The Slayer

The Slayer – also known as Nightmare Island - is a 1982 American horror film directed by J. S. Cardone and starring Sarah Kendall, Frederick J. Flynn and Michael Holmes. The film gained notoriety and was classified in the UK as a video nasty in the 1980s. It was filmed in Savannah, Georgia and distributed by 21st Century.

Plot Teaser

Siblings, Eric (Frederick Flynn) and his surreal abstract artist sister Kay (Sarah Kendall), her doctor husband David (Alan McRae), her sister-in-law Brooke (Carol Kottenbrook) along with pilot Marsh (Michael Holmes) become stranded on a rugged isle. For thirty-something Kay her current situation is her worst fears realised, for she’s been troubled since her childhood by recurring prophetic nightmares in which she is stalked and slain in a burning room by figure known as The Slayer. Now it seems this place may be in fact its dwelling and she’s sure somehow that this so-called entity is lurking close by, biding its time until nightfall, where it will be drawn to Kay who (for whatever reason) dreams of its killings. But, then again, what’s real or make believe? Not everything is what it seems in this place…

The film has been released on VHS and DVD format. The Slayer was released in the U.S. on double feature video format by Continental Video alongside another feature – Scalps. It was cut by five minutes or so, in order to make room for the second feature, but all the gruesome scenes and violence are intact. The film has never been made available on DVD in the U.S.

In the UK, the film has had several releases. It was initially released in the UK on VHS uncut from Vipco before being banned when it was one of the several films to appear on the video nasty list in October of 1983. It remained on the list before being dropped in April 1985. It received a new release in 1992 by Vipco, with 14 seconds cut by the BBFC, the scene where pitchfork prongs emerge from a woman’s chest causing concern. However, in 2001 the film was released once again by Vipco for the first time on DVD and was passed uncut by the BBFC. The same DVD version was released in 2010, uncut by Cornerstone Media, but it is only the outer packaging that is new, the disc is from Vipco’s release. The extras include trailers and filmographies. Both DVD’s have an aspect ratio of 4:3 full screen.

Buy The Slayer on DVD from Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

Reviews

“Overall, if you are a slasher fan, you owe it to yourself to watch The Slayer. It has atmosphere, good kills and even some minor nudity to keep the boob fans happy. If bleak and oppressive sounds like a good time to you, then you will enjoy this one.” The Nostalgic Attic

“My biggest gripe with The Slayer is that I simply wish there were more of it; it clocks in at a quick 75 minutes. This is partly due to the fact that the cast is so small- Kay runs with a very tiny crowd. How long can it take to kill off four people? Overall, the acting was better than average, and it’s always refreshing to watch a horror movie that doesn’t rely on the stupidity of teenagers to provide tension- the characters, though mostly grating, are all adults.” Final Girl

“The Slayer is a truly underrated, gore soaked adventure into tool shed utensil terror that succeeds at its only real goal; entertainment.” Oh, the Horror!