“L.A. Slasher”
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31 Days of Horror Challenge: Movie #20
When a man becomes fed up with Reality TV, he becomes The L.A. Slasher and begins punishing the notorious famous for being famous crowd. But he, in turn, becomes internet famous for posting his deeds.
This social-commentary, horror flick, almost a horror-mockumentary of reality TV, features biting narration by Andy Dick, who is the voice of the slasher. The pseudo-celebrates include performances by Mischa Barton, Eric Roberts, Drake Bell, and Brooke Hogan. There is a seemingly random sub-plot featuring Danny Trejo and Dave Bautista, as drug dealers. The soundtrack is absolutely wonderful.
I realize that this will not appeal to everyone, but I thought that the use of garish neon lettering, twitter-like pop-ups, and snippets from entertainment “news” sources was creative and interesting. It gave the audience that sense of over stimulation and having “intimate knowledge” of celebrates that goes hand in hand with the constant updates posted in social media. The filming style and perspective showcase the concept that the characters live as if they are in the spotlight at all times. Although it also emphasizes a sense of anonymity, the fact that none of the characters have names, only descriptions (The Actress, The Heiress, The Mayor, etc), including the slasher.
With all the attention to visual detail, I think that the build-up of tension to create an atmosphere of horror was overshadowed by the slasher’s snark and contempt. It may have been the intent of the filmmakers to have the audience rooting for the pseudo-celebrities deaths, but the scenes that should have felt more sinister and emotionally provocative simply didn’t.
Overall, I thought the move was worth watching.
