Slasher IPs That Could Use An Update
We've got plenty of Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Chucky, Ghostface, and Candyman. Heck, we've even had "Black Christmas" remade -- twice! But these slasher film properties could use an updated entry. Are there any I missed?
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- DirectorLewis JacksonStarsBrandon MaggartJeffrey DeMunnDianne HullA toy factory worker, mentally scarred as a child upon learning Santa Claus is not real, suffers a nervous breakdown after being belittled at work, and embarks on a Yuletide killing spree.It's uncomfortable. It's unsettling. It's unforgettable. It's John Waters' favorite holiday movie. It's Christmas Evil (1980), a film so bizarre it's hard to define. The movie tracks a man descent into madness as he lives out his childhood fantasy of becoming Santa Claus. His joyous ambition is overshadowed by a disturbed obsession, and writer/director Lewis Jackson takes his audience on a wild sleigh-ride that, despite being frustrating at times, is also committed to being one-of-a kind. Seeing an actor, maybe someone like Nicolas Cage, transform into a killer Santa Claus would have to be worth a watch.
- DirectorVernon ZimmermanStarsDennis ChristopherTim ThomersonGwynne GilfordA shy, lonely film buff embarks on a killing spree against those who browbeat and betray him, all the while stalking his idol, a Marilyn Monroe lookalike.Dennis Christopher makes Fade to Black (1980) a gem. He passionately commits to the role of Eric Binford, a deeply disturbed cinephile who takes his love for violent film noir too far. Fade to Black veers on being an interesting psychological study, and it doesn't adhere to the slasher rules set by Halloween (1978), despite sharing a producer (Irwin Yablans). A remake would be injust, as Christopher's performance makes the film, and replicating such a fine portrayal of insanity would be next to impossible. Rather, a reverse of the original's theme could work: the movies are now obsessed with Eric Binford. In the honor of true method acting, Eric Binford's media-inspired 1980 crimes could feel timely today if the actor playing him gets too into the role and blurs the line of reality and delusion... just like Fade to Black did.
- DirectorEmmett AlstonStarsRoz KellyKip NivenChris WallaceDuring a New Year's Eve celebration, a Los Angeles disc jockey receives a phone call saying that when New Year's strikes in each time zone, someone will be murdered - and she will be the last one.Yes, New Year's Evil (1980) is nonsensical trash with amateurish filmmaking talent. But it's also incredibly fun, bouncing off its story's own walls to deliver a slasher that follows a killer's bloody exploits, only with less of a mean-spirit than Don't Go in the House (1979), Don't Answer the Phone! (1980), Nightmare (1981) and of course, William Lustig's notorious sleaze-pic Maniac (1980). Emmett Alston's New Year's Evil is a more accessible property on the same general idea, with a cool New Year's Eve countdown gimmick, and potential for a killer soundtrack (not the no-names of the original).
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsBen JohnsonJamie Lee CurtisHart BochnerThree years after a prank went terribly awry, the six college students responsible are targeted by a masked killer at a New Year's Eve party aboard a moving train.Following the monstrous success of Halloween (1978), two independent slasher movies snatched up Jamie Lee Curtis to capitalize on her stardom. Prom Night (1980) was a hit, despite its amateurish production values. Terror Train (1980) didn't make as big a splash in 1980, but over time its qualities have led it to triumphant retrospective over Prom Night, and many other horrors. It features a vengeful killer who sneaks aboard a train filled with partying kids in costumes; each time the killer strikes, he changes into his victim's costume. Terror Train has claustrophobic moments and a delightful twist ending, even if the opening segment is a little bumpy and convoluted. For a slasher decades-old, Terror Train isn't a bit rusty.
