FOOL KILLER FIFTY: 1980s SLASHER VERSION

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of the many facets of Fool Killer lore. FOR PART ONE, INCLUDING THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT IN THE 1850s, CLICK HERE 

The previous 49 installments of Fool Killer lore have seen the neglected folk figure in a variety of roles: Political and cultural vigilante, slayer of lynch mobs, battler of war profiteers, foe of the Ku Klux Klan in the Reconstruction South, bastard son of a supernatural entity, guardian of Melungeon Gold, old west gunslinger, steam-punk policeman and so much more.

In honor of the Halloween season this post will look at the Fool Killer as a 1980s slasher. And I don’t mean the Fool Killer/ Angel of Death figure from the horror film A Day of Judgment (1981). I mean a true 1980s slasher in the mold of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and others.

THE FOOL KILLER – As we all know, Anthony Perkins starred in the eerie 1965 movie The Fool Killer as an amnesiac Civil War veteran who came to believe he was really the legendary title figure. A 1980s slasher version of the Fool Killer could feature a deranged killer who has similarly come to regard himself as the “real” one.

To avoid having to get into any political or “moral” motive behind this figure’s killing spree I would have made this deranged (but possibly supernatural) Fool Killer be an “outdoorsy” slayer like Jason Voorhees, Madman and many others. He would kill any who dare to trespass in his domain.

It would be TOO derivative to have a summer camp be this Fool Killer’s territory, so I would instead set his activities along the Fool Killer mountain and hiking trail in New Hampshire. A 1980s slasher franchise set there would have added to the renown and tourist appeal of the place.

Beginning in 1982 or 1983 the series of films could have featured assorted hikers/ mountain climbers and foolhardy teens daring to undertake the perilous journey up the Fool Killer only to run afoul of the slasher. Incorporating elements of other versions of the Fool Killer he could be quasi-supernatural, live in a cave, be followed by a murder of crows who feed on the remains of his victims, etc.

Past Fool Killers used Bowie knives, axes, scythes and, of course, his skull-topped walking stick made of iron. Obviously, to stay in the 1980s slasher spirit, this Fool Killer would NOT use guns like some of his predecessors did. Those other weapons are fine, though.

The sequel movies would have predictable titles: Fool Killer II: Fools Rush In … Fool Killer 3D: Fool’s Paradise and so on. A fake gold find near his mountain lair could see a sequel harken back to the original Fool Killer’s role of killing off people seeking out the Gold of the Melungeons. Title it Fool Killer IV: Fool’s Gold. The title character pursues some victims along the Connecticut River boat tours? Fool Killer V: Ship of Fools.  

And the location could add to the appeal for horror fans. The eldritch forests and mountains of the American Northeast would give the Fool Killer slasher flicks a certain H.P. Lovecraft feel. Instead of a standard Devil or demon maybe an entity similar to a Lovecraftian Old One could be the killer’s father. More Americana thrown into the mix.

Regarding the real-life Fool Killer site:

The Fool Killer (3,548 feet) is a trail-less subsidiary peak on the east side of Mount Tripyramid. It was named by early AMC hikers who tried to climb Mount Tripyramid (4,140 feet), but instead found themselves on the scratchy summit of a lower ridge, with a deep gulf between them and Mount Tripyramid. (From the Conway Daily Sun)

For that full article Hiking the Fool Killer click HERE

For some eerie photos along the Fool Killer click HERE

FOR PART FIFTY-ONE CLICK HERE.

I WILL EXAMINE MORE FOOL KILLER LORE SOON. KEEP CHECKING BACK FOR UPDATES.

FOR MY LOOK AT JOE MAGARAC, THE STEEL MILL VERSION OF JOHN HENRY AND PAUL BUNYAN, CLICK HERE 

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