For me personally I come into a slasher or exploitation film expecting to be entertained with a fast paced story, some exciting blood and gore, heart racing chase scenes, and potential breasts and nudity.
At the same time the Slasher genre is my favorite of the many horror genres. And while my personal expectation for slasher and exploitation films doesn't seem that high at a first glance I often find that they are more particular and expectant than first thought.
Well, this week I watched Slasher House from Chemical Burn Entertainment. I came into the film not expecting very much. I expected a run of the mill copycat exploitation film. However, Slasher House surprised me and exceeded my expectations in many ways.
Red finds some clothes in a locker and then begins to try and find a way out of the jail. She soon learns that she is not alone in this jail. In other cells throughout the building are others. She teams up with a man named Nathan who also has no idea how he got there.
All the rest of the "inmates" are actually famed murderers (within the world of the movie). Nathan and Red struggle to find a way out while also fighting off the group of serial killers trapped inside with them. Red must also fight her own internal battle as she struggles to remember who she is.
When the film opened the first thing that is noticeable is the quality of cinematography. It has a mixture between the carefully placed shot of art house and the grainy shaky quality of exploitation film. It draws the viewer in from the beginning.
The audience is drawn into what is happening and is interested in what Red will do next. However, the film does end up going slow for the first thirty minutes of the film. And the acting in the first thirty minutes is very rough. Particularly the clown character, Cleaver, left something to be desired.
However, once we get to the main meat of the story the film really picks up in pacing and horror. As each of killers show up they become more and more bad ass. In particular Thorn, the killer with two over sized blades, steals the show. The addition of supernatural fantasy elements also gives the film a more dark and whimsical undertone.
The acting throughout the second half of the film is very engaging and helps drive the adrenaline and emotion that is woven throughout the story. Red makes for a great protagonist and anti-hero. And the story changes from a generic slasher story into something much more unique and complex.
Summing it Up
Deaths: 12
Language: 2
Gore Factor: 4
Sex Factor: 2
Scare Factor: 3
Fun Factor: 4
Overall Rating: 4