Slash

When I first laid my eyes on the DVD cover of "Slash", I was thinking that this film would be very bloody and gory. However, as I was going to find out, the movie isn't too bloody at all. It's more thrilling than bloody, with some hilarious performances from the virtually unknown actors & actresses. And the killer in this movie looked cool.

The movie is about a rock group on their way to the lead singer's family home, upon hearing that his aunt had passed away. The group is forced to cope with the singer's father named Jeremiah, and his creepy hill-billy assistant Billy Bob. However, it's not all peaceful in this farmland, as a mysterious killer in the form of a scarecrow is on the loose, waiting to get some new blood...

I think I'm making it sound like a horror movie masterpiece. The truth is, the movie is not bad, but it's not too great either.

There are some funny performances delivered by the supporting characters (especially that black guy and Billy Bob), and the 2 female characters in the movie are gorgeous (especially Candy, the blonde cutie). However, their lines are kinda cheesy and they spit out foul language frequently from time to time.

I liked the way the killer looks in this movie. It's rare to see a killer in a horror movie who wears a hat similar to Freddy Krueger's (from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" horror movies). I also loved the weapon that he used: a scythe. I've never seen horror villains use that weapon before in previous horror films.

Although many of the death scenes in the film are not very bloody, there is one particular death scene that really blew my mind: A harvester machine actually "eats up" a victim and makes mince-meat out of his body. You have to see this death scene to believe it.

And if you're a rock music fan, you will like the music in this movie. There are various scenes that play rock music in the backgrounds, and most of the main characters even perform rock songs. You might feel like you're watching a rock concert!

To sum up, this movie is not exactly a horror classic. However, I think the movie tried its best to thrill audiences. It had some pretty imaginative death scenes (especially the one where a guy is "harvested"), and fresh new actors & actresses who may have greater acting careers in the future. If you've got a girlfriend or boyfriend, rent this movie to watch at home and have some nice thrills. Your partner will enjoy the evening. Just make sure you're far away from farmlands...

I give this film a 6/10.

This really could have been a bit more interesting. There was a lot of farm boy humor in the first hour, but not much of anything else. Nick Boraine (The Breed) was really good.

It was almost an hour into the movie before it started getting good. But, it never got bloody, except for the harvester.

Nick Boraine, Steve Railsback (Rest Stop: Don't Look Back, The Stunt Man) and Zuleikha Robinson (Hidalgo) all did very good jobs, and the music was really good.

The only thing that really detracted was the lack of blood. How can you have a slasher movie without it?

A b-grade horror movie where a rock band gets stuck on a farm haunted by a super natural killer. Some of the acting isn't very good but I've seen worse and the movies plot was fine too. One good scene was definitely the axe battle (guitar versus normal axe. Get it?) and the kills of the movie have some creativity in them.. Minus points come from some really bad scoring and the characters of course in the wonderful b-horror movie tradition behave like idiots. It's a fine choice if you want to see a b-grade horror movie. You know what you are getting, nothing special. This one isn't THAT bad though. As a horror fan I was decently entertained.

This movie was a very enjoyable change of pace. It hold's all the major elements of a studio horror film but maintains its independant spirit. I was very pleased with the film,it held my attention with likable character's. The shots are awesome and the whole film moves you without loosing your attention. Loved it, James Vallo Chicago

Rock band ends up stranded on the family farm of it's lead singer. So what's next? A fight to stay alive when a scarecrow-ish killer starts stalking!

While Slash may not look or sound like anything new, it does serve horror fans best by being a completely entertaining and fairly thrilling ride. It makes the best of it's country setting by being a bit reminiscent of such classic rural horror flicks as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Children of the Corn. Director Neal Sundstrom gives us a musty atmosphere of dread in the movie's nicely rustic filming locations.

At any rate, there's plenty to enjoy in this film. The story provides for enough good thrills and spills, along with some occasional bloodiness. The cast is pretty game, Railsback probably being the best as Mac's gruff father. But such unknown stars as O'Shea and Dukas prove that they are capable as well. There's also a fairly good rock soundtrack, after all, the movie IS named after the band.

Genre fans may find it a fun trip, while others will likely call it silly horror. Either way, it's a fun watch.

*** out of ****