Beyond the Drawer

The Initiation (1984)—directed by Larry Stewart—is a slasher film that incorporates mystery and psychological thriller plot points. It was a late entry in the slasher cycle that began with John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978), and continued with imitators such as Friday the 13th (1980). But The Initiation proves to be a film far superior to many other movies that preceded it. In this college-based slasher, Kelly (Daphne Zuniga) is a student who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare. In addition to dealing with the troubling dream, she is pledging a sorority and must break into her father’s department store at night—alongside some other pledges—to complete a hazing ritual. What begins as an innocent prank turns deadly when the young coeds get locked inside the building and are stalked by a killer. This film has a fascinating story, interesting characters, and stylish cinematography. Although it is not entirely original, The Initiation takes the slasher movie to unexpected places.

Party Line (1988)—directed by William Webb—is a slasher film that incorporates police drama and erotic thriller plot points. In this underrated gem, brother and sister Seth (Leif Garrett) and Angelina (Greta Blackburn) live a secluded life in their parents’ Bel Air mansion. They share a dark, violent hobby of using sexually driven telephone ‘party lines’ to meet and lure victims into situations where they kill them. Lieutenant Dan Bridges (Richard Hatch) is assigned to track down the killers and bring them to justice. This film was made primarily for the video store market, which was booming in the late ‘80s. Although video stores have disappeared, this film is still fun to watch today. It has a fascinating story reflecting ‘80s pop culture, interesting characters, and stylish cinematography. The concept of this film is very original. It forms a bridge between the slasher films of the ‘80s and the soon to rise erotic thrillers of the early-‘90s. There is also an underlying psychologic

Double Exposure (1982)—written and directed by William Byron Hillman—is a mystery-psychological thriller with slasher and giallo elements. Michael Callan stars as Adrian Wilde, a prolific photographer for men’s magazines, whose life begins to unravel when he experiences disturbing dreams in which he kills some of his models through various gruesome means. Meanwhile, a killer is stalking and murdering women on the street. Two LAPD sergeants are trying to track down the serial killer. When Adrian learns that some of his models have met with violent deaths, he begins to suspect that he may actually be the killer. Double Exposure features an interesting story, very good acting, and a haunting music score. Right at the beginning of the film, the two LAPD sergeants are seen sitting in an unmarked car waiting for the serial killer to appear so that they can apprehend him or her. A policeman dressed up as a prostitute to attract the killer walks by on the sidewalk. When the police decoy reac

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) is a horror comedy that is widely recognized as a cult classic. Trish (Michele Michaels) plans a slumber party for her closest high school friends—Kim (Debra Deliso), Jackie (Andree Honore), and Diane (Gina Mari). Valerie (Robin Stille) has recently transferred to the school. She excels at playing basketball, but is soft-spoken and reserved. While discussing the slumber party in the locker room, Trish tells Diane that she wants to invite Valerie. Diane has a snobbish attitude, and prefers to keep the party to just the “old gang.” Valerie overhears the conversation and declines the party invite when Trish approaches her. The party turns terrifying when Russ Thorn (Michael Villella), an escaped mental patient with a portable power drill, crashes the evening. Valerie and her sister Courtney just happen to live next door. Will they be able to rescue their neighbors? The Slumber Party Massacre is significant because of its suspenseful story, sense of hu

Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) picks up where The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) left off. Courtney (Crystal Bernard) continues her life as a traumatized high school student, while her younger sister Valerie (Cynthia Eilbacher) is confined to an insane asylum. Courtney plays guitar in a band with three of her friends—Sheila (Juliette Cummins), Amy (Kimberly McArthur), and Sally (Heidi Kozak). They all go to Sheila’s dad’s condo for a weekend getaway, but Courtney is haunted by premonitions that a supernatural rockabilly driller killer (Atanas Ilitch) is going to murder them all. Slumber Party Massacre II stands apart because of its satirical tone, psychological themes, and driller killer with a penchant for singing and dancing. Right from the beginning of the film, we know that Courtney suffers from nightmares and hallucinations. She has a terrible dream containing death scenes from the first film, and an image of a dead pigeon. While walking to school, she looks down at the

Slumber Party Massacre III (1990) is a fun, thrilling sequel to the original slasher cult classic. Jackie Cassidy (Keely Christian) is a high school girl who hosts a slumber party at her house while her parents are out of town. At the party, coeds drink beer, eat snack food, and dance to the music. They are having a great time by themselves until a few guys from school crash the party as a practical joke. Meanwhile, a mysterious serial killer with an oversized power drill is stalking Jackie Cassidy and her friends. As the party guests start turning up dead, the girls and guys have to fight for their lives. There is a suspenseful story, good acting, excellent use of music, and gory effects. The story keeps the viewer in suspense wondering the identity of the Driller Killer and who will end up dead next. At the beginning of the film, Jackie Cassidy and Diane (Brandi Burkett) are sunbathing at the beach while watching their friends play volleyball. While they are discussing life, an o

Framing John DeLorean (2019) is a documentary feature film that examines the question “Who was the real John DeLorean?” DeLorean began his career as a successful executive at GM and eventually started his own company with the hope of fulfilling his dream of building an affordable sports car. He is to some people a renegade visionary—who revolutionized the automobile industry—and to others, the ultimate con man. This biography film is a mix of vintage videos, interviews, re-enactments featuring Alec Baldwin, and behind-the-scenes footage. The film is noteworthy for its comprehensive look at the subject, unique editing style, and input from John DeLorean’s family. The documentary provided a comprehensive examination of the subject within the one hour and forty-nine minute running time. The story began with John DeLorean’s career at GM, where he introduced the high performance Pontiac GTO. He became a charismatic public figure and married a popular fashion model named Cristina Fer