Beyond the Drawer

Night School  (1981) was released during the height of the slasher boom, but this movie has an adult sophistication rarely seen in the genre. The story—written by Ruth Avergon—involves a helmeted, leather-clad killer performing ritualistic decapitations of victims. The victims are young women enrolled in the evening curriculum at Boston’s distinguished Wendell College. The homicide lieutenant investigating the murders suspects a well-known anthropology professor at the school, as well as his live-in female assistant. The film has a very involving story, haunting score, and standout performance from lead actress Rachel Ward. This remastered edition DVD release from the Warner Archive Collection looks great, and the label has recently re-released this title on Blu-ray. The director, Ken Hughes, gives the film a balance between drama and slasher elements. He also creates suspense as the viewer wonders about the identity of the killer and what w

Last week at the New Beverly Cinema, I watched a double feature of Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) and Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989). These are sequels to the cult classic slasher horror film Sleepaway Camp (1983), which was written and directed by Robert Hiltzik. The sequels were directed by Michael A. Simpson, and have more of a comic tone than the original film. Even though the sequels are campy, they are fun to watch. The rock star of the films is Angela Baker—a complicated, psychologically damaged, yet entertaining and likeable horror character. The original film tells the story of Angela, played by Felissa Rose, who experiences traumatic events at an early age. She is sent to Camp Arawak with her cousin and is bullied there due to her introverted nature. Angela exacts her revenge by slowly killing the offending campers one-by-one. There is a twist ending to the story, but I won’t ruin it for those who haven’t seen the film. In Sleepaway C