Slasher
is Macabre Mystery Fun
by
Kristin Battestella
The
eight episode 2016 Canadian cum Netflix anthology series Slasher
provides
potboiler mysteries and atmospheric scares in this debut season
called The
Executioner featuring
Katie McGrath as Sarah Bennett, the baby survivor of a 1988 Halloween
double murder who's return to town has inspired a new killer to don
the original Executioner mantle.
Cowboy
costumes and masked visitors lead to machete stabbings, pools of
blood, gutted pregnancy bellies, and sirens to open “An Eye for an
Eye” before contemporary drives, newspaper headlines, and nasty
locals a flutter. Punk kids on the street and taunts from one dressed
as the killer escalate to violent beatings and bodies in the woods.
The original culprit is locked away, but tense prison chats raise
more questions than answers on this copycat. Hidden basement cameras
and video tapes featuring some surprising saucy intertwine our
ensemble of friends and foes then and now amid fresh victims,
serrated blades, and gory reveals. Despite some necking in the woods,
“Digging Your Grave With Your Teeth” proves a killer on the loose
is no joking matter thanks to cryptic notes and bloody fingers in the
mail. Moving in montages and art gallery fix ups try for a fresh
start, but homes where people were chopped up in the master bedroom
aren't exactly hot on the market. Police ignore biblical clues, and
ill advised party invitations begat power outages, back alley traps,
and knife attacks. Many are on edge but others seem too cool in spite
of mystery coordinates in the woods, overgrown caves, bones, and
forensics. Voiceover flashbacks recount which husbands were caught on
those homemade tapes, but newspaper scoops, gossiping neighbors, and
jail cell religion aren't enough for police. Arguments show how
haunted one and all still are by these crimes, and red light hospital
emergencies only lead to more bleeding eyes, foaming mouths, and body
contortions. Seemingly important characters don't stick around long
on Slasher, and
1968 cruising, nostalgic tunes, and bridge disasters open
“Like as Fire Eateth Up
and Burneth Wood” while funerals and press conferences add to
present guilt, arguments over absolution, and rat poison. The
Executioner is still out there as bad business decisions come to
light and bar room make outs turn sour. Subtle nods to Halloween's
in
the closet finale and When
a Stranger Calls cranks
layer the weird art
gallery visitors and lackluster police protection. We don't know what
the killer wants, but every victim has a past that's caught up to
them thanks to highway scares, desperate confessions, and effective
horrors as townsfolk point fingers at who's to blame or should be
next. Stranded in the woods attacks and fatal dockside debts repaid
are well filmed as this quaint town's interwoven secrets provide both
red herrings and suspects begging for mercy.
Cremation,
camouflage, and hunting scopes in “As Water is Corrupted Unless It
Moves” seemingly reveals the murderer before more gunshots, traps
in the forest, snakes, and search dogs. Friends debate the Old
Testament over drinks, questioning the Seven Deadly Sins patterns and
testing suspects with a process of elimination. Who is smart and
dangerous enough to do such violence or is there more than one, a
brains behind the brawn? Past mistakes, missing teenagers, and
re-opened cases help pinpoint the next victim, but prayers for
forgiveness only equate more deaths on Slasher.
Strolls through the meadow
in “Ill-Gotten Gains” stumble upon decomposing bodies as more
family ties come to light and news reports question if the
Executioner is a vigilante cleaning up a town where everyone seems to
be hiding something. Jealousy, lust, and sloth become motives for
crime, and on camera call outs lead to notes from the killer and
twisted interviews. He only kills those who deserve to die – his
victims are not innocent and the on air scoops toy with the truth.
The body count rises, and repentance comes too late for sinners
thanks to greed, hot oil vats, and chopping bodies into seven pieces.
Upsetting abductions and assaults set off “The One Who Sows His Own
Flesh” as basement revelations, knives, and escapes bring new
accusations close to home. Reporters angle for a book deal while drug
overdoses, prison fights, and prostitutes complicate the
inconsistencies as former scandals and current cases collide with
gunshots and fiery retributions. “In the Pride of His Face”
revisits the revelations behind the 1988 Halloween stabbings, and big
decisions need to be made between a divided marriage and career pride
– the final, cardinal sin. Lists of who's next and suspicious
websites lead to standoffs, seizures, and lumber saws despite
unlikely father figures and flirtations. Kinky flashbacks establish
the backward righteousness and twisted sense of justice among killers
with self-sacrificing gore. Fake outs in broad daylight would suggest
the crimes are over, but tokens from the killer lead to an
interesting aftermath. Slasher
doesn't
just end with the last kill but shows how this town still can't quite
move on in “Soon Your
Own Eyes Will See.” Their darkness brought this murderer to light
thanks to Halloween tears, regrets, and confrontations. Slasher's
most
chilling crime is done silently –
a disturbing act answering when one asks for truth and forgiveness.
Obsessions and one final piece of evidence tie the slicing and dicing
retribution together as all Slasher's
secrets
come full circle.
