Right off the bat let me address all of the comparisons and genre fan outcries about The Slaughter being a rip off of Evil Dead: there are a lot of similarities between The Slaughter and Evil Dead. Now then, with that being said, let’s treat it like an original and review this screecher.
The Slaughter was written and directed by Jay Lee, who has also wrote and has the directing duties for the Jenna Jameson starring: Zombie Strippers. The cast are mainly unknowns and the story is about 6 college friends cleaning an old house and releasing a female demon representative of dark evil from out of the basement.
The opening of the film feels like a college filmmaker trying to create art. It is a vibe that persist throughout the film, which overall I would say is an experiment in making bad lighting an art form in itself. I am not saying this artsy looking approach is a bad thing, actually it helps perk up a viewers interest in such a low budget feature; especially considering the opening sequence consists of a lot of women disrobing and blood. The first 10-15 minutes of the film keep you focused on things, with plenty happening.
The main weakness of the film is when it deters from the artsy sort of feel and turns into a by the numbers, lame comedy. The characters in the story are more like caricatures, each with a one-sided cartoon like personality. There is the Stoner, the Jock, The Leader Male, The Jumpy/Leader Female, The Slut, the Corporate Tycoon, The Corporate Assistant, and then the kid who only says things that involve sticking it to the man or corporate society. The humor is lost with these over used personality traits and the funky camera angels soon start looking like run of the mill close ups of uninteresting things. Personally I think the film should have stuck with the artsy feel and done away with trying to be funny and developed some of the characters.
The Slaughter is an award winning film at some festivals, with the “Splatter Award” having been gained in Phoenix. The death scenes and effects are overall interesting, and even if the characters are one dimensional and the jokes fall mainly flat, this low budget horror film does have some entertainment value within it. The effects, even in their low budget style, are indeed fun moments, and of course every now and then we all fall into a grin at a lame joke.
The Slaughter is a rental if you’ve seen everything else already, but then again if you don’t want an Evil Dead rip off (The Slaughter even has a flesh bound book) you might want to avoid this.