Really Lost Slashers
Here are four slasher films that were announced but never got made for various reasons. Maybe the scripts for these lost slashers are still floating around somewhere but it’s very doubtful any of them will ever get filmed now.
1. Sam Kinison’s The Honeymoon Killer: This comedy slasher involved a madman killing new brides as they finished their wedding vows. As the killer makes his escape from the church he screams “YOU’ll THANK ME LATER” at the groom. Kinison really wanted to make this but Hollywood studios and independent producers rejected his treatment for the film. There was a chance New Line could have made this as part of Kinison’s two picture deal with the studio, but Kinison died a few days before he could sign the contracts.
2. Lover’s Lane: This was announced way back in Fangoria #10 as Emmett Alston’s follow up to New Year’s Evil. It was supposed to be released by the Cannon Group after they released X-Ray (a.k.a. Hospital Massacre). Wayne Newton was set to star but the film was never made.
3. Nightmare Weekend: In 1981 the script for Nightmare Weekend was heralded for its originality but it never got past the planning stages at New World Pictures. The killer dies before the opening credits but comes back as a zombie stalking a group of teenagers looking for a party. The murder weapon of choice was to be a really sharp hook. Troma released a film titled Nightmare Weekend in 1985 but it has nothing in common with this lost slasher.
4. The Boarding House: This film was announced in 1982 and was to star Angus Scrimm, Robert Quarry, Reggie Nalder, and Linda Blair’s sister, Deborah Blair. The film was never made but a poster was produced to help drum up investors. The artwork shows The Groundskeeper (Scrimm) carrying a dead girl in his arms. Quarry is a priest holding a cross. Reggie Nalder seems to be holding a razor or knife. Below the image of Scrimm is a hooded figure about to plunge a machete into the torso of a nude woman. Not to be confused with Boarding House, John Wintergate’s brain damaged classic starring Jonema.
January 29, 2010 @ 7:31 am
I’d love to see some enterprising young filmmaker pick up the rights to Nightmare Weekend and unleash an 80’s-style slasher, faithful to the source material. That would kick arse.
January 29, 2010 @ 2:34 pm
What might have been… Great post!
January 30, 2010 @ 1:59 am
They sound great, I wish I could see The Boarding House poster!
January 30, 2010 @ 4:51 pm
lover lane would have been cool, i wish new yrs evil would make its way to dvd, someday.
February 2, 2010 @ 6:11 pm
you won’t believe this but there is one called “Weekend Of Terror” by Bobby Davis that James Bryan was involved in or got an acquisition of the film, not exactly sure but it’s in “Nightmare USA” at the bottom of page 96. I get the impression that the film was actually finished but not released
February 2, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
and where is this “Boarding house” poster? I assume have it Thomas, since you know exactly what it looks like, and if you do could you post it somewhere
February 2, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
never mind i found a small image of it here
http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2009/02/robert-quarry-remembered-the-deathmaster-knocks-at-the-madhouse-of-dr-phibes/
February 3, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
Added the scan – thanks, Thomas!
February 26, 2010 @ 2:08 am
Too bad these never got made because they all sound like fun. And by the way, the movie called Nightmare Weekend that did get made is one of the worst films of all time and should be avoided.
June 11, 2013 @ 2:26 pm
Hi all,
Can anyone shed light on this? (Taken from A SLASH ABOVE’s site/blog) The Mist of a Winter’s Moon 1981
This unfortunate proto-slasher was produced in 1976 and pre-dates Halloween. The story concerns a crew going to investigate a haunted school, where four children were burned by acid and killed by a mysterious force many years earlier. When the crew arrive, they are picked off one by one by a hooded black spectre. The film is original because it never really tells you what the killer is. It has a ghost like presence, but the ending reveals a mask dropping to the floor with the final girl (no one survives). It’s a stylish and competent horror much like the work of Argento. It was involved in legal battles after its production, but had a small run at drive-in theatres in 1981. After that it disappeared and there are only a few bootlegs left around the world. Truly a hidden gem and would be quite a classic if it were to be released now.
http://aslashabove.com/other-stuff/the-greatest-slasher-movies/
I’ve spoke to Luisito and he told me the director could be Jeff Hathcock, who made it as a student film. I can’t find any reference to it anywhere but then I am in the UK!
Cheers!