When last we saw Katie McGrath, she was suffering a cruel and unnecessary death in “Jurassic World,” and has now entered the sub-genre of the slasher film. A skosh more entertaining and engrossing than “Scream,” Chiller TV’s “Slasher” is a very entertaining, and tense slasher film that mixes in elements of a murder mystery in the process. I had no expectations for “Slasher,” and surely enough it won me over after two episodes, working within the confines of the slasher sub-genre, while also side stepping some of the more common clichés here and there. Much like “Scream,” main character Sarah comes from a small town where everyone has skeletons in their closets.
Hell, even their skeletons have skeletons in their closets. Re-entering the town of Waterbury, she looks to open up a gallery while also trying to reconnect with the roots, moving in with her fiancé at her old home. Years before Sarah was born, her father and her pregnant mother were viciously murdered on Halloween by a cloaked and cowled maniac, who also proceeded to cut Sarah out of her mother’s stomach. Now back in town, Sarah is greeted with a lukewarm reception by folks that blame Sarah for a lot of their misery. When the same masked individual dressed as the Executioner shows up and begins wreaking havoc on various victims, Sarah makes it her mission to find out why.
Sarah also soon becomes obsessed with discovering whoever or whomever the Executioner is under the costume, and what exactly they are trying to convey to Waterbury. Displaying a shocking sense of cunning and relentless drive for vengeance, The Executioner/s? begins picking off town denizens and is hell bent on making their final moments long and painful. The more the narrative for season one unfolds, Sarah and husband Dylan begins to find out the skeletons in the town go as far back as the late sixties, and someone (or a group of people) may be taking it upon themselves to punish those that have sinned or caused others to sin.
“Slasher” is a surprisingly tight and solid slasher murder mystery, carried by the strong performance by McGrath. Granted “Slasher” gets occasionally silly, falling in to the pits of various other slasher films, tacking on goofy chase scenes, and having our heroine tumble over during attempts to flee from The Executioner. There’s even a really dumb moment involving a black out in a hospital that results in a flower delivery man being tackled. That said, “Slasher” goes down familiar avenues with red herrings and unusual revelations that begin linking every character both important and minute together, to form one really sick chain of sex, debauchery, and murder.
I don’t know if I’d say “Slasher” will develop in to a classic television series, but for a first try by Chiller Television, it’s a strong effort with a ton of potential down the road. I also don’t know how they can keep this show running for three or four seasons, either, but I hope Chiller finds a winner with this formula and with the Executioner, I think we have the makings of a great horror villain. A lot networks are trying to convert slashers in to full fledged narrative television series, and “Slasher” almost aces the formula. It’s infinitely more engrossing than “Scream Queens,” and has certainly inspired me to give “Scream: The Series” another shot.
For folks that like horror dramas about secrets, revenge, and age old rivalries, painted with gore, splatter, and good old fashioned disembowelings, “Slasher” is a fine horror series, and one I intend to follow when season two comes around. Featured in the Blu-Ray there’s only a fourteen minute behind the scene featurette. It’s your typical EPK with interviews, and highlights of the series’ shoot. It’s a shame Chiller didn’t at least spring for more bells and whistles like concept art for the Executioner, or a take from the creators on what influenced the show.