Slaxx
March 19th, 2021
MOVIE: SLAXX
STARRING: ROMANE DENIS, ERICA ANDERSON, BRETT DONAHUE, SEHAR BHOJANI, KENNY WONG
DIRECTED BY: ELZA KEPHART
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
It’s wild to watch and review a movie about a pair of jeans that kills people. It’s even wilder when that movie succeeds at doing what it sets out to do. Slaxx is exactly what I just said it would be. This is a movie where a pair of jeans strangles the midsection of a person till they bleed, chops off the head of another, and strangles a paying customer. It’s ridiculous, bloody, and surprisingly has a message as well. Director Elza Kephart obviously wants the audience to have a bit of fun watching her film, but at the same time she knows that movies won’t last on just a gimmick, you need to hook them in and tell us why these crazy things are happening. Slaxx achieves everything it sets out to do, with technology that reminds me of the innovative ways of making horror movies, and a lot of bloody fun, making Slaxx the perfect fit.
It is the first day of work for Libby (Romane Denis) at CCC, which is a trendy clothing store, which looks like a mix between an Apple store and The Gap. They are a company that prides themselves on their clothing never being made in sweatshops, and telling their customers to “Make A Better Tomorrow…Today.” For Libby she loves everything about the store and believes in everything they promote, ready to help customers, and looking bright eyed for the day. On the floor working is manic manager Craig (Brett Donahue), who prides himself in running a tight ship, but his ship runs more on militant abuse. The rest of the floor is various CCC employees. Not caring in the corner is Shruti (Sehar Bhojani), secretly listening to music, then there’s the crisp looking Lord (Kenny Wong), and the popular girl Jemma (Hanneke Talbot). CEO Harold Landsgrove (Stephen Bogaert) arrives for a big unveiling of the company’s new signature jeans, with Craig more than high strung, and little Libby is just happy to be a part. It’s supposed to be an easy celebratory day, but then one of the pairs of pants walks itself off the shelf, proceeding to attack employees and customers, turning the night into a fight for survival from killer clothing.
It would be a lie to say that I am not the target audience for a movie like this. One of my biggest complaints is not the film’s fault, I just wish I could have seen Slaxx with an audience of screaming horror fans. It’s still fun to watch at home and what helps is that Slaxx is an innovative use of the CGI movie magic. The pants really do look like they are moving around the store and director Elza Kephart, along with co-writer Patricia Gomez, does a nice job of balancing the inventive blood soaked deaths of employees and the mystery behind why these pants are haunted at all. That’s certainly the most surprising factor of Slaxx, where the number of characters dwindles down, keeping everyone confined to a storefront and back, while Libby navigates to find the history that created these killer pants.
You would think Slaxx wouldn’t be much deeper than about a pair of killer pants, but Kephart mixes in an intriguing message about corporate greed, using the kindness of others to appear as a company for those in need, but instead it all becomes a facade. With each character’s death and manager Craig caring more about the company than the employees, Slaxx turns into Libby and Shruti working together to put a stop to the death. Round the store they go, locking themselves in closets, and thinking of ways to survive. Now don’t get me wrong, after all that, a movie like Slaxx might have it’s limitations, but it’s quick moving and thoroughly entertaining. I guess you could say that Slaxx is high dead-end fashion.
SLAXX PREMIERES ON SHUDDER THIS WEEKEND MARCH 19TH
3 STARS
Written by: Leo Brady
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