“Small price to pay for an awesome ass,” are the famous last words in this film. From writer-director Elza Kephart comes Shudder’s Slaxx, a campy horror comedy about a possessed pair of jeans that come to life and begin to kill off the staff of a trendy clothing store to punish their unethical practices. Now it’s up to Canadian Cotton Clothes’ overly enthusiastic new hire Libby (Romane Denis) to save the day. Can someone say “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants gone wrong”?

The unnatural fluorescent glow of the overhead store lights really emphasise the bloodbath in this film, and the creative executions are by far what make Slaxx so fun. Besides this, the jokes within the film, like the ones poking fun at influencer culture, are obviously exaggerated on purpose but they don’t always land, and in fact, they feel a bit tired at this point. 

Between the dramatic kills, there is certainly an important message in Slaxx, but its overdone attempt at social commentary and outrage through Libby, who serves the purpose of being the character who is oblivious and naively optimistic of the world, doesn’t come across as strong as it thinks it does. Slaxx is at its best when it goes all out with the carnage and weighs heavily in on the hilarity of its premise, and what’s just as fun as the actual film are the end credits, where the incredible puppeteering behind the scenes is shown.

Although its ethical stance ends up feeling almost as shallow as the staff at CCC, with its ironic imagery in the form of broken mannequins and catchphrases being soaked in blood, Slaxx nonetheless delivers on its promise of gags and gore, and of course, the recognition that Bollywood can save the day is always a win.

RATING: 3/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Romane Denis, Brett Donahue, Sehar Bhojani

DIRECTOR: Elza Kephart

WRITERS: Patricia Gomez, Elza Kephart

SYNOPSIS: When a possessed pair of jeans begins to kill the staff of a trendy clothing store, it is up to Libby to stop its bloody rampage.