7. Stage Fright: Aquarius (1987)
One of my personal favourites, Stagefright was directed by the very talented Michele Soavi. In a theatre late at night, an acting crew are practising a play about a killer who wears an owl mask. Little do they know that a brutal, psychotic, real life killer is making a move to escape a nearby mental asylum. The killer makes it into the theatre and dons the owl head. The silly director of the play had gotten one of the actresses to hide the key so the actors were forced into practising all night. Once the owl head guy kills her, nobody knows how to escape. The killer is ingenuous, vicious and relentless as he stalks down and kills the cast leading to a tense final showdown with the only remaining actress. Stage Fright: Aquarius is a cracking little Euro horror film. It would have to be my favourite slasher movie of all time. The killer is so determined to snuff the cast out, it is brilliant. In his owl mask, he is a silent but deadly assassin, killing the cast in very inventive and explicit ways. The score of the film is one of the best things about the movie - a big brash saxophone driven synth score. It adds to the classiness and stylishness of the film. The film is indeed very stylish for a slasher movie and never reverts to sleaze or misogyny like many slashers do. Check this baby out if you haven't already. You will be pleasantly surprised..