Slasher films were a hugely popular genre and a mainstay of the theaters during our favorite decade, the 80's. This episode focuses on two films from 1982 that are basically part of that genre but which approach the theme from radically different directions. We start off with
Madman, which tells the tale of
Madman Marz, an evil farmer who murders his family one night in a fit of
bloodlust and then haunts the forest around his home whenever someone is foolish enough to say his name. It just so happens that a summer camp for
exceptional children is next door...A fairly normal, by-the-numbers film, it is beautifully shot and evokes the mood of a dark fairy-tale at times. We follow this up with
Visiting Hours, with a stellar cast including
Lee Grant,
William Shatner and
Michael Ironside in a very dark turn as Colt Hawker. Slasher films are frequently
misogynistic, but Visiting Hours makes this it's central theme, with strong female characters and a sinister male presence that torments them. It descends at times to very dark places, but it does so in very smart and thoughtful ways. This is an exceptional movie and we urge you strongly to seek it out. Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to
flickersfrom@yahoo.com or
flickersfrom@gmail.com or you can leave us a message on our
Facebook page.
Slasher films were a hugely popular genre and a mainstay of the theaters during our favorite decade, the 80's. This episode focuses on two films from 1982 that are basically part of that genre but which approach the theme from radically different directions. We start off with Madman, which tells the tale of Madman Marz, an evil farmer who murders his family one night in a fit of bloodlust and then haunts the forest around his home whenever someone is foolish enough to say his name. It just so happens that a summer camp for exceptional children is next door...A fairly normal, by-the-numbers film, it is beautifully shot and evokes the mood of a dark fairy-tale at times. We follow this up with Visiting Hours, with a stellar cast including Lee Grant, William Shatner and Michael Ironside in a very dark turn as Colt Hawker. Slasher films are frequently misogynistic, but Visiting Hours makes this it's central theme, with strong female characters and a sinister male presence that torments them. It descends at times to very dark places, but it does so in very smart and thoughtful ways. This is an exceptional movie and we urge you strongly to seek it out. Let us know what you thought of the show by writing to flickersfrom@yahoo.com or flickersfrom@gmail.com or you can leave us a message on our Facebook page.
