Slashers (2001 Video) User Reviews

Real Low-Budget Cheesy Slash Fest

[Pet_Rock · 6/10 · 2 September 2006]

6 people (Sarah Joslyn Crowder, Kieran Keller, Tony Curtis Blondell and more) have agreed to be a part of a Japanese reality show in which they are locked in a creepy house and stalked and killed by 3 sickos (a wonderful performance by Neil Napier and an alright job by Christopher Piggins). Whoever gets out alive wins millions and millions of dollars. But who will get out alive? Maurice Devereaux does a much better job at writing than directing. The script is surprisingly original and smart.

The film is filled with bad actors. However, there are a few gems in here: Kieran Keller, who has done nothing and has nothing planned was actually pretty good IMO, and Tony Curtis Blondell is up and rising. But the best, IMO, was Neil Napier, who played 2 killers very well.

Out of all the "Reality Show" horrors, this is one of the better ones, along side with "My Little Eye" and Kolobos.

'Reality show' style horror

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 20 March 2021]

SLASHERS (2001) is a straight-to-video oddball action-horror from Canada, one of those reality 'game show' type stories in which six contestants find themselves battling for their lives in an enclosed set as they're menaced and slaughtered by various 'slasher' killers: a farmer with a chainsaw, a mad doctor, etc. The film has a random Japanese opening and features contestants wearing bomb collars, both nods to the previous year's BATTLE ROYALE, but the two films couldn't be further apart. This is a cheap and cheerful type movie with some splashy gore FX, but at the same time it's all very silly and make believe. The best thing about it is the script, which offers far more depth than usual for the genre, particularly exploring the exploitation of women and the construction of narrative to suit money-hungry production teams.

(Not) reality TV

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 26 October 2021]

If it is the story or a quality of any narrating kind - this movie will not float your boat. Quite the opposite will happen. If you are ok with the movie being full of cliches and overacting, but care more for the really cool effects it has to offer - well let me tell you something ... actually I don't have to, just go ahead and watch it.

Having said that, always consider the low budget nature of the film, the underlying social commentary and a high grade of violence. Of course characters are paper thin ... maybe even less than that in some cases - and the movie overall is quite predictable. Not all "jokes" really fire or hit their target - no pun intended.

A low-budget, horror-comedy made with a great deal of energy and enough quality to recommend it.

[TheVid · 12 November 2002]

This is a fine little exploitation film made on a shoestring budget (approximately $150K, according to the maker). There's enough humor and panache to keep it interesting and reviewers who've criticised it's production design and performers are somewhat out of line, when you consider the budget and amazingly short shooting schedule. The sets and performances actually tend to work, when you compare them to the insidious TV shows being lampooned. Frankly, the actors here do just as well as Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Jennifer Love-Hewitt and the rest of their ilk ever do in big-budget counterparts. I personally appreciate the enthusiasm of filmmakers like Maurice Devereaus and his crew for putting out personal little productions like SLASHERS, and look forward to what they might do with a studio-style budget.

Reality TV horror game show, sounds good, but ISN'T!!!

[cool_cool_1 · 2/10 · 7 July 2006]

Slashers (2001) was a really bad movie, it doesn't feel like a movie, it feels like a low grade student film production, with it's TV quality production, useless actors and a pathetic dull script to boot!!! The film is about six American contestants competing for $12 million in a Japanese horror game show, they have to try and defeat the 3 slashers that are positioned within the game, you have "Chainsaw Charlie", the "Preacher man" and "the Doctor", all of them trying to kill off the contestants one by one!! There is some gore during the movie but that doesn't save this useless effort, i didn't care for any of the characters and the game itself made no sense or logic, i suggest horror fans watch a proper horror movie instead of this turkey, how come this film has got a 5.5 rating???? I give this film 2/10, and that is a fair reflection trust me!

Just awful

[Manta666 · 1/10 · 15 October 2021]

I entered into this expecting a dark, satirical, comedy horror, and really wanting to like it. It's just drivel. If you want a well written, well acted, very dark, satirical horror which comments on the modern reality show, just watch Charlie Brooker's Dead Set instead. Don't waste your time with this pap.

Possibly the worst film I've ever seen.

[Scar38 · 1/10 · 20 October 2021]

I've seen some really bad films in my time, but this pile of c**p takes the biscuit.

The acting is terrible, and I mean terrible.

I can't believe I wasted the time watching it.

