Slayed

Granted, from the movie's cover/poster alone, then it was pretty obvious that this was not going to be spectacular movie experience. But on the odd chance that "Slayed" might actually be one of those horror movies that are so bad that they are actually enjoyable, then I sat down to watch this 2020 horror from writer Jim Klock.

And true enough, "Slayed" wasn't exactly top notch entertainment. Sure, the movie was low budget, but it actually had a decent enough production value to it, which helped make the movie sort of semi-watchable. But the storyline just didn't offer much of any enjoyment for me, so this movie ended up being a bit of a drag and a bore.

The acting in the movie was adequate, taking into consideration the type of movie it is and the movie's budget. But hey, at least it appeared like the people starring in the movie had a blast working on the project. But from a viewer's aspect, then the characters in the movie were way too bland and the dialogue was just somewhat stagnant.

As for "Slayed" being a horror movie, well... It might be stretching it a bit; either that, or I am just too much of a seasoned veteran to the horror genre. Sure, if you are a newcomer to the horror genre, then I believe that there would be some elements of horror to "Slayed". But for someone having grown up on horror movies and spent the last 35+ years watching horror movie then "Slayed" just didn't have the ingredients.

Provided that you make it through "Slayed" the first time around, I highly doubt that you'll ever find yourself returning to watch this 2020 horror movie a second time. Why? Well, simply because the movie just doesn't have the contents to support more than a single viewing.

My rating of "Slayed" lands on a less than mediocre three out of ten stars. I wasn't entertained by this movie from directors Jim Klock and Mike Capozzi.

Still haunted by tragedies, the workers at a water treatment plant are trying to close up for the holiday season when a series of accidents around the facility cause them to believe a strange killer in a Santa outfit killing them one-by-one and must find the reason why to get away alive.

This was a pretty decent holiday horror offering. Among its better elements is a nice setup that offers a rather different take on the usual genre offerings featured through the first half. The early build-up featuring the layout of the plant and what they're working on the holiday are quite intriguing at getting this set up as to who's going to be around and the relationships with each other. That this also offers up some fun holiday scenery with the lighting and decorations strewn around the office, however small they might initially appear, gets this going pretty nicely. Given the charge into the series of chasing around the plant once it becomes clear what's going on and the barbaric tortures that are being set up here offer up some great kills and tons of bloodshed as a result which give this a lot to like. There are a few flaws with this one. The main issue present is that for every smart decision the characters engage in trying to figure out what's going on there's another one that's moronically stupid and irritating. The rookie cop is the most egregious, for while he tries to act sensibly in staying out of sight and trying to wait for a safer option to present itself instead of blindly rushing into something he's still capable of some utterly stupid decisions. Constantly running around the facility trying to find survivors or look for keys to something that doesn't need to be found showcases some fully awful choices that result in nothing more than extended chasing for no reason. As well, the finale's twist doesn't really make much sense in the grand scheme of things. While that revelation does come across as a total shock with absolutely no way to know what's going on beforehand, the way it causes the film to shift gears is quite unexplained. Rather than carry on the series of stalking and confrontations with the killer that's been highly enjoyable the speechifying explaining why seems to halt the momentum to do this. Moreover, the explanation doesn't seem logical as to why it would cause a rampage in the first place, as to carry it out the amount of planning and prep-work to go into dishing it out is unlikely and renders the holiday setting somewhat irrelevant to pull it off. These few slight issues do bring it down just enough over the positives.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Jim Klock and Mike Capozzi write, direct and star in this low budget but enjoyable Santa slasher. Jim Klock's acting absolutely steals the show while Mike Capozzi and Coel Mahal also give strong performances. Hardcore fans of movies like "Silent Night, Deadly Night" and "Christmas Evil" should find this film a lot of fun. So if you love holiday horror, make sure to check out Slayed - it's a helluva slay ride!

I wasn't too impressed with the film overall but it was fun. I think that was the intention (at least I hope it was). The acting is pretty weak sometimes but the movie still ends up working way better than it should. If you like movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night then you should really enjoy this one.

I gave this movie a higher rating because I enjoyed it better than many of the other amateur xmas holiday horrors.. It's my holiday tradition to watch low-budget Xmas horrors and/or comedies.

For a Xmas horror comedy, these actors actually seem very self aware of the mockery and you can tell that they have studied enough acting and comedy to rank their performances higher than many others in this specific genre. Unlike most Xmas horror films with generically bad actors these actors are engaging and funny... The secretary (Hilarious. I wanted to see more of her being comically mean to everyone.), the "creepy" groundskeeper (he was actually very entertaining, handsome and sexy) and the new security guard (a highly self-aware, comical and enjoyable performance) are all engaging and humorous characters that make you want to keep watching this story until the end.

This low budget XMas horror/comedy has a unique setting in the warm southern USA with some "Scream"-like twists and turns. Despite the low budget, anyone can tell that the film makers here have some talent and self-aware satire to grow on.

I had fun with this movie while wrapping presents and drinking wine.

If you like cheap Xmas horror but you don't want another typical "at home" setting or the same lame acting, you might enjoy this 1:13min movie before bed during the holidays.