Another four retrospectives done for my upcoming book on 'From Hell' movies ('87-96). I had the pleasure of chatting to Fritz Kiersch (director of the original CHILDREN OF THE CORN) about the making of FATAL CHARM and how the preceding teen slasher/horror cycle informed these later psycho thrillers.

Early access to a new review for NIGHT OF THE REAPER (2025) "This entertaining, twisty slasher avoids the flashier elements of other recent retro offerings, but delivers a compelling whodunnit mystery amid its knifeplay." Read now: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

A solid piece of Ozploitation, NIGHTMARES (1980) aka STAGEFRIGHT, about slasher murders in a theatre, starred Jenny Neumann (who went on to appear in HELL NIGHT in 1981). Here's the full page Variety advert advertising the movie from April 1980.

Early access to a new review for TERROR AT LONDON BRIDGE (1985). "A light yet entertaining mix of supernatural slasher-lite hokum. David Hasselhoff fights a resurrected Jack the Ripper in Arizona during the era of mullets and pebbledash jeans.” Read now: www.ko-fi.com/hysterialives

From the director of early HALLOWEEN rip-off THE DEMON ('79), SWEET MURDER was accused of ripping off SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (but was actually made two years before that film). Sadly, despite its wonderfully lurid cover art - and the presence of Helene Udy and Russell Todd - it's a rather dull affair.

New Review: NIGHT MARKET: HAUNTED HOUSE (2012) ** "Five young people stumble across a fun fair, but are unaware that people have been vanishing inside the spook house. After one witnesses a murder, they all find themselves in danger from the hooded killer." www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Night-Market...

Hysteria Lives! Review Slashback: FADE TO BLACK (1980) "It’s perhaps fair to say that Vernon Zimmerman’s FADE TO BLACK is something of an anomaly in the canon of early 80s slashers. It is debatable as to whether it is even a slasher movie at all …" www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialive...

Still possibly the most WTF? early '80s slasher movie ...

Four more in-depth reviews/retrospectives done for my upcoming book on FROM HELL thrillers (87-96). Interesting to discover that Rebecca De Mornay partly based her performance as the psycho nanny in THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE on Faye Dunaway in the notorious Joan Crawford biopic MOMMIE DEAREST!

Early access to a new review for obscure Indonesian slasher NIGHT MARKET: HAUNTED HOUSE (2012). "A psycho in an ornate dragon mask, supernatural apparitions, and … fart jokes?" Read now: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

New Review: THE INTRUDER (1975) "This bewildering piece of what-the-fuckery from the polyester decade features kung-fu fights, identical twins, and someone tossing coconuts at a killer ... unreleased after distributors were left scratching their heads." www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/The-Intruder...

Still one of the best taglines of all time.

LOST SLASHER UPDATE! I have added a script overview for the unproduced Roger Corman slasher that was due to be made and released in 1981. A teenage babysitter named Candy vs a hook-handed undead killer and a psycho clown! www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Lost-Slasher...

Details from a new Blu-ray release of 1989's PSYCHO COP might suggest some AI enhancement. Either that, or those mushrooms I had for lunch might have been of suspect origin...

Four more From Hell review/retrospectives done for my upcoming book!

A rare good review for the film PIECES. Well, kinda. The reviewer enjoyed it for what it was (something fellow newspaper critics could have learned from), saying: "Everyone needs a dose of good fun trash regularly". The reviewer even noted that the film's distributor called it "unintentional camp".

Videocast Episode 006: Mother's Day (1980) Patreon: patreon.com/c/TheHysteriaContinues For as little as $1 per month, you get: • Early Episode Access! • Exclusive Patreon-Only Content! YouTube: youtube.com/@TheHysteriaContinues Audio/Video: Available Everywhere!

Back when teen slashers or teen sex comedies ruled at the box office!

As a thank you to everyone who has donated towards keeping Hysteria Lives! online, follow the link for the full script of NIGHTMARE WEEKEND, the unproduced Roger Corman slasher from 1981. Hook-handed killer and psycho clown vs. a teenage babysitter named Candy. Enjoy! ko-fi.com/hysterialives

Early access to a new review for the bizarre THE INTRUDER. Kung-fu fights and a seven-foot-tall mystery killer bumping off guests on an island feature in this previously long-lost, mid-70s proto-slasher. Read now: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

New Hysteria Lives! review: MATINEE (1989) " ... a decidedly oddball late ‘80s slasher movie from Canada. After a teenager is murdered during a horror film festival in a small town, the cinema is shut for two years but is set to reopen." www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Matinee.html

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME - or rather Hysteria Lives!. 27 years old today! Thanks for visiting for nearly three decades of slash, trash, and (a pinch of) panache. If you appreciate the site, please consider a small gift to celebrate and keep it online for another year at least. ko-fi.com/hysterialives

Back when Joe D'Amato stalked North American screens in late 1981.

Variety advert for John Hough's supernatural slasher THE INCUBUS (1981). The film version of Ray Russell's 1976 novel largely omitted the killer's giant phallus!

Next up is a review for one of the oddest '80s slashers, Canada's MATINEE (1989). Someone is killing off the patrons of a cinema showing a horror movie marathon. Read now and support Hysteria Lives!. ko-fi.com/hysterialives

Better known as FUNERAL HOME, this 1980 Canadian slasher got a belated Stateside cinema release in November 1982 and opened at number nine at the box office (one place above a re-release of THE BURNING).