Under-rated, funny satire, really fun

[cantthinkofname · 7/10 · 17 February 2004]

This is one brave direct to video feature. The director chose to present the film as one long shot, with invisible edits like Hitchcock did in "Rope". The acting is pretty good considering all the actors were non-union amateurs, and this has a nice take on the whole reality TV show phenomenon. The characters all run around in a maze trying to avoid being sliced and diced by a bunch of masked killers. The winner of the contest gets millions of dollars. The film takes the whole disgusting "Fear Factor" thing to its logical conclusion, making some good points about the blurring line between entertainment and reality, and the danger of introducing cruelty into the mix. Deveraux obviously wanted to use Freddy, Jason and Leatherface here, as he has villains that resemble them. What he does with his limited budget is really clever and he sets himself apart from the hacks with this one. I can't wait till he has some real money to work with.

oh my Christ

[nriccard-1 · 1/10 · 28 February 2005]

Now, I'm a huge fan of the horror movies. I've seen em all. I even enjoy the stupid ones that just entertain you like Final Destination and Thirteen Ghosts. But this... this is possibly the worst movie ever made. Not the worst horror movie ever made, simply the worst movie ever made.

I'd normally be able to look past bad acting because, honestly, it doesn't take an Academy Award winner to run away screaming from a psycho with a knife, but the acting here was beyond terrible. The Harry Potter looking girl from MTV's Made acts better than all of these people put together. Does "i'm ready to kick some butt" sound like a tough guy line to you? The college girl who I guess can be considered the lead is either crying or on the verge of it the entire time, even when she's making her little "i'm fighting the system" speeches. And they just get worse from there.

The plot is lame: these people all deserve to die for going on a game show where, every other week, people die.

Is it scary? Sure, I was terrified that college girl wouldn't be able to keep hold of her boobs every time her shirt got ripped off. It really kept me on the edge of my seat.

This movie is complete crap. Worst than any B-flick I've seen. If it's a spoof, it's a horrible spoof. Don't waste your time.

Satire at its finest.

[Mr_Pink05 · 7/10 · 22 May 2005]

A true work of Genius. I found "Slashers" to be a magnificent film. It's social comment was fantastic. I loved the concept of people killing one another for money. I also liked the idea of the women having to remove their clothes to become more popular, a great satirical comment about today's "Big Brother"/Jodie Price generation. Some of the dialogue was so clever, for example lines like "those dollar bills that you worship do not bare the face of the lord" really reflect the true intellect of the writer. This film was a great piece of social satire, reminiscent of George A Romero's "Dawn Of The Dead."

10/10

Disgracefully bad film, what were they thinking...

[peterwalsh · 1/10 · 22 November 2005]

Slashers is probably one of the worst films that I've ever seen, how dare anybody ever mention Slashers in the same conversation as The Running Man, The Running Man is an extremely original idea from start to finish were as Slashers completely rips it off, the acting in it is among the worst I've ever seen, I would rather fight weasels in a East London boozer than watch that utter crap again, in fairness though it did have it's funny bits, the actual Slashers themselves were funny to a degree, Preacher-Man was the funniest, Preaching the word of God in a murderous way, I reckon the budget of the film didn't amount to an awful lot, considering how bad and how cheap the film was, if you go to your local video store and have seen everything but Slashers then maybe consider renting it out, but make sure there's no young children or a sensitive girlfriend with you...

Thank you and good night

Awesome Film...Extremely Underrated!

[Horror_Fan01 · 9/10 · 24 February 2007]

I Really hope this gets remade, with a bigger budget and a better cast and send it to theaters, or make a real TV show like this, because this movie definitely did not get the credit it deserved, the DVD is even discontinued (stop making them). This was an awesome movie and definitely worth a look, the reality show plot is awesome, i loved it, i guess it's one of those movies which you either love it or hate it. I cant really say it's being remade, but a similar movie is coming out this April 2007, entitled Wrong Turn 2, almost the same plot, i cant wait for it. But if you want some good cheap scares and fake gore and a low budget horror flick, this is definitely worth a look, so please give it a shot, you might like it as much as me!

$urpri$ingly fun.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 22 April 2014]

For the first time in its history, extreme Japanese game show $la$her$ hosts an All-American special, throwing open the doors of its gore-drenched arena to six plucky U.S. contestants who must fight for survival against a trio of blood-thirsty killers for the chance to win a fortune in prize money.

Going by the terrible UK DVD cover that simply screamed 'worthless garbage', my expectations for this low budget horror were set extremely low, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that that I actually enjoyed the film on more than one level...

