The Slayer (1981)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1980
Running Times: 80 mins     89 mins
Format: colour
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Production Companies: 21st Century Film Corporation / International Picture Show
Executive Producers: Eric Weston, Lloyd N. Adams
Producers: William R. Ewing, J.S. Cardone
Associate Producers: Anne Kimmel, Gerald Olsen

SCRIPT
Script: J.S. Cardone, William R. Ewing

DIRECTION
Director: J.S. Cardone

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Karen Grossman
1st Assistant Camera: Arledge Armenaki
2nd Assistant Camera: Guy Olds
Gaffer: Roberto A. Quezada

EDITING
Editor: Edward Salier

MUSIC
Music: Robert Folk

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Robert Short

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Spectacular Effects, Robert Babb

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Lynda Burbank
Art Director: Charles R. Moore
Set Decorator: Jerie Kelter

LOCATIONS
Locations: Tybee Island, Georgia, USA

CAST
Sarah Kendall (Kay)
Frederick Flynn (Eric)
Carol Kottenbrook (Brooke)
Alan McRae (David)
Michael Holmes (Marsh)
Sandy Simpson (Norman)
Paul Gandolfo (fisherman)
Newell Alexander (Kay's father)
Ivy Jones (Kay's mother)
Jennifer Gaffin (young Kay)
Richard Van Brakel (young Eric)
Carl Kraines (The Slayer)

Four people on vacation on a remote and desolate island are soon being picked off by mysterious being seen in a premonitory dream by one of them, a young artist named Kay. The group is soon whittled away until Kay finds that her nightmare may be about to begin all over again.

For the most part this is tedious stalk-and-slash variation with a touch of the supernatural stirred in to try to ring the changes. The eponymous killer is nicely presented but overall the film fatally lacks pace and atmosphere. The ridiculous ending doesn't help much either.

UK
Video Distributor: Vipco

USA
Theatrical Distributor: 21st Century Film Corporation
Video Distributor: Continental Video

Australia
Rating: R

Finland
Rating: K-18

Norway
Rating: 18

UK
Rating: 18
Made the DPP's 'video nasties' list but was subsequently re-released with cuts.

USA
Rating: R

1984
July
6: Finland - theatrical release

This time your nightmare is real.

Tonight you will meet...

Nightmare Island

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Terror on Tape (1983)

MAGAZINES

Hollywood Reporter vol.274 no.25 (22 November 1982) p.18 (USA)
illustrated review (by Gerry Putzer)

Screen International no.492 (13 April 1985) p.70 (UK)
note

Variety 27 October 1982 p.14 (USA)
credits, review (by Lor)

Video Viewer vol.3 no.3 (September 1983) p.53 (UK)
review (by Liam T. Sanford)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

islands; dreams; nightmares; slasher; stalk and slash; decapitation; water; vacations; artists; trapdoors; psychics; premonitions; monsters; pitchforks