Slashercise (2024) Review
Slashercise (2024) Review
Slashercise proves that not every horror film needs a feature-length runtime to make an impression. Clocking in at just 58 minutes, writer-director Ama Lea’s retro-inspired slasher never outstays its welcome, even if it ultimately feels more like an entertaining curiosity than a fully realised film.
If you’ve ever wondered what an Eighties aerobics workout video might look like if a masked serial killer periodically burst in to dispatch the fitness fanatics in spectacularly gory fashion, Slashercise has the answer. The killer, appropriately named Meat Head (Lee Valak), stalks the lycra-clad cast with a series of practical-effect kills that embrace the era’s love of hands-on gore rather than digital effects.
Lea successfully recreates the aesthetic and spirit of Eighties direct-to-video horror, leaning into its camp sensibilities as much as its bloodshed. In truth, however, there’s considerably more aerobics than horror, making the film an unusual hybrid that is both engaging and slightly baffling. It’s an easy watch, with an infectious enthusiasm for its source inspirations, but it often feels as though the central concept deserved a more substantial narrative to support it.
Genre fans will enjoy spotting a host of familiar horror faces, including Vanessa Decker, Kelli Maroney, Tiffany Shepis, Felissa Rose, Diana Prince, and Lisa Wilcox, whose appearances add to the film’s affectionate celebration of cult horror cinema.
There is undoubtedly a good idea at the heart of Slashercise, and it’s one that leaves you wishing it had been developed into a fuller feature with richer characters and a stronger plot to complement its minimal slasher elements. As it stands, it’s a likeable, quirky homage that entertains without ever quite fulfilling its potential. With a sequel reportedly on the way, there is every chance the concept could yet evolve into something more substantial.
Slashercise premieres exclusively on independent horror streaming platform BloodStream from 1 July as part of the service’s month-long July line-up celebrating cult favourites, creature features, anthology horror, and exploitation cinema.
