The Slayer (1982)

The Slayer: Directed by J.S. Cardone. With Sarah Kendall, Frederick Flynn, Carol Kottenbrook, Alan McRae. Two couples become stranded on a rugged isle, and are haunted by a supernatural beast, drawn to the wife of one of the couples, who dreams of its killings.

“The pretty Sarah Kendall plays Kay, a painter who goes on vacation with her husband David (Alan McRae), and her brother Eric (Frederick Flynn) and his wife Brooke (Carol Kottenbrook). The locale they choose is an island that is prone to stormy weather. Mysteriously, characters start perishing, and Kay believes that the culprit is some sort of phantom figure that sheu0026#39;s been dreaming into existence.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe filmmaking debut for screenwriter and director J.S. Cardone (u0026quot;Shadowzoneu0026quot;, u0026quot;The Forsakenu0026quot;) is noteworthy for its u0026quot;nightmares manifesting themselves in waking lifeu0026quot; concept, utilized two years before Wes Cravensu0026#39; much more famous u0026quot;A Nightmare on Elm Streetu0026quot;. Therefore, itu0026#39;s worthy of at least some respect for being a little ahead of the curve.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film itself isnu0026#39;t great, but itu0026#39;s certainly a fair example of its type. It will appeal to horror fans who prefer atmosphere, because u0026quot;The Slayeru0026quot; has plenty of that. Which is not to say that gore is nonexistent; there is some effective bloodshed. The pace is pretty slow, which may cause some viewers to have a hard time maintaining interest. The principal quartet of actors is rather nondescript, and, truth be told, it is a little difficult caring what happens to them. Kendall in particular is not much of an actress.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFans of the genre may be amused by Cardonesu0026#39; usage of its tropes, such as the weirdo character, a pilot named Marsh (Michael Holmes), whou0026#39;s handy with the warnings about the setting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTo Cardonesu0026#39; credit, the title monster is BARELY seen at all until near the end of the picture, and when it finally gets a reveal, itu0026#39;s thankfully not a disappointment; it looks pretty cool.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eExcellent location work (on Tybee Island, Georgia) and Robert Folksu0026#39; wonderful orchestral soundtrack are heavy assets, although some people may feel a little let down by the ending.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSix out of 10.”