Summer Slash X-Ray: When Horror Checks Into the Hospital
Ever walk into the wrong hospital wing and realize you’re in for way more than a check-up? That’s the vibe of this week’s Summer Slash pick—X-Ray (1981), also known as Hospital Massacre.
This often-overlooked entry in the early ‘80s slasher boom has all the makings of a cult favorite:
A deranged stalker with a decades-old vendetta
A real abandoned hospital for maximum creep factor
And Barbi Benton, in one of her few horror roles, proving she could scream as well as she could sing.
Shot fast to cash in on slasher fever, X-Ray is part of that unique horror tradition where “low-budget” often equals “maximum weirdness.” From falsified test results to an acid bath death (because apparently, every hospital in the ‘80s had open vats of acid lying around), this movie doesn’t waste time trying to be realistic—it just wants to keep you unsettled.
Why It Matters Now
We’re living in a movie landscape that feels more algorithm-driven than ever. Back then, a director like Boaz Davidson could grab a camera, an empty hospital, and a few actors and create something memorable. Today, we’re debating whether AI is writing half the scripts Hollywood churns out.
Revisiting movies like X-Ray isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s about remembering how raw and unpredictable horror once was. These films weren’t polished, but they were personal. And that rough edge is what makes them so fascinating decades later.
Headlines From the Modern Screen
While we’re slicing into retro slashers, Hollywood is busy serving up new twists:
Jessica Alba returns with an R-rated Netflix ensemble comedy. (Yes, Idle Hands fans, she’s back.)
Jonah Hill and Kristen Wiig star in a sibling comedy where getting “cut off” from their parents leads to chaos.
Deadpool crashes the Avengers in Doomsday.
And the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles re-emerge with a shiny new 4K box set.
It’s wild to think we’re still circling around the same names—Alba, Hill, Wiig, Deadpool, TMNT—while simultaneously digging up gems like X-Ray. The cycle never ends, and that’s part of the fun.
Staff Picks: Werewolves on the Dance Floor
No blog would be complete without a nod to our staff picks. This week, I stumbled into Howling: New Moon Rising—the most line-dancing, beer-serving, small-town werewolf flick you’ll ever see. Sure, the monster only shows up briefly, but it’s a reminder that even the strangest entries in a franchise have their charms.
Because let’s be real: even a little werewolf is better than no werewolf at all.
Closing Thoughts
If X-Ray teaches us anything, it’s that horror can thrive in the strangest settings—whether it’s a hospital ward, a drive-in theater (Drive-In Massacre is up next), or even a haunted dollhouse (Amityville Dollhouse is also on deck).
So grab your popcorn, dim the lights, and don’t trust your lab results.