On one hand, $la$her$ is an enjoyably silly splatter flick—an over the top parody of extreme game shows that delivers a significant level of tension, genuinely well-executed jump scares, cheap and cheerful decapitations and dismemberment aplenty, and just a smidge of female nudity—all of which makes it a fun film to down a few beers to.

However, for those looking for something a little more cerebral, the film also offers some wry satire that takes swipes at such subjects as today's celebrity culture, the depths to which people will sink to make a buck, and the hypocrisy of religion. Much of this humour is derived from the film's superb villains: Preacherman (Neil Napier), who kills in the name of God; Dr. Ripper (Christopher Piggins), who encourages the female contestants to get topless to boost their popularity; and Chainsaw Charlie (Napier again, in a dual role), an inbred redneck who is 'just doing his job'.

Although production values are very low, the whole movie being shot on digital video on a flimsy set constructed from hardboard and plastic sheeting, the cheap look and feel actually works in the film's favour, effectively capturing the poor quality and style of many a tacky Japanese game-show.

Pretty grim

[mrrcave · 2/10 · 14 October 2021]

I get this is a pastiche and the concept is sound, but the acting is sooooo awful it's not even funny. I've watched all kinds of horror films and this ranks as one of the worst I've seen.

Avoid!

from the rough came a diamond

[tim_yellow · 22 August 2002]

i have to admit, amongst all the overabundance of reality shows and reality rip-offs i.e. Blair Witch Project; Series 7; The ST. Francisville Experiment..i more than expected, i automatically assumed, that $LA$HER$ would be completely a waste of time after reading it's review in Fango. I mean, with lame character names like PREACHER MAN and CHAINSAW CHARLIE, i was sure this was going to be as horrible, if not worse than, THE DEAD HATE THE LIVING. However, i came across a screener and sat down to watch it less than 3 hours ago and was surprisingly impressed. As a whole, the movie isn't the best thing i've ever seen but it had some unexpected charisma (one being the commercial break situations).With the exception of Chainsaw Charlie, who could possibly be a descendant of Jar Jar Binks, the villians or slashers, if you will, were at times over the top but not too annoying. The story played out quite frantically and the actual contestants weren't bad actors at all. Don't get me wrong, i don't see OSCAR knocking on any of their doors for this one, but they were pretty good for a B-movie cast. What i found to be the best part of $LA$HER$ was the fact that it focused on the characters more than the actual hunting. Most B-movies attempt to do this to keep their films from being gorey fluff, but fail because the dialogue is as bad as the frights. This one captured something special though, perhaps it was because there weren't many stereotypical characters. All the blue prints were there to elaborate on, but instead we see these characters for who they are through their stories told in between being hunted. They could have had the "token" personalities but they didn't. The writing could use some touch ups, but for a B-movie it's better than most. Who knows, you may watch this movie and totally hate it. Maybe, ultimately, i'll be the only one that considers $LA$HER$ a few notches above the usual camp. That's fine by me.

It's really THAT Bad!

[Somatic_Bane · 1/10 · 4 October 2002]

SLASHERS was the second worse film I have ever had the displeasure of viewing. I'm not saying that because I can't appreciate low budget or independent films either, because I love that type of film. This movie had horrid acting, horrid directing, and horrid effects. In fact that was the scariest thing about it. It was just a prime example of how to NOT make a Horror film. I can appreciate cheesy, campy stuff too. This was just bad, not bad in a fun way, just plain BAD.

In conclusion, avoid this film like the plague. It is a complete waste of time, money, and film...well, actually videotape.

Don't waste your time

[cpgnq · 2/10 · 16 October 2021]

I don't even know where to start. I watch all kinds of horrors from top releases to low budgets and indie horrors. Do not waste your time with this film in the slightest. The acting is abysmal. It's that bad that's it's not even funny. Normally you can overlook the bad acting because it's amusing. This isn't. The film contains two of the worst actors I think I've seen in 33 years of existence. The theme of a game show slasher flick is good. But this production done it no justice. The antagonists are a nod to other horror movies but again they were portrayed dreadfully. The score to the film is terrible and doesn't work with the theme.

Wow how do you spell awful?

[sm45643 · 1/10 · 30 May 2006]

Its spelled S-L-A-S-H-E-R-S. I was happy when the main character flashed her boobs. That was pretty tight. Before and after that the movie pretty much blows. The acting is like E-list and it's shown well in the movie. Not to mention it is so low budget that Preacherman and Chainsaw Charlie are played by the same person. The whole movie looks like it was shot with a camcorder instead of half way decent film. The only other reason I liked the movie was because Chainsaw Charlie and Doctor Ripper were funny. They said many stupid things that made me laugh. Other than that if you see this movie at Blockbuster do everyone a favor hide it behind Lawnmowerman 2. Anybody that thinks this movie is good should be mentally evaluated.

