Slasher films were very popular in the 1980s. Michael Myers from Halloween and Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th series were big hits. Many other similar movies came out during this time, making it seem like a new slasher was released every other week.
Because there were so many of them, these films were filled with familiar patterns that were easy to predict. Some viewers found this fun, while others thought it made the movies boring. The movie Scream did a great job of making fun of these patterns.
Now, a new Spanish film called Slasher, directed and written by Alberto Armas Diaz, also looks at the rules of this type of film. At first, it seems like this film will give a fresh and fun take on masked villains. Sadly, it quickly turns into a standard slasher movie that forgot its interesting start.
What Is ‘Slasher’ About?
Slasher has a story you have heard many times before. A group of young friends decides to go on a road trip. Among them is the usual cast of characters. From the start, we see the sad character Ursula (Fabiola Muñoz), who we know will be the final girl.
She is upset with her jealous boyfriend, Lucas (Mario Gallardo). Their friends are Mario (Rafa Blanes) and party girls Shayla (Cristina Bravo) and Lore (Anna Hastings). The film shows their personalities: Shayla is glued to her phone, and Lore is the typical flirty girl, so annoying that Mario cannot stand her.
As these friends travel, they talk about the Red Demon, saying to hunt near the home they are going to. Many people who have visited the area have disappeared. Some friends take this seriously, while others think it is a joke. As viewers, we know the Red Demon is real because of a gripping opening scene.
In this scene, we see a man wearing a wooden mask. He is dressed in red and dragging a bag with a still-living man inside. When he reaches his basement, the silent killer gives a knife to his young son, Julio, telling him to finish the job. Julio looks at his father in awe, wanting to be just like him. This killer has a family that knows about his dark hobby, and they support him.
Ten years later, the killer’s father is gone, but for shy and awkward teenage Julio (Sergio Alguacil), it is his birthday, and the family tradition has been passed down to him. He receives his own mask and is sent out to kill. He finds his targets in Ursula and her friends at the remote house, but will he be able to follow through?
‘Slasher’ Can’t Decide What Kind of Movie It Wants To Be
Before Julio wears the mask, his mother tells him the rules of being a killer. It is a wink to slasher fans when she says he will become more silent, slower, stronger, and emotionless with each kill, like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees.
This makes us think it will be a clever love letter to horror films, like Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon or The Cabin in the Woods. However, this does not happen.
As soon as Julio wears the mask and steps into the night, Slasher changes and becomes a basic slasher movie. The second half is boring, as we watch the characters get high in the house. This is not just a common stereotype in these films but a significant flaw.
The main characters are uninteresting, and being stuck with them makes us want them to die. Even Ursula, the final girl, is not very interesting. We are supposed to feel sorry for her because of her mean boyfriend, but she has little character growth.
At this point, Slasher struggles with its tone. What began as a serious, partly clever film turns into a silly comedy with the characters getting high. Scenes with Mario and Lore being so stoned that they can barely function are meant to be funny, but they do not work. This goes on for so long that Julio disappears, and the movie no longer feels like it is about him.
Julio Falls Short of Being a New Slasher Icon
Even though Slasher has many flaws, some elements grab your attention. Besides the opening scene, Julio is the most complex character. It is probably not a good thing that the villain is more likable than the main characters, but since it is his movie, that is okay.
This makes it frustrating that we do not learn more about Julio. He is excited to wear his mask and go out to kill, but when he tries to kill, he struggles since he has never done it before.
This means we see an amateur killer learning rather than the usual strong killer in a mask who easily slaughters everyone. While Slasher does not have many creative kills, Julio’s first attempt leads to a unique death scene that fits the victim well.
Slasher needed more inventiveness and exploration of who Julio is. Instead, everything feels shallow. Suddenly, Julio decides he cannot kill anymore, only to quickly go back to doing it. Seeing more of his inner struggle would have added depth and made Slasher more than the common patterns it follows.
The film falls short with Julio’s father, who was the focus of the first scene but then disappears without explanation. A horror film that explains too much is not good, but Slasher does the opposite.
It does not explain enough, leaving viewers uninterested. We want to know: Who is Julio’s father? Where does his power come from? Why does he wear a wooden mask? Without answers, it is hard to care.
Slasher leads to an anticlimactic showdown between Julio and Ursula, but stick around for the after-credits scene. Here, we get a twist and perhaps an unspoken reason for why Slasher struggles.
Is this film a setup for a sequel and a franchise? That could work, but to get viewers excited for future films, the first film must be engaging. Slasher has its moments, but Julio is not going to be the next iconic masked killer.
