Slash Dance

Slash Dance is a bizarre comedy/horror from the late 1980s about some women being killed while auditioning for a musical. Cindy Ferda stars as an undercover cop investigator these murders. She meets some odd characters like two female wrestlers selling steroids, a guy who takes his fake eyebrows off and a man who likes to flash. I like offbeat 1980s horror comedies when they are fun, but Slash Dance isn't really all that fun of a watch. I feel a movie with that title should be a little more entertaining and fun. Cindy Ferda plays her part ok enough but the dialogue and over-the top-ness from other actors is just brutal. It's just not interesting enough for my whacky 1980s tastes.

This movie was nothing like I expected from what I read in a horror movie guide before watching, which stated the movie consisted of alternating dance routines and brutal murders, but this description is simply wrong. The first twenty minutes or so is really fast moving and entertaining, when the lead actress fights with the two thugs, I was utterly mesmerized by her wrestling moves, and in general the fight scenes are fairly well choreographed. The initial tone of the movie is surprisingly cheerful and upbeat, with loads of comic overtones, notably Queen Kong and her compatriot are an absolute riot as a couple of bumbling small-time crooks, I couldn't stop laughing while they were on screen, they were just so ridiculous. Classic. The movie grinds down a bit in the middle, which I attribute to the director blowing all the rest of the budget on the CG dagger that spins on the films' title, yes you read right, there is CG in this movie, take that Jim Cameron's Abyss! Things gather steam again towards the end and there is even a tease at a sequel we will never know about. Overall, Slash Dance is streets ahead of most Troma movies, granted there are some competitive lulls, though if you watch it after midnight with someone close who also loves B movies, you will remember the experience forever, even if the memory of the film may fade away.

Peace

Nichole

I watched this film as a child originally. It was one of many films that created my interest in bad horror/comedy movies. I recently re-watched it because I realized that several of the ladies from GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling) starred and were featured. America from GLOW is in the lead role with supporting roles by GLOW Characters Matilda The Hun and Beastie. Do not expect a regular cheap horror movie with this one. It was made to be a combination horror/comedy film and is purposely campy.

Website Admin The Official GLOW Fan Blog http://glowwrestling.tumblr.com/

My review was written in July 1989 after watching the film on Glencoe video cassette.

Catchy title notwithstanding, "Slash Dance" is a meek horror thriller headed for home video shelves.

Filmmaker James Shyman's tame approach is more slasher-film meets "A Chorus Line" than the Jennifer Beals pic punned upon. A maniac is killing the young women auditioning for a role in a musical show at the Van Slake theater. Lovely cop Cindy Maranne goes undercover as a dancer to root out the baddie.

Minor plot pits Van Slake heirs Joel von Ornsteiner and William Kerr as prime, too-obvious suspects.

Pic suffers from too much attempted comic relief (Von Ornsteiner's geek-style overacting is a pain) and surprising prudishness. Dancing, endlessly shown in rehearsal form, is boring and staged without style. Tech credits, especially Geza Sinkovics' colorful lensing, are above average.

In the magnum opus that is SLASH DANCE, someone is murdering the beautiful female dancers of Hollywood. It's up to undercover cop Tori Raines (Cindy Ferda) to infiltrate the killer's hunting ground (aka: an old theater) and get to the bottom of the unfathomable terror.

Can Tori stop the heinous monster before he kills again? Well, no, but she sure can dance!

For those who long for those simpler, more MTV-influenced days of yesteryear, SLASH DANCE will transport you there!

WARNING: This movie contains scenes of intense Spandex and legwarmers!...