Katie
McGrath's (Merlin)
likable child survivor Sarah Bennett just wants to put the past
behind her, but the truth about her swinging parents doesn't help
ease the shocks lingering from their murder. Sarah doubts if this
move home was the right decision and she tries to paint again, but
the unraveling juicy history keeps her on edge. She's suspicious of
everyone and wonders if the murders have begun again because she
tried to kill herself in the past. Is she a target of this new
Executioner or an object of his obsession? Nasty neighbors blame her
for willing out their shady – Sarah learns how to blackmail and
snoop where she shouldn't. The cops don't like her Nancy Drew
interference either, but she know the toll these lies have cost her
and her loved ones. Sarah wants revenge, and rather than running
away, she chooses to take matters into her own hands. Brandon Jay
McLaren (Graceland)
as Sarah's husband Dylan likewise hopes settling here is the right
choice, however his job at the local newspaper quickly conflicts with
his wife being part of the story. He respects whatever Sarah wants to
do, but his publisher Mayko Nguyen (ReGenesis)
wants him to hobnob with national reporters coming to cover the
murders. These television interviews turn into competitions on how
far one is willing to go for the big headlines, and Dylan enjoys
being on camera. He says he can work with the police in sharing this
story or tell the murders his own way, and leveraging death to
advance compromises his integrity – as does
interference from Sarah's sassy grandmother Wendy Crewson (Saving
Hope). She
dislikes Dylan and wants to protect Sarah, but she has a history of
her own full of regrets, lies, and guilt. Of
course, a murderer's insights are best for catching this new copycat,
and Patrick Garrow's (Killjoys)
original killer Tom Winston says he can be Sarah's catharsis. He
tells her the truth – if only because Tom still thinks his actions
are righteous and bringing sinners like her parents closer to light.
Although her visits to him are at times repetitive with an as needed
philosophical nugget or some leaving things cryptic cat and mouse for
the sake of it, this isn't a hammy villain. Tom has some
multi-dimensional demons and creepy obsessions, helping Sarah think
like a killer yet wanting a a lock of her hair in exchange for a
newspaper exclusive. It's pleasing that Slasher
also
has some gay representation,
but our sassy, snobbish couple enjoys it when people get confused by
one of them having a gender neutral name. While Christopher Jacot's
(Eureka)
realtor Robin talks about paint and potpourri, his husband has video
sex behind his back before showering Robin with gifts.
Our gay BFF helps Sarah
snoop on the interconnected community history, and Slasher
stereotypically
uses the shady business transactions, hefty price tags, and fatal
drug use as its gluttony and hedonism sins.
Steve Byers (The Man in the
High Castle) as policeman
Cam Henry comforts Sarah and offers his support despite his own
marital problems. However, he too warns her about looking into things
best left undisturbed – including the naughty proclivities of his
minister father. Likewise Dean McDermott as (Due
South)
Chief Vaughn belittles
Cam and admits he doesn't care if the Bennetts think he stinks at his
job, but he has disturbing secrets, too.
Blood,
Halloween scares, and shocking slices add atmosphere to the sleepy
neighborhood of Slasher.
Real houses with vintage brick and woodwork should be quaint and safe
– everyone walks from place to place, but bloody limbs, gory
bedrooms, hidden cameras, and saucy VHS tapes accent the murderous
real estate history. Fireworks build fear as frenetic editing reveals
sinister amputations, tied up victims, and screams contrasting the
smooth tracking and on location camerawork. Distorted voice effects
for the killer set off this askew sense of righteousness while every
snapping twig or stumble in the woods makes nature seem suspect
alongside snakes, medieval hoods, and creepy taxidermy. Although
tablets, Skype, convenient CCTV footage, and smart phones used as
flashlights, recorders, and microphones keep the audience at a
somewhat technical arms length; red lighting, spooky silhouettes, and
shadows in the background frame create suspense. The occasional herky
jerky scares and warped distortions are unnecessary, but there's no
in your face boo shock when the killer walks unseen behind the
victim. The audience sees and fears for the intended, and that innate
is chilling enough. Water filming and violence are well done as are
more creative deaths fulfilling biblical punishments, yet Slasher
doesn't
waste time with anything overly flashy or artsy. Despite the
disturbing subject matters, there aren't many scandalous visuals or
outrageous gore for the sake of it extremes. One should, however,
avoid eating at the local fast food place lest one finds an ear, and
instead of Google, these Canadian protagonists must use the
fictitious “Colossal” in their abstract rural town. The cell
phone will ring loudly to make one and all jump if need be, too –
or vibrate gently when a message is to be missed. One poor cop is
always strangled or
knocked unconscious when on stakeout duty, but others joke about it
onscreen. We notice these winks, but Slasher
plays
upon those horror movie cliches rather than falling prey to today's
typical genre styles thanks to creator Aaron Martin (Degrassi:
The Next Generation)
and director Craig David Wallace's (Todd
and the Book of Pure Evil)
focus on one cohesive whodunit. Episodes and plots aren't constrained
by toppers per act or commercial break hooks the way American network
television relies on the old “same Bat time, same Bat channel”
returns.
While
there's time for a resolution – so often horror ends without giving
us any authorities or what happens next response – Slasher
may
not have a lot of repeat value once you figure out who the killer is.
I had suspicions, dismissed them, suspected again, and was right all
along. Like others in the increasingly popular seasonal or
speculative anthology format, it might be easy to call Slasher
an
American Horror Story
knockoff.
However, the shorter episode order here keeps Slasher
a
more taught, multi-layered mystery without toiling or fantastical
tangents dragging on for those aforementioned stay tuned frights.
Slasher has
chilling scares, choice gore, and creative kills accenting
intriguing, shout at the TV mysteries perfect for an event night
marathon with macabre friends.
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