Sub-Genre: Vampire, Action
U.S. Release Date: 2006 (Straight to DVD)
Running Length:
MPAA Classification: Unrated
Cast: Casper Van Dien, Jennifer O’Dell, Linda Carter, Danny Trejo, Ray Park, Tony Plana
Director: Kevin VanHook
Screenplay: Kevin VanHook
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Much more of an action movie than horror, Slayer is about a small unit of soldiers who come across a small village in South America and are attacked by vampire-like creatures. Upon their return to the U.S., the report of the attack is all but dismissed by the military higher-ups. However when the squad commander “Hawk” (Casper Van Dien of Starship Troopers) finds out that his scientist ex-wife “Dr. Laurie Williams” (Jennifer O’Dell of the TV show The Lost World) is doing research near the village, he travels back down to South America to rescue her.
Again, this film is much more of an action flick than a horror movie. Unfortunately, the action wasn’t very well done. The fight scenes were sluggish and unimaginative, even with martial-arts superstar Ray Park (X-Men, The Phantom Menace) as part of the cast. Indeed, I’ve seen better martial arts displayed on TV’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
This is a low-budget film with extra cheese. The dialogue was bad, and the acting even worse. Usually, B-movies that work have some other redeeming quality that helps make up for the low-budget such as humorous dialogue, excessive gore, or even some gratuitous nudity. This film had none of that. It was just plain cheesy. There was no story development at all. Rather, the story simply went from scene to scene without any purpose or direction.
But the film wasn’t a total bust. There were a few scenes I found mildly entertaining, and it was fast-paced enough that it generally kept my attention. So, if you like your B-action movies how I like my pizzas (with extra cheese), then maybe Slayer is for you. If not, you’re better off leaving this one alone.
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