Good old 80's style slasher.

[sicklittlebunny · 7/10 · 14 October 2021]

Simple premise, overacted, terrible special effects and generally absurd. Everything the made 80's horror so great!

I really enjoyed this film, took me back to Running Man. I'd recommend it if you're looking for a laugh.

I took off 3 stars for one particularly whiney and at times maniacally overacted character.

School Project

[hywel-24146 · 2/10 · 28 December 2019]

The general idea behind the movie isn't a bad one. In fact I can totally see this getting a Hollywood remake with a big budget. My issue is with the acting. I've seen better performances from coma patients. Honestly it was like watching GCSE students in a rehearsal. The "effects" were poor but I won't take that into account as sometimes it can add a certain charm to a movie. I'm not asking for AAA actors. Just someone who doesn't try to smell the fart acting.

Very poor

The Worst Film You'll Ever Love!

[movieguy645 · 7/10 · 9 May 2012]

OK, I'll admit it, I actually loved this film! I couldn't stop watching it, perhaps partly because of how poor the production was, or maybe because of the simplistically wonderful concept.

The acting is TERRIBLE, the direction is out of a third rate Mexican soap opera, the sound, lighting and editing are ridiculously bad and the plot is as thin as the chance anyone other than serious horror fans will like this movie.

I think it is so funny that this is a movie about a Japanese reality TV show set in America, but cast with Canadian actors with accents as thick as Canadian bacon.

Do yourself a favor and watch the film, just don't expect much out of it.

I've seen some crap in my time, but this?

[Bate-Man · 1/10 · 4 April 2003]

Being a fan of cheesy horror movies, I saw this in my video shop and thought I would give it a try. Now that I've seen it I wish it upon no living soul on the planet. I get my movie rentals for free, and I feel that I didn't get my moneys worth. I've seen some bad cheesy horror movies in my time, hell I'm a fan of them, but this was just an insult.

Cheap, yet wildly entertaining

[leagueofstruggle · 8/10 · 11 February 2004]

In as much as reality television makes me violently ill this little cheapie came along and pretty much collected all my feelings in one tight little ball of cinema excellence. Of course, the film is covered in trappings of morality about Reality TV going to far, I was able to push the heavy handed morality aside and just enjoy a film that takes the dazzle out of real TV shows in satires. The acting is standard B-fare nothing outstanding except for Christopher Piggins as Doctor Ripper. Piggins just seemed more fluid and natural without hamming it up in the role of a TV-made psycho killer. Sets are, well, a paintball arena and this is sometimes distracting as I was waiting to see a masked guy with a paintball gun accidentally walk into shot. A small drawback that can be overlooked none the less. Only thing that could have made this film better was possibly shooting it as an American release using the original Japansese cast possibly subtitling it. It would have gone leaps and bounds in making the film more immersive and believable, but that just my opinion. Regardless it gets an 8/10.

Pretty cool low-budget horror film.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 7/10 · 6 October 2004]

"Slashers"-Japanese hottest reality show-is cutting the United States in on the action in its first U.S special.Six lucky contestants will complete for millions of dollars,fighting for their lives against three grotesque killers-Chainsaw Charlie,The Preacherman and Dr.Ripper-in an extreme death match that turns mass murder into a spectacular entertainment."Slashers" is nothing special,but it's mildly entertaining.The acting is amateurish and the makeup effects are rather shoddy,but there is some good gore(a woman is slowly chainsawed in half,two heads are graphically chopped off etc.)and even a little bit of suspense.The film plays like an episode of a reality TV show,however its concept is not really original(check out "Kolobos" and "My Little Eye").Still it's an above average independent horror flick,so if you like low-budget horror give it a look.7 out of 10.

this movie was the worst movie ever.

[Monsterman16 · 1/10 · 24 June 2006]

how can this movie have a 5.5 this movie was a piece of skunk s**t. first the actors were really bad i mean chainsaw Charlie was so retarded. because in the very beginning when he pokes his head into the wooden hut (that happened to be about oh 1 quarter of an inch thick (that really cheap as* flimsy piece of wood) and he did not even think he could cut threw it)second the person who did the set sucks as* at supplying things for them to build with. the only good thing about this movie is the idea of this t.v. show. bottom line DO NOT waste your hard earned cash on this hunk of s**t they call a movie.

rating:0.3