Review: Slayed

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet

Slayed
Directed by Jim Klock and Mike Capozzi
Code 3 Films; Terror Films; Frozen Vapor Productions
73 minutes, 2020

Not to be confused with Slade’s best album, 1972’s Slayed?, this film is Xmas oriented with a homicidal Santa Claus roaming around with elfin mischief and murder on his mind. Now, this is not new territory, as there are more than a dozen killer Claus films out there, but generally they fall into two categories: the first is the rarer real Santa as a demon, and the more common trope is someone dressed in the red and white while doing malevolent deeds.

Well, the makers of the religion-themed Red Letters (2019; reviewed HERE), Jim Klock and Mike Capozzi, have joined together for this holiday romp, to bring new life to an old motif. Not only do they co-direct, but once again they also star in the film. Luckily, they are skilled both in front and behind the camera. 

Mike Capozzi and Jim Klock

Though it was filmed in Northern Virginia, the film takes place in Harris County, Arizona, opening with the obligatory set-up prologue in 2014. With a bit of taunting carnage and a couple of murders containing some decent yet minimal gore, we are brought to “5 years later,” taking place in 2019, before COVID-19 (I bring this up because the film was actually shot during the pandemic).

The horrific acts of the short opening piece took place in a water treatment plant, which is in the process of being shut down, led by Nicole (scene-stealing Coel Mahal), while worker Crandle (a very muscular Capozzi) tensely walks the grounds on Xmas Eve, smoking cigarettes furiously and making sure everything is working honkey-dory while spouting lines like “I know you’re out there, you son-of-a-bitch. Let’s dance.” Nicole gives us a hint quickly on, in a hilarious phone call bit, that while this may not be classified as an official comedy, there is some definitely tongue-in-cheek approaches as well as the terror of mutilation. Five minutes in, and this is looking like it is going to be a fun sleigh ride.

Placing it in Arizona is actually a smart move, because as it was filmed in 10 days during the summer, something Klock admits “was a push,” it makes sense that people are walking around in short sleeves during the holiday season. And what is it about Santas and hatchets; is there some tradition I don’t know about? But I digress…

Into the mix comes security guard Jordan (Klock in a semi-comedic relief role). He plays cops often in his films, which is not surprising, because he has worked for years as an officer in Virginia. Unfamiliar with the place, he’s got spunk (though Nicole doesn’t like spunk), and it’s just him and Crandle on the job as the Eve turns into night. Until reports of a kidnapping come over the radio. Santa redux.

Okay, I’ve talked about this before, and I am going to repeat it as often as possible. When a rescued kidnap victim, Heather (Kyra Kennedy, who was also in Red Letters) wants to call the coppers, Jordan stops her because (a) he is afraid, and (b) because Crandle told him to “stay down.” Why do men blindly listen to other men, but not intelligent women in these movies? It’s a disease, I tells ya!

Remember the really old Bugs Bunny cartoons, when he’s being chased by Elmer or whomever, and there’s a hallway with many doors, and the characters keep coming out of one and going into another? That’s kind of what the second act feels like here, as various people are either looking for the killer Claus or trying to escape, while the evil, hatchet carrying miscreant pops up here and there, always just outta reach. It is both effective with the building of tension, and wearying at the same time, like filler songs on a really good album, such as “Creature From the Black Lagoon” on Dave Edmunds’ 1977 Repeat When Necessary.

When the action ramps up in the final act, it comes at the right time, and the action becomes more intense, with really fine performances by Klock and Capozzi, as does Kenny, making the most of her role which is, honestly mostly whimpering (I say, if you can write women as smart, also write them strong). As I said earlier, Mahal is a joy to watch.

As with Red Letters, there is a bit of religion thrown in, but here it’s more casual (well, it is Xmas) with some Bible quotes thrown in near the end. As for the SFX, they are all practical, done by the team of Coel Mahal (a woman of many talents) and Nui Agustin. There is a fair number of slays (yeah, I went there) so there is a nice amount of blood and gore, without much in the viscera department. It is all incredibly well done, being just the right amount without being stingy but not over the top.

The photography, handled by Emily Adams as DoP, is quite fine. A lot of the film takes place outside in the dark, and everything is really clear. There is also some really beautiful drone work early on. As with the imagery, I would also like to point out the editing is a fanciful mix of meat-n-taters and some spectacular work as well.

As for the identity of the killer, well, I won’t give it away of course, but I kinda figured out part of it about halfway through (I had another guess before that, but was proved wrong, thankfully). There are plenty of surprises and some decent jump scares paced throughout, not to mention some unexpected actions that took me by surprise, happily.

Yes, the canon of deadly St. Nicks is large, and this one is a fun addition that can be enjoyed during this festive season. It is certainly more recommended than your Aunt Phyllis’s fruit cake that suspiciously may have been regifted from last year.

You can find a decent interview with Klock and Capozzi on the Pop Horror blog HERE