Rush Week

Director - Bob Bralver (Werewolf, Knightrider)

Starring - Pamela Ludwig (Project X, City Limits), Dean Hamilton (Night Heat, Alfred Hitchcock Presents), and Roy Thinnes (Dark Shadows, A Beautiful Mind)

Release Date - 1989

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "It's a picture perfect college.  With a perfectly terrifying secret"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I fucking love when Vinegar Syndrome gets their hands on a slasher flick.  Most of the time the slashers they restore and release are ones I've never heard of before.  I grew up on slashers and I often find myself pulled to this sub-genre more than others.  Most of the slasher they release are pretty solid but there has been a time or two where they've released duds.  When I saw that Vin Syn was releasing the late 80s slasher Rush Week I was pretty pumped.  I kept the Vin Syn train rolling so after watching Last Gasp and Death Promise I decided to finish the night out with Rush Week.

     The film follows journalism student Toni (Ludwig) who is assigned a piece about rush week but her journalist instinct tells her that there is a story involving female students that have recently went missing and the murder of the dean's daughter from a year before.  The closer she gets to the answer she is looking for she finds herself in danger as a hooded maniac wielding an axe looks to snuff her out.

     By the end of the 80s the slasher film was on it's way out.  The sub-genre ruled the drive-in and theaters for most of the decade but the general public was slashered out.  There was still some slashers popping up here and there but nothing like what the early 80s were delivering to viewers.  I always go into a late 80s slasher with some skepticism but excited usually takes over.  Rush Week was far from perfect but I found it to be very charming and it held my attention very well.  Sure, it's nothing like the slashers that dominated the early 80s but it was still a slasher at heart.  The acting in this one is a little better than what you would expect from an 80s slasher.  The characters are a little smarter than their sub-genre counterparts.  The cast was given a little more to work with and they do a fantastic job.  With that being said, there is some slasher cliches placed around a few scenes but the cast did wonderful with them.  These characters are almost like tributes to the characters from the more iconic slashers.  The cast is able to really do something enjoyable with what was written for them.  The story for this one is a pretty straight forward college based slasher with the same formula that most of us has come to love.  I have a soft spot for slashers that take place in the woods but I can't deny how much I enjoy slashers that take place on college campuses.  We get the standard slasher formula following someone that was wronged who then dons a mask and starts killing.  It works but it is pretty predictable.  The film tries to throw a few red herrings your way but they are so in your face you can tell they are there to throw you off.  Regardless, it's a fun story that works for a late 80s slasher.  Finally, the film has several deaths but they are not as fun and memorable as most of the other slashers.  We get a little blood but most of the fun stuff takes place off screen.  Overall, Rush Week is your sterotypical slasher.  It's predictable but the characters are more enjoyable.  It's fun especially if you are looking for a slasher you've never seen before.  I enjoyed it and the blu from Vin Syn is fantastic.  I highly recommend it.