Review: Blood Slaughter Massacre

There are many different sub-genres under the horror umbrella.  None of them are more beloved to me than the slasher.  While the set 'em up and watch 'em fall mentality is still being done today, they peaked in the late 1980s.  I will give any slasher a chance, just begging to have a new icon to hold on to.

In the small town of Havenwood in 1974, two police officers are called to a bloodbath where the local judge was hosting a party.  The killer, dubbed "The Ripper" was never caught and the two officers covered up the slaughter by calling it arson.  Now it has been ten years and the same officers, now detectives, are asked to investigate a new string of murders that seem to be connected to the party years before.  Has The Ripper returned?  Or is someone trying to draw new blood from old wounds?

Blood Slaughter Massacre (BSM) brings new life to an old genre.  It's gritty, unpolished look mixed with it's faux-80s soundtrack makes for an amazing throwback.  Practical gore effects and a solid mystery mixed with so bad it's good dialogue and ample nudity make this movie into a fun slasher cocktail the likes of which I haven't seen since the days of the Slumber Party Massacre films.  Mass Grave Pictures took their Grindhouse-style trilogy of trailers and expanded the concept into a nostalgic masterpiece for the hard core gore hounds.  

While director/co-writer Manny Serrano clearly has a unique style and an eye for horror, some scenes were victims of poor lighting and muffled dialogue.  All of which can be forgiven seeing as a smaller budget rarely leaves room for proper lighting or ADR work in post. I enjoyed the solid script, though I do think it ran a little long at nearly two hours.  It was full of nods to everything from A Nightmare on Elm Street to Alice, Sweet Alice, with plenty more that I'm sure I missed.

The Ripper himself has the potential to be the new face of the slasher genre, with everything from the creepy mask to a tragic origin story and the uncanny ability to seem to keep getting up no matter what comes his way.

A fun and nostalgic romp with lots of attention to detail (it really does feel like the 80s) brings BSM to the forefront on new horror.  I look forward to seeing more from Mass Grave Pictures and Manny Serrano, including (I hope) a sequel to BSM.  Because if there is one thing we all know about slashers, it's that evil never dies.