Ep 157 - THE BEST (AND WORST) SLASHERS OF 1981!! (Part 2 of 2)

BLOODY BIRTHDAY (1981) d. Ed Hunt (USA)

BLOODY MOON (1981) d. Jess Franco (Spain/Germany)

DEADLY BLESSING (1981) d. Wes Craven (USA)

DON'T GO IN THE WOODS (1981) d. James Bryan (USA)

EYES OF A STRANGER (1981) d. Ken Wiederhorn (USA)

FINAL EXAM (1981) d. Jimmy Huston (USA)

GRADUATION DAY (1981) d. Herb Freed (USA)

NIGHT SCHOOL (1981) d. Ken Hughes (USA)

STRANGE BEHAVIOR (1981) d. Michael Laughlin (New Zealand)

STUDENT BODIES (1981) d. Mickey Rose (USA)

A few months back, we took a deep dive into the slashers of 1981, and now we're back to finish the job! If our first installment focused on future classics and franchise cornerstones, this week's episode explores the stranger, sleazier, and more offbeat corners of the slasher boom.

Some films stick close to the formula. Final Exam delivers stripped-down campus suspense, Graduation Day pairs revenge with an unmistakably early-'80s soundtrack, Night School mixes police procedural thrills with a memorable killer, and Eyes of a Stranger blends voyeurism and vigilante justice while featuring an impressive early performance from Jennifer Jason Leigh.