It could have been a very different movie ...

Did you know that the long-gestating SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER (1993) was initially going to star and be directed by Woody Allen? Or that Sharon Stone was originally set to star in a dual psycho and non-psycho role? Another of the From Hell thriller spoofs I'm covering in THE NANNY HAS A KNIFE!.

Just imagine being there! October 20, 1978, in Chicago.

Gary Graver's ANGEL EYES (1993) pushes the erotic angle just about as much as it can before it stops being a thriller. But Monique Garbielle is a campy delight as the demented 30-year-old stepdaughter From Hell, so it just about squeaks in for inclusion in my upcoming book The Nanny Has a Knife!.

New review: NEW FEARS EVE (2025) "This low-budget but glossy love letter to ‘80s and ‘90s slashers ... There is an infectious, hyperactive fun to be had here, but at times you do kind of wish the film would pop a Ritalin." READ NOW: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/New-Fears-Ev...

"Hollywood’s hottest male star is used to female fans’ attention, but when he has a weekend affair with a young woman secretly obsessed with him, he has to fight to save his engagement and even his life when she turns on him." NUMBER ONE FAN (1995). Another one done for the book ...

In the first of an occasional blog looking at the critical reception of ‘80s slasher movies, I’ve gathered 18 quotes from newspaper critics’ reviews of the 1983 pic SLEEPAWAY CAMP. Spoiler: They didn't much like it, and sometimes to a hilarious extent! Read the Blog now: ko-fi.com/hysterialives

66 review retrospectives done for my upcoming book THE NANNY HAS A KNIFE!: THE FROM HELL PSYCHO THRILLER (1987-1996)! I still have a few more lined up to cover as I get close to finishing and my deadline. What do you spot that's missing?

"There is fun to be had watching a sassy, pint-sized psycho rampaging through the neighborhood on her princess-pink push bike (she even rings the bell on the handlebars as she departs a murder scene)." DADDY'S GIRL '96 section done for my book: THE NANNY HAS A KNIFE!: THE FROM HELL PSYCHO THRILLER.

New Hysteria Lives! review: EFFECTS (1979) "It is a film that could have been read as a postmodern take on the Golden Age of the slasher movie, had it not been for the fact that the cycle had not even begun when it was filmed." www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Effects.html

Originally envisaged as a big-screen replacement for Paramount’s FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise. THE SUBSTITUTE (1993) saw Amanda Donohoe as the psycho teacher From Hell, who will kill anyone to keep her secrets - including Mark Wahlberg (as Marky Mark) in his first role. Another one done for the book!

"Waters tackles new genre"

When John Waters' SERIAL MOM was in development at Columbia Pictures in 1992, it was touted as a "thriller" in the vein of From Hell movies such as FATAL ATTRACTION and SINGLE WHITE FEMALE. Although ultimately a satire of true crime obsession, it still retains enough ... (1/2)

Slasher movies in the early 1980s routinely got terrible reviews in the mainstream press, but PIECES probably got the worst reviews by far. A shame none of them could appreciate its campy, goofy charm!

New Review: PITFALL (2026) "An estranged brother and sister’s attempts to reconnect in the great outdoors go disastrously wrong when they are hunted by a hulking madman. PITFALL draws inspiration from post-millennium slasher throwbacks. " Read now: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Pitfall.html

Mary Beth McDonough talks about being chased by a psycho with an embalming pipe in MORTUARY (1982), nude body doubles, & working with Lynda Day and Christopher George. "I had always wanted to be a final girl because I loved horror films so much!" Interview: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialive...

Envisaged as a North American SUSPIRIA – a supernatural horror tale with slasher movie deaths. SUPERSTITION had a chequered release before a short theatrical release Stateside in 1985. Here on a double bill with, by that time, Lucio Fulci's equally long-in-the-tooth HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY.

"THE GOOD DIE YOUNG ... SWEET SIXTEEN ... SHE'LL NEVER REACH SEVENTEEN." Omaha World Herald, 27 April 1984

Slashback Review: FLASHBACK (2000) "... a quirky, if uneven, German post-SCREAM whodunit. Glossy and beautifully shot in the stunning Bavarian Alps, it veers wildly between slasher thriller territory and broad Germanic farce." Read now: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysterialive...

New Review: BLOWIE (2025) "A British slasher movie seen through the haze of drugs, explicit sex, and revenge, BLOWIE—despite its familiar structure—is a unique, transgressive take on the subgenre." Read now: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Blowie.html

REVIEW: BRIDGE TO NOWHERE (1986) "Five teenagers find themselves prey to a revenge-fuelled cattle rancher when their backwoods trip goes badly wrong in this slasher-adjacent thriller from New Zealand." READ NOW: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Bridge-to-No...

Some might say this French lobby card for NIGHT SCHOOL might contain a spoiler! Read my extended retrospective: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/nightschool....

Looking forward to guesting today with the fantastic Caliber Nine from Outer Space podcast to discuss the gross-out early '70s Mansploitation classic I DRINK YOUR BLOOD and the gritty, little-released but very effective Snuffsploitation flick EFFECTS (1979). @caliber9fos.bsky.social

An eyeball comin' atcha! A few FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3 - 3D US lobby cards from my collection.

SO EXCITED FOR THIS! In Search of Darkness '70s takes on the era's greatest horror films with CREATORVC's acclaimed long-form documentary format, exploring a curated selection of films and television from 1970-1979. Order your DELUXE COLLECTOR'S EDITION: insearchofdarkness.com?sca_ref=1145...

New Review: POOR WHITE TRASH II (1974) OUT IN THE WOODS ... A MANIAC STALKS THE NIGHT! "If Tennessee Williams had ever penned the script for a Southern proto-slasher, it might be something like this humid potboiler from SF Brownrigg." Read now: www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/Poor-White-T...

We had a blast today talking to director Sam Irvin about working with Brian De Palma on movies such as DRESSED TO KILL. We also discussed De Palma's first thriller, SISTERS. Coming later this month on The Hysteria Continues podcast! Listen early on Patreon: www.patreon.com/cw/TheHyster...

The original FRIDAY THE 13TH speculative 1979 promo ad in Variety that launched the franchise.

I just published an excerpt from an expansive deep-dive retrospective I am working on for Hooper's 1981 Carny slasher THE FUNHOUSE. Drawing on early 80s newspaper archives, I have discovered details not seen since then. Read now on Ko-fi & help keep Hysteria Lives! online. ko-fi.com/hysterialives

When a deranged typist feels slighted, she digs into a new employee’s past & blackmails her, whilst permanently deleting work colleagues who get in her way. THE SECRETARY (1995) is another film featured in my upcoming book, The Nanny Has a Knife!: The From Hell Psycho Movie (1987-1996).