- DirectorDanny SteinmannStarsBarbara BachSydney LassickLelia GoldoniThree female reporters find themselves staying overnight in a house occupied by a hostile being that lurks in the basement.Before he made hockey masked killers slash teens in the ultra-sleazy Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) or let Linda Blair take bloody revenge on misogynists in Savage Streets (1984), Danny Steinmann directed Barbara Bach, Sydney Lassick, and Stephen Furst in The Unseen (1980), a movie laughable for its ending featuring one of the most insensitive portrayals of disability ever. But that's exactly why The Unseen needs a revival, with 2020s-take: make the disabled the heroes, and the seemingly "normal" folk the threat. The original film revealed the titular "unseen" to be a handicapped man forcefully imprisoned in his basement by his demented incestuous parents... there's a redemptive update in there.
- DirectorEd HuntStarsLori LethinMelinda CordellJulie BrownThree children are born at the height of an eclipse of the sun. Ten years later, they begin to murder the people around them - even their family members.Ah, Bloody Birthday (1981). A movie about three ten-year-olds who butcher their townsfolk together on their tenth birthday. The cherub-faced menaces had potential to be terrifying -- and outright disturbing -- something a newer version of Ed Hunt's slasher would be able to bring to fruition. Perhaps an update plays on the supernatural undercurrents of its predecessor that suggests a lunar eclipse had something to do with the kids' homicidal tendencies. Is something Satanic at work, twisting fate for this evil trio to operate a devilish plan? If K.C. Martel, Elizabeth Hoy, Billy Jayne, and Andrew Freeman were game to reprise their roles as Timmy and his three evil tormentors, respectively, some really interesting franchise turns could evolve.
- DirectorTony MaylamStarsBrian MatthewsLeah AyresBrian BackerA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigurement.The Burning (1981) has a history. A box office failure in its original release, the film found its devoted fanbase over decades of home video, only to have its reputation marred by its tarnished creator, Harvey Weinstein, whose sexual misconduct of women dates back to the production of The Burning. But even in the wake of all that, The Burning remains one of the best of the 80s slashers. With one heck of a synth score by Rick Wakeman, The Burning finds its mastery in its layered villain, a monster seeking revenge on those who created him. Whether an update were to again visit the summer camp setting, or perhaps place Cropsy elsewhere, it's a story that works. Add in more psychology behind Cropsy's nemesis Todd (originally played by Brian Matthews) and the trauma he suffered from the fateful "burning" of Cropsy, and a deeper horror movie is in the making.
- DirectorWilliam AsherStarsJimmy McNicholSusan TyrrellBo SvensonAn orphaned teenager finds himself being dominated by his aunt who's hell-bent on keeping him with her...at all costs.You can't update or outdo Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981). It's a definite classic, one that's largely due to the devoted performance of the late, great Susan Tyrrell. Without Tyrell, you really don't have the same movie. And an actress attempting to replicate her wacky and chilling performance is destined to come up short, or at least overly-judged. The interesting option to explore further is the film's protagonist Billy Lynch, played by Jimmy McNichol. What ever became of Billy? Did he end up crazy and possessive like his Aunt Cheryl (or, **spoiler alert** his mother Cheryl **end spoilers**)? Finding a way to bring Billy into another mystery would be fun and satisfying for the fans, but also would not tread on what made the first film so great.
- DirectorFrank De FelittaStarsCharles DurningRobert F. LyonsClaude Earl JonesIn a small Southern town, four vigilantes wrongfully execute a mentally-challenged man, but after the court sets them free mysterious "accidents" begin to kill them off one by one.Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), a CBS movie of the week released in October 1981, has stood the test of time perhaps better than any other film on this list. The movie is well-acted and well-photographed, and the story is as timely today as it was in 1981 -- if not more so. Rife with themes that harken scarily close to today's headlines, the 2020s are as good a time as ever to head back to the small Southern town where Bubba the Scarecrow haunts the wicked.
