Albeit, the film is a bit ridiculous, but the cover art is ridiculously eerie. I'm referring to the Anchor Bay release from 2001 with the figure up in the tree, not the Code Red DVD with the Madman in the doorway (I find that one quite tacky). But, yeah. Anyone else think so?
shareAgree about the 2001 Anchor Bay release. That image was burned into my brain when the TV commercial aired in 1982. It scared the living sh!t out of me. However, I don't agree about the movie being "ridiculous." I think it's a great 80's slasher with a menacing killer and scary location.
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You had me until The Burning. Lol. The Burning is one of my favorite slashers of all time, and I rate it above Madman. I'm completely taken in by the summer-camp setting, the mind-blowing raft scene, the campers who actually LOOK like real teens (other than an already middle-aged looking Jason Alexander) . . . the whole thing just resonates with me. The "grisly" effects you speak of were some of Tom Savini's best slasher work (along with The Prowler), but by no means do I think the gore and high body-count were all that drove the film. I think the fantastic score, great camera work, tension and suspense, and a truly frightening and vengeful killer all share in the credit. IMO, Madman is a great movie, but The Burning is exceptional.
On a side note, I don't think the best films of the Slasher Era were the goriest, even by 80's standards. The best ones have stood the test of time because they offered something more. Madman was no less gory than, say, Terror Train, Happy Birthday To Me, or Prom Night . . . actually, it's probably more brutal than all three. So I don't think a lack of gore was ever one of its weak points.
I agree. It is creepy.
When I bought this DVD in 2004, it was the cover that grabbed my attention. It is simple yet effective. The silhouette of Madman Marz standing in the trees against the red background really sets a creepy atmosphere.
shareAgreed.
"The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world." - Gman, Half-Life 2
Amazing cover!
These movie VHS box cover art were the bane of my horror movie-loving existence in the early 1980's
I would have my mom bring me to the video store every Saturday and me and my friend would pick out two horror movies. And we always picked them by how cool the covers were.
Problem was most of the best covers were for horrible films! Sometimes the covers had nothing to do with what was in the film! Lol
But I laugh about it now. Whoever they had in charge of horror movie box/poster art back in the 70's and 80's did an amazing job
Yeah, I love those old VHS boxes.
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