Trying to make anything horror that involves slayers and vampires is a risk. No matter what you do, there will always be a comparison to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar), whether it be the character or series. Don’t even try to deny it. And when the film isn’t executing a very interesting or unique plot, that makes it worse. Now, that’s not to say Slayers (2022) is a full-blown bummer. There are funny beats, one of the protagonists is a lesbian gamer, and Malin Akerman is as alluring as ever. The problem is that when it comes down to it, the movie doesn’t do anything new.
Slayers (2022) follows an old vamp hunter (Thomas Jane) and stereotypical social media celebs. Chaos erupts as soon as the influencers take a meeting with a billionaire (the situation is so sketchy that it makes for one big eye roll). Not to mention Elliot (Thomas Jane) is seeking revenge for the death of a loved one, which is a bit of a yawn because that’s been done to death in terms of character motivation. In terms of the influencers, why in the world would a billionaire care to meet with them? Telling you why would actually be too big of a spoiler. What I can say is that this movie is very confusing in what it’s going for, as there’s a difference between a horror comedy that’s intentionally bad (in terms of acting etc.) and one that accidentally is.
The movie’s strengths lie in the sprinkles of reinventing history. Surprisingly, those moments that were narrated by Elliot (Thomas Jane) were funnier than I expected them to be. Plus, some of the performances are suitable for a horror comedy. With Flynn (Kara Hayward) being the most likable (and seemingly the only queer person) character by far. Otherwise? It’s hard to tell if the writers were aiming to make fun of Gen Z. Especially when they included a moment where a straight character throws the term “heteronormative” back at Flynn. Another thing is whether they were trying to be clever (and slightly anti-vaxx? Yikes) regarding a mysterious vaccine that’s introduced later in the film.
All of those cons contribute to where I stand with this film. On one hand, it’s not the worst horror comedy out there. Meanwhile the weird creative choices and the choppy writing are hard to ignore. It’ll appeal to folks who just want to turn their brain off for a while, which—hey, those aren’t the worst kinds of horror movies. Right? I’m not above a mindless horror movie that you’re not meant to take seriously. Not by any stretch of the imagination. At the same time, I’m also for people at least trying to be unique.
Basically if the idea of hot vampires, an older man and smart lesbian teaming up, blood splatter, and some funny lines, then this is the horror comedy for you. Don’t go into it with high expectations and it’ll work out just fine in your viewing experience.
(featured image: The Avenue Entertainment)
