Terreur à Alcatraz

Making the film as dark and visually fuzzy as possible in order to cover up the budget deficiencies is an often-used strategy in low-budget horror films, but this one takes it too far. It is SO poorly lit and murky (and it takes place almost entirely at night, to boot) that you often end up virtually looking at a black screen (although perhaps the bad video transfer may also have had something to do with that). Alas, "murky" is also the best word to describe the movie's plot. The filmmakers throw in diverse (and unoriginal) horror ideas without any semblance of logic, and halfway through you get the feeling that they just about abandoned the effort to make a good horror film; you know it when you see characters who are supposed to be in mortal danger (or, in some occasions, even dead) making small talk....(*1/2)

I recently watched Slaughterhouse Rock (1987) on Shudder. The storyline follows a man who experiences strange dreams about people who died at Alcatraz. He decides to visit the prison with his friend and becomes possessed by a demon. The spirit of a deceased female rock singer invades the man's dreams and tries to help him fight the demon in his head.

Directed by Dimitri Logothetis (Pretty Smart), the film stars Toni Basil (Five Easy Pieces), Nicholas Celozzi (Marked for Death), Donna Denton (Nashville), and Al Fleming (The Getaway).

This movie is a classic '80s horror flick with characters, circumstances, and a storyline typical of the era. The settings are well-chosen and help capture the imagination. The jail scenes are actually pretty good; unfortunately, the horror elements themselves are lacking, and the kills are very mediocre. The acting is adequate, and there's definitely some '80s horror hotties and nudity. The soundtrack is fantastic and maybe my favorite part of the movie.

In conclusion, Slaughterhouse Rock is a below-average addition to the horror genre that I would only recommend to '80s horror enthusiasts. I would score this film a 4/10 and recommend it with the appropriate expectations.

Slaughterhouse Rock is pretty bad. Not bad in a good way, just bad. A college student has nightmares about Alcatraz, a spirit is trying to communicate with him, a rock band (led by Toni Basil) is slaughtered, and a "dream analyst" somehow knows what's going on...with a killer soundtrack by Devo. Sounds like a plot I came up with in 4th grade. None of this stuff fits together. The writer can try all he wants to, it's just not happening. It's a lame and incoherent set-up for a lame and incoherent horror movie. But then again what more do you expect from a title like Slaughterhouse Rock?

I can't think of many horror movies that can get worse than this one,because this movie sucked big time.It's boring,bad acting,and does'nt really have a plot.And half of the movie does'nt make any sense.I like movies about prison,which is one reason I chose to see this film.I was very disappointed.This is one of the worst horror movies ever made.It was stupid!Do NOT see it,take it from me you'll hate it.

The storyline is absurd and lame,also sucking are performances and the dialogue, is hard to keep your Eyes open. I advise you to have a caffeine-propelled friend handy to wake you in time for a couple Gore-effects.Why they bring Alcatraz in?In this case,becomes increasingly difficult to swallow. All the while ,i wondered who this film aimed for?Chock full of lame subplots (such as the Cannibalism US Army-captain)This is low-grade in every aspect.BTW this Movie is banned in Germany!!