The pretty Sarah Kendall plays Kay, a painter who goes on vacation with her husband David (Alan McRae), and her brother Eric (Frederick Flynn) and his wife Brooke (Carol Kottenbrook). The locale they choose is an island that is prone to stormy weather. Mysteriously, characters start perishing, and Kay believes that the culprit is some sort of phantom figure that she's been dreaming into existence.
The filmmaking debut for screenwriter and director J.S. Cardone ("Shadowzone", "The Forsaken") is noteworthy for its "nightmares manifesting themselves in waking life" concept, utilized two years before Wes Cravens' much more famous "A Nightmare on Elm Street". Therefore, it's worthy of at least some respect for being a little ahead of the curve.
The film itself isn't great, but it's certainly a fair example of its type. It will appeal to horror fans who prefer atmosphere, because "The Slayer" has plenty of that. Which is not to say that gore is nonexistent; there is some effective bloodshed. The pace is pretty slow, which may cause some viewers to have a hard time maintaining interest. The principal quartet of actors is rather nondescript, and, truth be told, it is a little difficult caring what happens to them. Kendall in particular is not much of an actress.
Fans of the genre may be amused by Cardones' usage of its tropes, such as the weirdo character, a pilot named Marsh (Michael Holmes), who's handy with the warnings about the setting.
To Cardones' credit, the title monster is BARELY seen at all until near the end of the picture, and when it finally gets a reveal, it's thankfully not a disappointment; it looks pretty cool.
Excellent location work (on Tybee Island, Georgia) and Robert Folks' wonderful orchestral soundtrack are heavy assets, although some people may feel a little let down by the ending.
Six out of 10.
