Director: Elza Kephart
Notable Cast: Romane Denis, Brett Donahue, Sehar Bhojani,
Kenny Wong, Tianna Nori, Erica Anderson, Stephen Bogaert, Jonathan Emond
“Small price to pay for an awesome ass.”
Having worked as a retail manager for a decade or so, there
was immediately an intriguing humorous element to the concept of Slaxx
that caught my attention. If you have ever worked in the retail world, why
wouldn’t you want to see a horror comedy that satirizes the overwhelming consumerist
nature of modern society? I fuckin’ did. This is where Slaxx fits. It’s a
low-budget Canadian horror comedy brimming with awkward humor, bursts of gore,
and plenty of social commentary for those looking to consume a film of this
nature. It’s sharp when it wants to be, charming throughout, and just strange
enough in some of its choices to remain memorable beyond the credits.
It’s no secret to anyone that follows Blood Brothers that
horror comedies are, to put it lightly, not my favorite. Satire, on the other
hand, is one of the kinds of comedy that does perk my ears which is what
initially drew me to Slaxx. Telling the story of a young woman, Libby, she
is the new hire brought on board to complete a floor set for a big brand name
clothing company. The problem is that their new line up of jeans just might be
bloodthirsty living creatures out to devour the staff. Can the quirky people
that work in the store survive the night?
What will attract the biggest number of watchers to Slaxx
is the audacity of making a film with killer pants. It was only a year or two
ago that fans were treated to In Fabric, a dark comedy and horror film
about a killer shirt. While one might be tempted to compare the two, the films
couldn’t be further apart in style and choice. Slaxx is pure tongue in
cheek. Whether it’s the awkward way that characters interact, the ham-fisted
manner that the store is portrayed, or the sheer outlandishness of seeing some puppet
pairs of pants slurp up blood, snap necks, and chew off hands, Slaxx
always keeps one foot firmly planted outside of the pant leg. While not all of
the jokes land and its brisk run time prevents the film from digging further
into the secondary characters to give them more depth and time to shine, there
is just a fun vibe to the material that works in its benefit. Who knew
Bollywood music would be so actively involved in a film about killer pants?
Almost immediately, beyond the horror comedy aspect of the film, Slaxx is aiming to send a message with its material as it opens on a young Indian woman picking cotton for the company that would eventually make the killer pants. Sure, that sentence is certainly two sides of the horror spectrum, but that’s the thing about Slaxx – director and co-writer Elza Kephart wants to make sure there is something to say along with the laughs, oohs, and ahhs. Oddly enough, this anti-consumerist critique of corporate capitalism and the wild tactics that it uses to sell itself to buyers and employees are low key the best part of the film. Perhaps it's my own general distrust of the system, having spent far too long inside of it, that I attached myself to the commentaries in the film, but even when the film gets a bit heavy-handed with its material it adds a fun thoughtfulness to what could have been a simpler film.
Like all horror comedies, how far the concept carries it
will heavily depend on taste and cinematic preference, but Slaxx is a
film that delivers on what it promises. There is a lofty sense of social goals
to add to the gore and goofs which gives the film a bit of an edge. It allows Slaxx
to navigate many of the pitfalls that come with genre-bending, its budgetary
constraints, and how humor can hit or miss in a way that works. While rumor on
the street has it that Slaxx will be receiving a digital streaming debut
sometime next year, write it down. It’s not a film for everyone, but the
hilarious mixture of satire, horror, and man-eating pants make it an effective curiosity
that has to be seen to be believed.
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