Slash

This movie was a very enjoyable change of pace. It hold's all the major elements of a studio horror film but maintains its independant spirit. I was very pleased with the film,it held my attention with likable character's. The shots are awesome and the whole film moves you without loosing your attention. Loved it, James Vallo Chicago

I happened to be surfing through channels one evening, and saw that "Slash" was about to begin. Since it was a horror movie, I gave it a try, and it was actually a surprise. The film revolves around a rock band, called Slash. The group of band members end up at a secluded old farm out in the middle of nowhere, when the band's lead singer's aunt dies and he goes to visit his father at the family home. Things begin to get a little bit spooky when strange events plague the band members. It seems someone is lurking around the farm, putting a stop to all of their attempts to leave. Someone wants them to stay, and then the band members begin to die off. Who is behind the killings? Is it the creepy farm handyman? Or perhaps someone else?

I actually thought this movie wasn't that bad at all. The story (while it is somewhat routine) was interesting enough to keep my attention. The twist ending was obvious but appropriate in the film's context, it worked well. The acting was so-so... let's just say that there aren't exactly Oscar-worthy performances. But what can one expect from a film of this nature, the cast is mostly unknowns (aside from Steve Railsback who plays the band's lead singer's father). The scripting was somewhat corny at times, and some of the characters made stupid remarks, but I wouldn't make a big deal about it, because "Slash" is a B-grade horror flick all the way. The death scenes were creative, especially the harvesting machinery sequence, which was quite brutal, and the setting of the film was isolated and kind of spooky. The finale itself was well executed also and the killer throughout the film was pretty cool.

Overall, "Slash" is really nothing new for horror fans, but it manages to be a decent and fun little movie to view. Complete with a rock soundtrack, some gory death scenes, and an overall decent story, it serves it's purpose and manages to be alright in the end. Horror fans will find it enjoyable, others will probably hate it. 6/10.

Rock band ends up stranded on the family farm of it's lead singer. So what's next? A fight to stay alive when a scarecrow-ish killer starts stalking!

While Slash may not look or sound like anything new, it does serve horror fans best by being a completely entertaining and fairly thrilling ride. It makes the best of it's country setting by being a bit reminiscent of such classic rural horror flicks as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Children of the Corn. Director Neal Sundstrom gives us a musty atmosphere of dread in the movie's nicely rustic filming locations.

At any rate, there's plenty to enjoy in this film. The story provides for enough good thrills and spills, along with some occasional bloodiness. The cast is pretty game, Railsback probably being the best as Mac's gruff father. But such unknown stars as O'Shea and Dukas prove that they are capable as well. There's also a fairly good rock soundtrack, after all, the movie IS named after the band.

Genre fans may find it a fun trip, while others will likely call it silly horror. Either way, it's a fun watch.

*** out of ****

While in a tour with his rock band Slash, the lead singer Mac (James O'Shea) is informed that his aunt died and his family is expecting him in their farm, where he spent his childhood, for the funeral. The group travels in their bus and meets the weird patriarch and Mac's father Jeremiah (Steve Railsback). The local Billy Bob (Nick Boraine) tells about an old tradition called "harvest of blood" used to improve the harvest. Their bus has problems with the injector and they get stuck in the farm, while a serial killer chases each one of them to collect their blood.

"Slash" is a rip-off of many others similar slasher movies in a cornfield, with scarecrow, harvest and axes, but it is watchable. The story is predictable and has a huge flaw, when Mac uses a fake knife to stab his girlfriend. How could he know that the knife was false, if he had no contact with the owner? My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Slash – Rock do Terror" ("Slash – Rock of the Terror")

A b-grade horror movie where a rock band gets stuck on a farm haunted by a super natural killer. Some of the acting isn't very good but I've seen worse and the movies plot was fine too. One good scene was definitely the axe battle (guitar versus normal axe. Get it?) and the kills of the movie have some creativity in them.. Minus points come from some really bad scoring and the characters of course in the wonderful b-horror movie tradition behave like idiots. It's a fine choice if you want to see a b-grade horror movie. You know what you are getting, nothing special. This one isn't THAT bad though. As a horror fan I was decently entertained.