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Friday, July 22, 2016

Slasher: Season One Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Allie Schembra
Thirty years ago, in the sleepy community of Waterbury, a killer known as "The Executioner" murdered Sarah Bennett's parents. Now Sarah (Katie McGrath) and her husband Dylan (Brandon Jay McLaren) have returned to town, only to find herself the centerpiece in a series of horrifying murders centered around the seven deadly sins. It seems "The Executioner" is back. But if Tom Winston - the original Executioner - is behind bars, who is the new person behind the mask? As the murders escalate, long-buried secrets are revealed, making everyone around Sarah a suspect…or a victim.

Show (3 1/2 out of 5 stars)
Thirty years ago, a double homicide occurred in the small town of Woodbury. Bryan and Rachel were about to have a baby and when they were murdered occurred, the baby was ripped from her mother's womb and found in the arms of the killer, Tom Winston. Now, that child, Sarah, returns to her hometown with her husband, Dylan. Sarah reconnects with Cam, her childhood friend, whose father was also a victim of Tom Winston (but survived and his wife June. Sarah also makes friends with local business owner, Justin and his husband, Robin, Woodbury’s resident real estate agent. But soon after they settle in, murders begin happening and seem to be related to Sarah's return.

When residents of Woodbury are murdered by a man dressed exactly how Tom Winston was dressed 30 years ago, Sarah begins thinking the murders are related to her return and The Executioner, as he’s called, is coming for her. Wanting to find answers to her life-long questions about why her parents were really killed, she visits Winston in prison and he begins leading her on a hunt to find out, not only the truth about her parents, but the hidden secrets of Woodbury and of her own life.

It’s difficult recapping a show like this. Every episode is a spoiler and connects each character to another, and moves the viewers, and Sarah, closer to the identity of The Executioner. Each episode is suspenseful and filled with clues and once the story concludes and the identity of The Executioner is revealed, viewers are going to want to go back and re-watch the season to see if they can pick up on the subtle clues each episode provided.
I’ve been a fan of Katie McGrath since I first saw her as Morgana in “Merlin.” She always brings such grace to her roles and she’s interesting to watch. Every once in a while, though, I caught bits of her natural accent, which she wasn’t supposed to have, but it’s wasn’t distracting. Brandon Jay McLaren is also great and I really enjoyed watching him as Dylan, Sarah’s husband.

“Slasher” draws inspiration from various 80s and 90s slasher flicks, the most prominent being Halloween. The parallels drawn are good, from the Halloween murders to Sarah hiding in the closet with the killer just outside the door. The directors, writers and creators really brought the story to life and instilled a fear of not only creepy small towns, but an added fear of Halloween.
Video (3 out of 5 stars)
The 1080p High-Definition presentation of “Slasher” is good. The picture is clear and there are no issues. The show is dark, with much of it occurring at night or in dark locations, but it’s well done. Details were easily visible and backlighting was used smartly and not distractingly. There is a lot of blood in the show and at times looked a little bright against the black or dark background. In general, the picture was better than I would expect on the television.
Audio (2 1/2 out of 5 stars)
The English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is average. The sound is good and the dialogue is easily heard, however the volume level was uneven. The dialogue was oftentimes low and hard to hear, but with the volume turned up, the louder moments of the show ere too loud. There was a lot of adjustment of the volume. English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio is also available as are subtitles in English.
Extras (1 out of 5 stars)
I was really disappointed in the special features included. The one extra, a behind the scenes look at the show, was interesting and I really enjoyed watching it. However, it was the only feature included.
  • Behind the Scenes Featurette (14:59) – A look behind the scenes of the show. The featurette includes interviews with cast and crew. The creators and directors discuss the inspirations for the story and the series.
Summary (2 1/2 out of 5 stars)


“Slasher” is a good show. I am not sure how subsequent seasons will work unless it take on an anthology format, which in my opinion, would be really interesting. I enjoyed the take on classic horror movies, the premise of the murders and the ultimate reveal. Without spoiling the show, I fell for each and every red herring, and did not expect the ending. I know I will be watching the show again and hope to find the clues left throughout each episode to see how much I missed the first time.


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