Struggling with terrible dreams, a woman is talked into a vacation with her brother and several friends on a small island for a relaxing getaway realize that the nightmares revolve around a demonic entity that now been released into the world and must confront the creature to survive.This is one of the most underrated early-80s slashers out there. One of the best aspects of this one is the central storyline which is quite entertaining and offers up plenty of suspense. As this one concerns a thirty-something artist who has suffered from the same recurring nightmare since childhood where she is stalked and killed which form the basis for her new paintings and becomes increasingly obsessive about putting those images on canvas, the early setup here is quite involved yet still manages to give this a decent set-up. As her nightmares become more vivid, the more in danger they are all in by someone or something from her dreams, which is a clichéd one to be sure, but it makes for a fun time here due to the more adult setup rather than the more youthful approach at the time. That also gives this one some really great elements to play with, as there's a large amount of suspense and atmosphere coming from the film. The film has a storm sweep through the place, causing a really great tension as there was always a raging thunderstorm, and with the really interesting and creepy design for the house, the stalking scenes in here get somewhat chilling at times. From the beginning, the place has a completely suspenseful vibe and lets this one generate some solid moments here from the first one up in the attic when the group first arrives, the later one down in the basement where the killer strikes using a rather unconventional trap finally kill them off and some tense scenes around the house where the killer comes around to pick off the last remaining group-members for some rather fine stalking with the greatness of the chase throughout the house which ends this on a high note. It even has a few fun moments for the gorehounds which all combined make for a great viewing as this here has only a few small problems with it that are what keep it down somewhat. The main problem is that there's a double flaw in the way it's paced. The first one is that the middle segment of the film is remarkably dull and boring. The majority of the time is spent wandering around the house spouting off to whoever who will listen about what the dreams have just been going on, and it really manages to pad out the film with an aggravating, annoying subplot while also doing little to move it forward after what has already been said about it. That also has the factor of throwing up the notion that the film is barely over an hour long and still feels like an eternity, which shouldn't happen. A film of this length with the style of body count means that it should flow quickly and there's none of that in the film. Otherwise, these here are what keep the film down.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, Brief Nudity and a mild sex scene.

"The Slayer" follows a troubled avant-garde artist with psychic proclivities who travels to a remote island with her husband, brother, and sister-in-law in order to regroup. Immediately bothered by the atmosphere of the island, she insists something is amiss among the forests and derelict buildings— but the three dismiss her. Unfortunately, they're wrong.An early entry in eighties horror that somehow got sidelined by history, "The Slayer" is shockingly good given its lack of notoriety. The set-up is straightforward, and the low character number means there isn't much in the way of the expected body count, but in its brisk eighty minutes, the film manages to achieve a dreadful atmosphere and also boasts some shockingly realistic and disturbing murder scenes.J.S. Cardone, directed and co-wrote the film—it's his first picture, and he has gone on to work mainly in genre films over the years, giving us the marginalized 2001 vampire flick "The Forsaken" and 2006's "Wicked Little Things." Compared to those films, "The Slayer" is rather minimalistic, but there is a unique sense of foreboding in this film that is something that slasher flicks particularly don't always seem to achieve. The island locale is woodsy and populated with derelict buildings from when it was a resort years prior—an idyllic setting for a horror film. The film in some ways reminded me of a non-wintry "Ghostkeeper," another debased eighties horror picture. The score is quite elegant and ominous, and there are also high-caliber special effects throughout, which are on show during each death sequence, as well as during the monstrous reveal at the finale. Some have argued that the conclusion to "The Slayer" is a cop out. I don't know if I necessarily feel that way. It is rather abruptly thrown at the audience, but it also has narrative significance, linked to threads that are presented earlier on in the film. If anything, it's a somewhat bold move.Overall, I was quite surprised by how well-crafted this film was. It's not a groundbreaker, but it's a sturdy exercise in dread that happens to be well-shot and eerie. Serious fans of stalk-and- slash movies may find it a bit slow, but it's worth holding out for the impressively jarring murder scenes and the wild card of a conclusion. 8/10.

I enjoyed The Slayer. The acting is not laughable like other genre efforts and the atmosphere is dark and creepy. The pacing is a little slow, but there are a few gory kill scenes scattered without to keep the viewer from dozing off. The film looks good; I love the landscape shots of beautiful coastal Georgia, which reminds me very much of my native Florida. The ending is definitely a twist! It comes out of left field and will leave you with an uncomfortable feeling Check this one out! Genre buffs will definitely not be disappointed. Anyone else probably isn't wasting the time to read reviews on such an obscure flick.

An artist, Kay(Sarah Kendal)is haunted by surreal nightmares which have affected her work, hindering her success. Husband Doctor David(Alan McRae)and brother commercial director Eric(Frederick Flynn)are concerned for her well being and put together a trip to an uninhabited(..or so they believe)island to get away from it all for a vacation. Brooke(Carol Kottenbrook), Eric's wife, comes along on the trip. The nightmares, which contain a creature, could be premonitions because after landing on the island, Kay feels as if she has been there before, realizing that an abandoned, dilapidated building(..an old theater house) located near an old fort in ruins, was painted by her to canvas.Well one thing we understand is a big no-no in movies such as this and that's investigating noises in a large, dark unfamiliar house alone. There's this great nightmare gag with a severed head. JS Cardone(..who directed and co-wrote the screenplay)fashioned an interesting film many might feel echoes Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street, the idea of a "dream monster" given life "while victims are asleep." We see how Kay attempts, by whatever means necessary(..such as burning her arm with a lit cigarette), to stay awake, and the psychological/physical damage that doing so causes. When given a sedative, against her wishes by her Eric, as a means for her to get some much needed sleep, it very well could, once and for all, release the creature from it's dreamworld prison. Cardone and company get a lot of mileage out of the island setting, but limit themselves to the detriment of slasher fans demanding a high body count and bloody carnage, because "The Slayer" has a small cast of characters, with little in the department of violence or gore. Being part of the notorious video nasty list does this movie little favor, either, as gorehounds will watch with bated breath hoping for grue. The film has several lengthly sequences where characters conduct searches, many built as suspense set-pieces with flashlights and lanterns peering into the darkness. I think the greatest sin which will contribute to many slasher fans' disappointment will be the misleading title..I imagine one would venture in expecting a movie featuring a psychopath stalking and destroying countless victims. Probably the most effective murder is the use of a pitchfork to impale a victim attempting to escape through a window. Much debated ending(..most considering it terrible) probably would've been better left out..it's a method towards establishing where the monster came from, and I, for one, think it was unnecessary.