Slaughter Studios (2002) (V)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Brian Katkin

Writers:

Dan Acre (writer)
John Huckert (writer)

Release Date:

31 December 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Plot Keywords:

Lesbianism | Murder | Serial Killer | Female Nudity | Lesbian Scene

Cast

Nicolas Read	...	Kevin
Amy Shelton-White	...	Madigan
Tara Killian	...	Portia
Peter Stanovich	...	Steve
Anand Chulani	...	Ollie
Eva Frajko	...	Trisha
Matthew Roseman	...	Gary
Darren Keefe	...	Chad Daniels (as Darren Reiher)
Laura Otis	...	Rebecca
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jamie Akhavi	...	Receptionist
Victoria De Mare	...	Waitress
Cheryl Dent	...	Girl in Orange
Serra Ellison	...	Darlene
Laura Lawson
Lorissa McComas	...	Candace
Matt Westmore	...	Justin Kirkpatric / Rock Candy
Mia Zottoli	...	70s Busty Girl With a Gun

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

UK:18 | Singapore:R21 (cut) | USA:R

Company:

Concorde-New Horizons

Trivia:

This was the last film to be shot at Roger Corman's studios in Venice Beach, California, and it only had a 12-day shooting schedule. The studio was being torn down during the production.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the car chase at the end, the driver's side window of the squad car is down then up then down again throughout the entire sequence.

Quotes:

Trisha: I've got some girls in my acting class that'll totally do it.
Steve: Great!
Trisha: Some of them are even good too.
Steve: That doesn't matter, this script is bulletproof!

Really good spoof on 80's Slashers

Many reviews give this movie 1 or 2 stars. Many of those label it as "not scary", "stupid" or worse... While maybe the movie does earn those adjectives, it is not because of the stupidity of it's creators, on the contrary; the cast & crew made it stupid on purpose. This is not a common slasher. It's a spoof on everything cheesy about horror films.

Director Brian Katkin and writers Dan Acre & John Huckert crafted a very funny comedy that parodies the cheesy 80's B-slashers while paying homage to the cheesy 50's sci-fi horrors. The beginning sequence sets the tone of the story: Young filmmaker Steve discovers that Slaughter Studios, the place where his favorite B-Movies were filmed, is going to be demolished; so he gets a crew and decides to make a cheap horror film like those he loves in the night before the demolition. Strange things begin to happen and they wonder if the place was cursed after the event that led to it's closure 20 years before: the death of a young star while shooting a scene.

Sure, the movie is predictable, but that's the idea. It follows every rule established by 80's slashers like "Slumber Party Massacre"(1983) or "Sorority House Massacre"(1987): silly jokes, lots of gore, and lots of nudity. There is plenty of eye-candy that undresses by every possible excuse, and the killings are unnecessarily bloody. Everything that made those 80's slashers both enjoyable & silly at the same time.

The initial sequence and the scene when Steve tells the story of the 70's murder at the Slaughter Studios is very original. It's the crew's very personal homage to producer Roger Corman(the 70's director is named "Roman") and the names of Steve's favorite films are parodies of those of the likes of Corman's classics like "Attack of the Crab Monsters"(1957), "The Wasp Woman"(1960) or "Humanoids from the Deep"(1980).

Also, the character of Steve has that Ed Wood spirit, the director that is so convinced that his movie is good that can't see the HUGE flaws in it. I'm sure that many aspiring filmmakers will find themselves identified with him.

The acting for the most part is OK, they play the slasher stereotypes to the letter. Lorissa McComas is particularly funny in it's take on the actress obsessed with the 70's murdered star; and Amy Shelton-White steals the show, she could be more than a b-movie queen.

Something worth the mention is the very good lighting and camera-work showed in the film. While the SFX are very very poor, the direction makes good use of them and makes them work in the context of the movie. Although there were scenes that look as if they had been shot with a DV while in post-production, most of the film is very well done.

Overall it is a funny spoof on everything that made lovable those cheesy 80's B-movies. Worth a rent.

7/10