Phil's Halloween Horrors Marathon, Day 10: Phil reviews THE SLEEPER (2012) DVD from Gamma Knife Films-October 10, 2012

THE SLEEPER DVD Cover (2012)

THE SLEEPER
Starring: Brittany Belland, Jason Jay Crabtree, Ali Ferda, Tiffany Arnold, Luke Frost, Riana Ballo, E. Ray Goodwin, Jessica Cameron, John Bloom, Riana Ballo, Jenna Fournier, Eric Sarich, Elizabeth Lane, Paul Moon, Aaron Russell, Beverly Kristy
Produced by Matt Baldwin, Dana Jackson, Aaron Russell, Justin Russell
Written, Directed, and Edited by Justin Russell
Released by Gamma Knife Films

Welcome to Day Ten of my Halloween Horrors Marathon! Recently there has been a trend of making retro-styled horror and exploitation films. Meaning today's filmmakers are making their films look like they're from another era; mostly from the late 1970's to the early 1980's. Reason being is that particular time frame produced a plethora of films that are now classics within the genre. This trend was kicked off in 2007 with the release of Robert Rodiguez and Quentin Tarantino's GRINDHOUSE, a loving tribute to the old exploitation films that were shown at New York's now legendary (and infamous) 42nd Street. Since then we've have seen many great movies in the same vein, such as Ti West's THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, Jason Eisener's HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN, and most recently Astron-6's FATHER'S DAY. Tonight's film follows this hot trend and does an excellent job creating the illusion of authenticity! Directed by Justin Russell, THE SLEEPER looks and feels of early 80's horror film and has fun creating some great scares for the audience to jump at!

The film's synopsis is as follows, "It's 1981 and the girls of Alpha Gamma Theta sorority are having a party. Amy (Belland), sick of living in the dorms, invites her roommate Ava (Ferda) to attend the party with her in hopes that they'll both become Thetas. As the girls arrive, so does an uninvited guest watching them in the shadows. Amy's choice quickly becomes a nightmare as the Theta girls begin to disappear one by one. Announcing his victims, the killer calls the house whispering the next to die. The police hunt for the missing girls and the killer, but will they find him in time? Or will all the girls sleep for good?"

THE SLEEPER Boxset (2012)

Russell does a fantastic job with recreating the early 80's look. From the wardrobe, mannerisms, the directing, editing, the cinematography, it all adds up to one great horror flick! Major props to the entire cast as well. I can't think of another actress who could portray Amy better than Belland. She just embodied that character perfectly. Crabtree as the Sleeper will no doubt give people nightmares for the next month or so. The entire cast does an amazing job in the film, but I must give a special shout out to my good friend actress Jessica Cameron, who as Cindy gets "hammered" in more ways than one! Awesome job girlfriend!

As if the film's look wasn't nostalgic enough for those of us old enough to have remember seeing these slasher movies in the theater, Russell goes one step further by making the movie available on VHS! Yes folks it's true! You have a choice of owning the film on DVD or in a special DVD/VHS Boxset! The special features on the DVD include a Director's Commentary, an hour long documentary entitled Shooting a Nightmare in 13 Days, Joe Bob Briggs' Drive In Total, Theatrical Trailers, and a cool retro trailer called Don't Go In The Attic,  part of the Lost Trailer Series. The boxset includes the DVD and a red VHS tape, bundled together in an awesome early 80's looking VHS box! Now how's that for authenticity?!?

THE SLEEPER is a horror fan's wet dream come true! Just when you think you've seen every 80's slasher, here's one that'll make you sleep with one eye opened! A great slasher film that is a definite must-see for genre fans! 5 out of 5 stars! Highly recommended!

THE SLEEPER is available to order on Amazon.com. You can also check out the film's Facebook page and to learn more about the film, check out the Gamma Knife Films website at  www.gammaknifefilms.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the screaming!