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Movie Review © 2015 by Robert Long II
Tagline: He’s taking what he wants, Limb, By Limb!
Starring Matt W. Cody, Mike Roche, Byron M. Howard, Melissa Roth, Darlene Heller, Danielle Lenore, Bradley Creanzo, David Garelik
Directed by Manny Serrano
Genres: Horror/Thriller
Released by Wild Eye Releasing
IMDb Story Synopsis: Blood Slaughter Massacre is an homage to 80’s slasher movies. It was created in the vein of old slashers, stylized as though the movie had been released in the 80’s, alongside the Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees films of the time. Featuring all the components that classic horror fans love, we run the horror gamut; A girl in the woods, a girl in the shower, the babysitter, the girl with her boyfriend, the drunken detective, the inept police department, the creepy old man with a warning, the one character who seems to know too much, and an iconic killer in a mask, The Ripper. Topping it off with an 80’s soundtrack, this one will leave you feeling nostalgic.
So the story is that back in the 1970s a costume party is being held in a suburb called Havenwood. An uninvited guest who goes by The Ripper crashes the party and slaughters everyone in sight. A couple of small town cops come upon the scene and find the massacre. While investigating the corpses, the younger officer gets attacked and injured by the Ripper. The fiend leaves the scene of the crime and disappears into the night. Years later, the Ripper returns to mutilate more innocents in the small town. The cops from years before are now detectives, and the one that had been attacked by the Ripper is hell bent in putting a stop to him once and for all.
The biggest compliment I can pay this movie is that the people behind it are busting their butt to do it, and its heart is in the right place. The actors – both good and bad – are giving their all. The production is trying its blazing brains out to make an 80s slasher movie. You get period cars, a video store WITH videos, typewriters, period clothing, etc. I give cast and crew tremendous kudos for giving it their all.
How about the gore? It is surprisingly good! There is plenty of blood, and the Ripper – as a serial killer – loves to mutilate flesh. There is a lot of that in the film. And per the 1980s, we have some great nudity on display as well. At least four nude scenes (my personal favorite being the lovely actress that plays the babysitter) are present, and the movie is better because of them.
I didn’t really find any true standouts as far as the acting went, but I will say the look of the Ripper is very cool and iconic. The movie also sports a dead ringer for Crispin Glover! He is even playing the part a bit like Crispin did in Friday the 13th Part 4, so that was a very cool inside joke.
There are a couple of things that bring this production down a few notches are the audio and video. I am guessing that the audio was all done with the camera mic and not with a boom mic, as it comes off muffled and uneven at times. The picture quality takes the biggest hit as it seems this was all handheld; the jitter of someone holding the camera can be felt. Adding to that is the fact that a lot of the lighting is a bit dicey and muddy in several places. They really needed to invest in a tripod and a small light kit.
Also one of the hardest things to do to sell an 80s period piece – especially on a low, low budget – is the hairstyles. The actresses had a better time of it because they tended to have long hair which meant they had plenty to work with. The guys? That’s another matter. See, the 1980s had feathered hair and mullets and aside from mustaches, dudes were clean shaven. Look at any 1980s TV show and even if someone is disheveled, they have the “hair.” Unfortunately male actors these days generally do not keep their hair at a length where they can do anything with it, and often the production has to resort to really bad PARTY CITY wigs.
Extras on the DVD include an informative director’s commentary, deleted scenes, extended scenes, music video and much more.
FINAL RATING: 5.5 CLOWN MASKS OUT OF 10. For the reasons I listed above I cannot go higher than slightly above average for this independent slasher. However it does have several things that should make you want to seek it out: violent deaths, copious amounts of nudity, but most important a lot of earnestness and heart. It is on those last two items that pushes the movie into the “you should watch this” area. There is obvious hard work on display in this production, and on that account I was really appreciative of the film and it made me want to watch it. This movie has won awards and I look forward to seeing what the filmmakers accomplish in the future.
You can get the movie HERE.