LA Slasher Review- Reality TV Gets Real

It’s no secret that reality television is big business.  Every year a new reality show pops up and becomes the next pop culture phenomenon that sweeps the nation.  For a large number of people it’s addictive junk food entertainment that they simply can’t get enough of.  Some people, like myself, simply shrug their shoulders and go about their day.  And then there are those who have absolute violent hatred towards the genre.  Enter the LA Slasher.

“LA Slasher” is a film that prides itself on sticking it to reality TV stars and it does so with very little subtly.  At the start of the film we’re introduced to our vapid hapless victims who are so devoid of personality that they aren’t even given proper names.  Each character represents a reality star trope that we’ve seen countless times in the media.  There’s the “Teen Mom”, the “Socialite”, the “Stripper”, and so on.  Each character is a shallow husk spitting out cliches usually associated with their station in life and, as such, they become figures who you have little remorse for.

At some point a masked madman decides that he’s had enough of the celebrity worship that surrounds these individuals and he decides to punish them for their behavior.  Despite looking like a stylized slasher movie villain, the LA Slasher isn’t a silent antagonist and actually has some hefty monologues about his beliefs, the shortcomings of reality stars, and what he hopes to accomplish.  He’s not a deeply complex character, but his ramblings do serve to highlight his motivations and rationalize his actions.

There aren’t a whole lot of subtle nuances to “LA Slasher”, the film sets out to undermine the idol worship surrounding reality stars and does so in a heavy handed way.  There’s no reason to care about any of the victims or their situation because they’re simply caricatures of reality stars and the LA Slasher himself isn’t compelling enough to want to root for.  Instead the film left me feeling like I was a passerby and not at all invested in the events taking place.

Strangely, the most interesting people were two small characters that had very little impact on the plot.  Two drug dealers, no names given again, played by Danny Trejo and Dave Bautista seem to just wander aimlessly through the story without any real meaningful purpose.  Still, there interactions with each other and the way they were written made them endearing in a way. I actually found myself wanting to see more of them in the film.

That being said I was surprised how the world of “LA Slasher” actually felt like it had some depth and mystery to it. There are moments where I wanted the film to stop and expand upon some of the stranger things I was seeing.  For example, the film introduces us to a therapy group for serial killer that gather together in secret.  In a way it reminded me of “John Wick” and the world building that was done in that movie.  There are layers to this film, they just don’t exist in the story or the characters.  I’d honestly like to see a sequel explore more of the world that the LA Slasher lives in.

Another aspect that  drew me in was the great sound track and vibrant visuals. “LA Slasher” is an absolutely mesmerizing piece of film.  The pulsating neon colors and rhythmic pop soundtrack pulled me into it’s world and left me feeling like I was trapped in some deranged party.  I’d almost compare it to Nicolas Refn’s “Drive” in terms of visual style.  It’s not on the same level, but it almost gets there.

Now if you’re wondering if “LA Slasher” is the scary kind of slasher flick you’re used to, I’m gonna say no.  There’s maybe one or two jump scares in the entire film, but this isn’t that kind of slasher film.  Once the LA Slasher has his victims he simply proceeds to torture and humiliate them.  The film never becomes “torture porn”, in fact much of the actual killing is rather tame.  Instead it’s the humiliation and mental torture that gets pretty dark.  It’s not extreme, but it goes to certain places that might make some people uncomfortable.

Overall, “LA Slasher” doesn’t break new ground  with it’s narrative, but it does create a memorable experience by crafting an intriguing world wrapped in a beautiful package of lights and sound.  It’s the kind of film that’ll leave an impression on you one way or another.  Just be prepared for some lackluster characters and a plot that feels a little dated.