Curse of the Slasher Nurse

This is an indie horror movie that obviously has a low budget. Therefore, it has the expected faults (poor lighting and sound) but the story was fun and there were some fun kill ideas. I give the movie credit for a cool new killer concept. If you want a fun story and can look past the low budget issues, I think you will enjoy this movie.

I'm a fan of writer/director Dave Kerr's latest movie, "Bloody Summer Camp" (2021), so it was interesting to watch his film debut. If you're not a fan of horror movies made on a shoestring budget, this isn't for you. But if you like to smoke a blunt and have a laugh, check this out on YouTube. It has a surprisingly strong ending that honestly makes the movie worth watching.

This is a low budget film. Don't let that fool you though! It is a very good movie and who can say no to a 1980s gore horror film. Very well done. I can't wait for it to come to DVD so I can watch again. Really nothing else to say other than just buy it and you won't be disappointed!

I read the reviews prior to watching this, as usual. What struck me as odd is:

• First, when reading the reviews they tend to have similar style, technical & writing expertise, a have similar flow, even those that aren't similar in content. You know...as if the same person was writing each review, intending for them to be different, but since a writer can't hide his style and word choice (without trying), we know it's the same person.
• Second, probably 2/3 of these similarly styled reviews end with a mention of being excited to see the movie again when they but the DVD. STILL coincidence?
• Third, each of the longer (but similarly style) reviews mention how the nurse is an homage to Jason, Freddy, or Michael Meirs. The mention is done under the context of how well the movie's antagonist performs as a legacy-level slasher.
• Lastly, each of the accounts who wrote a review signed up the same day, and have exactly ONE review...a STELLAR review of this movie, some going as far as stating that the acting and the cast performed at rarely seen levels of skill. I've watched it...any reviewer with such polished writing skills (and intelligence) who says THIS movie exhibits exceptional acting and chemistry did not watch the same movie I did. More on that later.

I mean, come on...do these phony reviewers think all IMDB review readers are brain dead and won't pick up on reviews written by the same person?

As with all my reviews, there are no spoilers. Re: the film's production, it is pretty bad all around.

• The acting is terrible. The majority of actors in the film have likely never acted a day in their life. Or if they have, it is without training. Conversations between characters sound and feel like the actors memorized a script and are reciting by request. There is nothing convincing from any actor...I mean...it's bad. Even the back-and-forth "fight" between the "white gangsta" and his "hoe" sound like two cardboard cutouts reciting lines from book. I picked out at least 6 examples of actors forgetting or flubbing lines; they were left in the movie and. It edited out. That's bad. Even with a good script the actors wouldn't have pulled it off. It's them, not the script. Though the script is exceptionally bad.
• I could not recall a single movie I've seen that had a script worse than this. There are a TON of what would be considered "normal everyday conversations" in this film, and the writers wrote the script verbatim from that kind of thinking - instead of omitting ancillary parts of no consequence. These lengthy exchanges happen throughout the film and it is just painful to listen to, especially since the actors recite lines in such monotonous tones. Those facets, if acted-out with high skill could cover a bad script, but with terrible acting the script's lack of quality really shows.
• Speaking of quality, another aspect of the film that had NO QUALITY is the filming/camerawork/sound. The camerawork is done with hand-held home video recorders and looks like any home video you would have on your shelf. Combine that with the sound being equally as bad, and it's difficult to watch. There are no ambient mics or booms used for this film...only the mic on the camcorder. This makes it even MORE like a home video. Shaky, bad sounding scenes rare what this movie is comprised of.
• The direction actually wants half bad, but this comes with a caveat. If the actors were replaced with top-tier talent and provided an actual script, this wouldn't have been so bad. I understood what the director was going after but the lack of talent/script never allowed the ideas to shine. It just goes to show that you can't shine a turd.
• Since multiple reviews mention special fx, it is worth noting that for the most part, they are on par with the rest of the talent. Maybe a SLIGHT bit better. Then again, one step up from absolutely terrible, is still terrible. At least I could tell they tried. To the director's credit, they did not use CGI but chose practical fx. None of them were convincingly realistic, it was still better than seeing poorly done CGI inserted into the vicinity of the actors. Overall, they were not terrible, and I applaud the choice to go practical over digital.

Honestly, this is just a really bad movie. I watch almost 100% indie films, and especially enjoy indie horror flicks. I even love "cheesy b-flick horror movies"...the ones that are so bad they're good. This movie is just bad. Bad acting, bad filming, bad script, bad editing, bad direction...just bad. I can't in all honesty offer one instance of redeeming value in this film, and I can usually do that with even the worst b-flicks. Again...not this one. It's possible this movie makes my Top 5 Worst Movies list. Maybe even top 3.

In today's horror films, there's something that a lot of film-makers get wrong; they forget who their target audience is. But this is something that doesn't happen with Dave Kerr's "Curse of the Slasher Nurse." From start to finish; it knows whose watching and plays along with interactions and situations that we've all experienced. From riding in cars with friends, to trying to hook-up with pretty girls, there's a situation or character in Curse that resonates with all of us. And that's why Curse of the Slasher Nurse works.

From the opening scene, it's clear that Curse of the Slasher Nurse is an old-school horror film. A film that calls back to horror classics such as Friday the 13th and the Evil Dead, but also knows that modern day films such as Scream exist. The titular killer is played by Kea Raines; a woman who not only knows her way around a knife, but a woman who has been creating special effects, macabre costumes, and engaging in gore-fueled fun for most of her life. She brings a presence to the film that mirrors that of horror icons such as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. When she shows up, expect someone to die.

But blood and guts aren't the only thing that make a horror movie work. Finding a cast that works together can often make or break a film and that's why it's important to note that Dave Kerr brought together people who not only know, but respect one another. It's this fact that allow characters such as Josh, Travis, Eric, Andrea, Aeron, and Amber to not only work, but feel believable. For a group of people with little to no acting experience, everyone brings 100% effort and it shows in the final product. And let's not forget the comedy; you'll find yourself laughing just about anytime Josh makes his way on-screen and it's hard to forget Biscuits and Gravy.

The Curse of the Slasher Nurse is what horror films used to be and what we all hope they'll become again one day. From the fantastic job the children actors did to the time and dedication that this year-long production took to complete. It's proof that you don't need six-digits to make an enjoyable horror film. If anything's true, it's that the entire indie horror community would benefit from another Dave Kerr and company production. That is, if the Slasher Nurse doesn't get you first.