I've finally had a chance to read the script for the 'lost' Roger Corman slasher NIGHTMARE WEEKEND (which was due for a 1981 release). Teenagers battle against an undead killer with a hook for a hand and a psychotic co-ed dressed as a clown! Read the synopsis & my thoughts: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

New Review: MOTHER'S DAY (1980) *** 1/2 "Equal parts the Grindhouse intensity of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, the nails-on-a-chalkboard audience endurance test of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and the Punk Rock anarchy of John Waters’ DESPERATE LIVING." Read now: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Mothers-Day....

“A madman, believed to be the rejected admirer of a college co-ed, ran amok at a fraternity masquerade tonight, killing at least four people. The man, believed to be in his early 20s, escaped before police arrived. He was last seen heading west, driving a large jeep -- and dressed as a clown.”

A rare review from back in the day for a theatrical showing of DON'T GO IN THE WOODS ... ALONE! (1980). "ineptly made", "devoid of any state-of-the art special effects", "edited with garden shears", "cretinous dialogue", "bottom-of-the-barrel", "fat sheriff". I think Pat H. Broeske likes it!

Finally got my hands on the screenplay for this unproduced - and essentially lost - slasher flick about a hook handed killer from late 1980. Time to delve in …

Only 48 hours left to get exclusive perks. Be a part of the largest slasher movie documentary ever made! Get your name in the credits, reserve limited edition merch, and join unique community events ... slashertrashdoc.com?sca_ref=9285...

"Tonight all hell breaks loose ... for lusty students when an unknown terror strikes." Alternative artwork for early '80s slasher movie DEATH SCREAMS.

A couple of behind-the-scenes snaps from the making of early '80s slasher SATAN'S BLADE.

Wow. One of the great FROM HELL villains! Jamie Lee Curtis, as the mother who will kill to get her family back, is the white-hot sun that everyone else in the movie orbits. The novel it's based on is even more outrageous and twisted. It's a shame that her earlier return to horror set in ...

Illuminating 1977 article on "Massacre Movies" that appeared in the Los Angeles Times, with interviews with Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven, that provides some fascinating historical context (the year before the release of John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN).

I still remember, as a kid, reading about this movie in 1984 and then being so excited to see it in the cinema (although I was underage, we sneaked in!). I still remember the sound of heads hitting the back wall during the jump scares. I was hooked. Wes Craven took my slasher movie cherry ...

Coming up next on Hysteria Lives! is a review for Charles Kaufman's infamous slasher-adjacent sickie MOTHER'S DAY (1980)! Get an advance look with a small donation towards the running costs of the website: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

New Hysteria Lives! review: WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END (2007) *** 1/2 "Ultra gory, fast-paced, and fun. While it may lack the polish of the 2003 original, this slasher sequel gets it right." www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Wrong-Turn-2...

I'm really excited about this documentary. Promises to be a really special look at the much-maligned and often overlooked slasher movie. Less than 10 days to get your name in the credits, reserve limited edition merch, and join unique community events! slashertrashdoc.com?sca_ref=9285...

Four more reviews done (with details of production, release, and critical response) for my upcoming book on North American FROM HELL thrillers ('87-'96). It is great to have the freedom to delve into these films in much greater detail than I was able to do with my first book.

Coming up next on Hysteria Lives! is a review for Joe Lynch's surprisingly decent sequel WRONG TURN 2: DEAD END. Get an advance look with a small donation towards the running costs of the website: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

Quite a double bill!

The exploitation manual is a lost art, where distributors encouraged movie theatres to generate interest with ghoulish displays. One of my favourites is for the 1980 slasher HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE, which suggested putting a mannequin's head in a fish tank to replicate a scene from the movie!

Hysteria Lives! Slashback Review: POSSESSION: UNTIL DEATH DO YOU PART (1987) A sleazy, cheesy Canadian slasher that, despite being released in 1987, might have felt more at home during the subgenre’s heyday. Had the chutzpah to compare itself to PSYCHO! www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialive...

New Hysteria Lives! review: I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025) ** 1/2 "It starts as a clever update for a new audience, with likable characters and a lively tone. But if it went any further south after the halfway mark, you’d be able to spot penguins." www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/IKWYDLS-2025...

Here's a super exciting opportunity to be part of what will surely be the slasher documentary to end all slasher documentaries! Sign up before August 14 for exclusive goodies and backstage access ... slashertrashdoc.com/en-gb?sca_re...

This month, I'm opening my memorabilia archives on Ko-fi for HELL NIGHT. With images, newspaper reviews, and much more from this iconic 1981 slasher. You can gain access to this and other exclusive content (including my upcoming review of IKWYDLS) for as little as $1! ko-fi.com/hysterialives

I just finished a phone interview with director Joseph Ruben, who directed three of the best-known FROM HELL movies from the period I'm covering. Interesting and insightful man. Plus, it's good to put to bed some false but long-standing rumours about changes to the ending of SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY.

So, I just got out of I CAN’T BELIEVE THEY COMMISSIONED THIS LAST SUMMER. I … have … thoughts