and a successful television series and numerous other franchise tie-ins like comics, video games, toys, clothing, theme park rides, and more.

In the original film, Charles Lee Ray transfers his soul into a Good Guy talking doll after being fatally shot by a detective. The doll is then given to young Andy Barclay who quickly becomes the suspect in a number of murders despite insisting that the doll, named Chucky, is actually the culprit. Chucky discovers that he must transfer his soul to a human in order to remain alive, or that he’ll be the doll forever and can be killed as the doll as well. The first three films in the franchise focus on Chucky’s intention to transfer his soul into Andy’s body. Beginning with the fourth film, Bride Of Chucky (1998), the franchise takes a more comedic turn and Chucky embraces his “dollness” and takes a wife, has a child, etc.

Chucky uses just about anything to kill people, but seems to favor a traditional knife. The utilization of voodoo and the transference of souls, while not necessarily a new concept in horror, is unique to the Child’s Play franchise as far as slasher films are concerned. I’m pretty sure that impregnating dolls is pretty unique as well. The entire franchise has been something of a trailblazer.

Brad Dourif has voiced Chucky from the beginning. It was only in the 2019 reboot, which featured an AI doll that goes bad, that Dourif did not voice the character. Chucky was voiced by Mark Hamill in that film. Chucky’s wife, Tiffany, is voiced by Jennifer Tilly. Both Tilly and Dourif have portrayed the human versions of their doll characters. Chucky’s gender-fluid spawn, Glen/Glenda, is voiced by Billy Boyd in doll form and portrayed by Lachlan Watson in human form on the Chucky television series. Keeping it all in the family, Dourif’s daughter, Fiona, joined the franchise as Nica Pierce in Curse Of Chucky (2013) and has appeared in both the television series and the last sequel based tied to the original film series, Cult Of Chucky (2017).

Brad Dourif, the voice of Chucky, and his daughter, Fiona, who portrays Nica Pierce in the Child’s Play franchise.

With the success of the television series, there seems to be no slowing down the Chuckster. Hopefully, more sequels tied to the original franchise will be released either theatrically or on streaming platforms. Chucky is one of the biggest slashers out there, and I’d hate to see him fade into obscurity. For now, however, that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon.

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

Revenge Of The Slashers: Mrs. Tredoni

“Bless Me, Father, For I Have Sinned.”

Today’s Revenge Of The Slashers entry has a bit of a twist to it. If you haven’t seen the 1976 slasher flick, Alice, Sweet Alice, stop right now and go watch it, because you need see this film. The movie itself is known for being the big screen debut of Brooke Shields and the brutal way that she is dispatched early in the film. It has also been at the center of controversy ever since its release, being seen as anti-Catholic in a number of countries. I am Catholic and have reviewed this film already on this blog. If you’d like to see my brief comments on whether or not I saw the film as anti-Catholic, click here.

As far as our slasher goes, things look pretty bad for young Alice. Only twelve years old (actress Paula E. Sheppard was actually nineteen years old when she portrayed Alice), sweet Alice becomes the prime suspect in her sister’s brutal murder at the local Catholic Church moments before her sister is about to receive her first communion. More murders and attempted murders occur, many of which throw off the cops and the audience as they try to figure out who the killer is.

Well, the killer is revealed somewhat early in the film to be none other than little ol’ Mrs. Tredoni (Mildred Clinton), the sweet church secretary…..or is she the killer???? Misdirection and implications lead the audience to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, Alice is also a serial killer. In any case, Mrs. Tredoni seems to favor knives as her weapon of choice, but she’ll give you a quick kick or set you on fire if needed. She wears a yellow raincoat just like the one we see Alice in during the film and one of those creepy “face” masks that features a somewhat translucent face covered with makeup. You’ve seen these types of masks before, just check out the one in the photo above this paragraph. Her motive for killing? If you’re a sinner, you’re a target!

The film has a somewhat vague ending that makes you wonder if Alice has either been inspired by Mrs. Tredoni to take up her killing spree or that Alice has been a part of the murders the entire time. Do you believe that Alice was also a killer in the film? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for checking out my look at one the lesser known proto-slasher film killers. Mrs. Tredoni’s name may not find itself in many slasher lists, but she made it into mine! Get ready for more slasher fun tomorrow!

Revenge Of The Slashers: The Last Matinee Killer

You Won’t Believe Your Eyes!

Although he only appears in one film and is never given a name, the killer in The Last Matinee definitely deserves a spot in this year’s version of Thirty-One Days O’Horror. The film combines the American Slasher and Italian Giallo genres for a wickedly fun film. It was released in 2020 and I have a full review of the film here. Check out that review if you’d like, but be aware that this post focuses on the killer and includes spoilers.

Our killer finds his way into a theater in 1993 during a downpour in Montevideo, Uruguay. He locks the doors and sets out on a murder spree. He systematically takes out the audience members and theater staff, leaving only the projectionist, a teen girl, and a young boy to try and stop him.

What sets this killer apart from many of the others on this list is the fact that he isn’t out for revenge or hunting down a family member. Instead, he’s killing people to add their eyes….yep, their eyes, to his pickle jar. He apparently enjoys the taste of eyeballs and when his jar gets emptied, he has to stock up on the locals.

The killer in The Last Matinee doesn’t have a specific weapon of choice. He does use a knife for most of his kills, but a couple of them are a bit more creative. My favorite kill in the film is when a young couple are making out and the killer stabs them both through with a metal rod, pinning them in an eternal kiss.

Thanks for checking out today’s Revenge Of The Slashers entry. I hope that you check out The Last Matinee if you haven’t seen it yet. I highly recommend it!

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!