- DirectorEd BianchiStarsLauren BacallJames GarnerMichael BiehnDouglas, a record salesman, is an obsessive fan of actress Sally Ross. When his letters are rejected, he strikes out at her and her loved ones.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsElizabeth BerridgeShawn CarsonJeanne AustinFour teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement, but soon discover that nothing there is innocent or amusing.
- DirectorJ. Lee ThompsonStarsMelissa Sue AndersonGlenn FordLawrence DaneAt the snobby Crawford Academy, Virginia's group of friends start to go missing years after horrible events that happened to her as a child around her birthday.
- DirectorTom DeSimoneStarsLinda BlairVincent Van PattenPeter BartonFour college fraternity and sorority pledges spend the night in a deserted old mansion as part of a hazing ritual during hell night, where they are stalked by the only survivor of a family massacre from the mansion's sordid past.
- DirectorJeff LiebermanStarsGeorge KennedyMike KellinChris LemmonFive young people venture into the backwoods of Oregon to claim a property, and find themselves being stalked by a hulking, machete-wielding psychopath.
- DirectorJoe GiannoneStarsGaylen RossTony NunziataHarriet BassA legendary psychopathic murderer stalks a summer camp.
- DirectorGeorge MihalkaStarsPaul KelmanLori HallierNeil AffleckA decades-old folk tale surrounding a deranged murderer killing those who celebrate Valentine's Day turns out to be true to legend when a group defies the killer's order and people start turning up dead.
- DirectorJack SholderStarsJack PalanceDonald PleasenceMartin LandauA few dangerous and delusional mental patients break out of a mental asylum during a power blackout, and lay siege to their new doctor's house, who, they believe, killed their previous doctor.
- DirectorPaul LynchStarsJanet JulianDavid WysockiJohn Wildman"Humongous" tells the tale of when the monstrous offspring of a violent criminal grow up in seclusion on a remote island. Then year later, a boat-full of teens become shipwrecked on the island, unaware of what is lurking in the woods.
- DirectorMark RosmanStarsKate McNeilEileen DavidsonJanis WardAfter a seemingly innocent prank goes horribly wrong, a group of sorority sisters are stalked and murdered one by one in their sorority house while throwing a party to celebrate their graduation.
- DirectorRobert HiltzikStarsFelissa RoseJonathan TierstenKaren FieldsBunks and showers are a mad stabber's beat at a summer camp strictly for teens.
- DirectorJim SotosStarsBo HopkinsSusan StrasbergPatrick MacneeTeenager Melissa moves into a small town filled with racial prejudice and bullying, and each time she meets up with one of the boys in town, they end up murdered - but who is the killer?
- DirectorBruce PittmanStarsLisa SchrageMichael IronsideWendy LyonThirty years after her accidental death at her 1957 senior prom, the tortured spirit of prom queen Mary Lou Maloney returns to seek revenge.While some slashers have enjoyed a modern reinterpretation, the original Prom Night (1980) has suffered the opposite: the moderate hit in 1980 hasn't aged well, and it really started showing wrinkles almost immediately after its release. Things got interesting in Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987), a movie that completely disregards the first film, aside from the setting of Hamilton High School. Prom Night II gives us a proper female slasher villain, but one with enough personality and creativity to give Freddy and Chucky a run for their stand-up. Prom Night II is fun, and its villain deserves more iconography than she gets. Perhaps a young actress today can resurrect Mary Lou Maloney once again... and give us a little Michael Ironside cameo, too.
- DirectorJim GillespieStarsJennifer Love HewittSarah Michelle GellarAnne HecheFour young friends bound by a tragic accident are reunited when they find themselves being stalked by a hook-wielding maniac in their small seaside town.
- DirectorTodd Strauss-SchulsonStarsTaissa FarmigaMalin AkermanAdam DevineA young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom's most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film's maniacal killer.
- DirectorScott BeckBryan WoodsStarsKatie StevensWill BrittainLauryn Alisa McClainOn Halloween, a group of friends encounter an "extreme" haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some nightmares are real.