Review: SLASHER PARTY (2019)

Social media influencers, aka people who are famous for being famous. The social media equivalent of reality TV stars. I never could see the appeal of either. I get to deal with enough attention whores in real life, why do I need to follow them on Instagram? Well SLASHER PARTY, (filmed as THE AFTERPARTY), has found a use for them, as victims of killer stalking an exclusive party. Sadly it can’t even manage to make that entertaining.

Beginning with the killing of Kim Kardashian sex tape co-star Ray J, who’s unconvincing as hell playing himself. SLASHER PARTY quickly moves into the main plot as an assortment of influencers and wannabes trying to get on the guest list. Once at the party nothing much happens beyond a warning on the TV to stay inside due to heavy rain and mudslide risks. Of course, it isn’t raining.

Finally 40 minutes into SLASHER PARTY’s 80 minute run time the killer returns. By that point I was having trouble keeping my eyes open. Watching these self absorbed assholes respond to the killings didn’t help with that at all. People are turning up dead and all they care about is how to get more followers out of it. One killing pretty badly rips off Argento put that’s the closest to entertaining this thing ever gets. And even that lacks much ferocity or gore. Indeed, the film stay tame, like an Instagram feed. A lesbian sex scene ends before there’s any real skin shown, the kills are almost bloodless, with no actually stabbing shown.

For a film centered around fame, the cast is pretty weak. The biggest name is Danny Trejo (THE LAST EXORCIST, Death Rider in the House of Vampires) who also plays himself. His scene not only explains the film’s plot, it’s the film’s highlight. We also get Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister (NO HOLDS BARRED, DEATH’S DOOR) and after that it’s a bunch of folk I’ve never heard of. Maybe if there had been some current celebrities of the moment parodying themselves it could have worked. Or not, as that approach didn’t help LA SLASHER any.

Director Tony Villalobos and co-writer Simona Shyne found a good motive for their killer and wasted it in a dreadful horror comedy that stays tame when it needs to be over the top. The results are deadly, in all the wrong ways.

SLASHER PARTY is available on VOD from Lookhu.

Where to watch Slasher Party