This documentary on how the horror slasher craze peaked in the early 1980's only to fizzle at the end of that particular era prior to being revitalized in the mid-1990's by the smash success of "Scream" may not cover much in the way of fresh ground on the subject, but it nonetheless does offer a wealth of fun information and insightful observations on this much maligned sub-genre just the same. Naturally, "Psycho," "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th" are noted as the three key trailblazers in the slasher genre, plus there's some choice excerpts of Siskel and Ebert's legendary early 1980's PBS program in which they raked slasher movies through the coals and even some extraordinary vintage newsreel footage of angry parents picketing theaters showing the notorious "Silent Night, Deadly Night." Better still, such lesser known entries as "Graduation Day," "The Prowler," and "He Knows You're Alone" are given a little attention as well as various Canadian cash-ins like "Prom Night," "My Bloody Valentine," and "Happy Birthday to Me." The interviews are quite good, with John Carpenter, "Sleepaway Camp" star Felissa Rose, Wes Craven, Rob Zombie, "Slumber Party Massacre" director Amy Jones, former Fangoria magazine editor/publisher Tony Timpone, make-up ace Tom Savini, and producer John Dunning in particular all saying some spot-on incisive comments on how horror pictures address the darker aspects of human nature and serve as reflections on society at any given point in time (for example, the whole have sex and die cliché in 80's body count flicks was emblematic of the AIDS epidemic that was causing dread and fear in people throughout the country in that decade). Although not without its flaws (neither "Black Christmas" nor "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" are mentioned by name), this doc overall provides an enjoyable and enlightening overview on slice'n'dice cinema.
