Slash
Directed by Neal Sundstrom
Starring Steve Railsback, James O'Shea, Zuleikha Robinson, Craig Kirkwood
Release Date: 2003
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Rated R

For those of you who took our advice and avoided Dark Harvest, now is your chance to see the original production entitled Slash, which is Dark Harvest with a budget.

Frankly, both movies match, pretty much, scene for scene: the original blood letting, the people scarecrows, the return of the son, the slaughtering of friends, the single black guy, the homosexual couple, the drugs and alcohol, the crazy old lady, and the exploding barn.

So, what’s the big difference between these two horror flicks? Slash actually has actors who can act. The monsters are filmed in focus—no visible human flesh showing beneath that monster suit, and more importantly, the main cast centers around a kick-ass rock band named Slash. It should be immediately added that they don’t actually play their instruments.

The plot of Slash focuses on Joseph MacDonald, the lead singer, who, after his aunt dies, has to return to the farm...the old MacDonald farm...literally. Not even we could make this up! Upon returning to the farm, he finds his dear dead aunt lying on the dinner table, much like a center-piece. Oddly, he doesn’t seem disturbed by this.

Also, for the political aficionados, if you pay close attention, some social commentary about rednecks and black people are peppered throughout the movie. And, if you had not already concluded this, guess who the first band member to die is.

When compared to Dark Harvest, this one is definitely a renter. However, before you do, consider this: the lyrics to the chorus of their number one, best-selling single is, I kid you not, ei ei oh!