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nWhen I first saw the annoyed expression Sarah Joslyn Crowder sports near the beginning of Slashers (スラッシャーズ), I thought to myself: There’s no way her pretty little face is going to be able keep up that level of annoyance for the duration of the entire film. I mean, things have just gotten underway and the sheer intensity of the scowl on her exasperated mug is downright terrifying. On the other hand, she does have good reason to look irritated. Think about it, one minute you’re attending law school in Seattle, and the next minute, boom, you’re on “Slashers,” the wild and wacky Japanese game show that involves homicidal maniacs disemboweling and decapitating contestants on live television. Hold on, I’ve just been informed that the contestants on “Slashers” are actually willing participants in this sick and twisted form of entertainment. Wait a second, if that’s the case, why does Sarah Joslyn Crowder’s Megan Lowry look so perturbed? While I can understand her being all vexed and junk after surviving an attack by a chainsaw wielding lunatic who looks like a cross between Carrot Top and Richard D. James circa Window Licker, but the show hasn’t even started yet. In other words, Megan’s pre-show glare has the structural temperament of someone who’s already been to hell and back.
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nWhether or not her ceaseless grimace properly reflected each precarious situation her character was placed in, take Sarah Joslyn Crowder’s never-ending frown away from this movie, and she won’t be the only one with a perpetually pissed off expression on their face. That’s right, if you were remove Sarah Joslyn Crowder and her first-rate indignation from this movie, you’ll be dealing with one unhappy Yum-Yum.
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nNow, I’ve obsessed over a wide range of topics during the past few years (pointy boots, suspender tights, pubic hair, bed-wetting, arterial spray, scantily clad writhing, Uzis and Udo Kier), but I don’t think I ever cited an actor’s unrelenting umbrage as the thing I liked most about a motion picture before. And I’m sure that’s not what writer-director Maurice Devereaux intended when he set out to skewer horror movies and reality television in one fell swoop. However, as everyone knows, it’s ultimately up to me to decide what the film I’m watching is about.
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nThe great thing about Sarah Joslyn Crowder’s vexatious visage in this movie is that it’s framed by not one, not two, but three different tops. Just a sec, let me do a recount… Okay, I’m back. Not only was I off by one top, I forgot to count the time she spends topless as a scowl framing device.
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nAll right, let’s see, if you include being topless as a top, and you add the one I forgot, that means Sarah Joslyn Crowder’s now legendary sour puss is framed five different tops!
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nI know, you’re thinking to yourself: She must have been wearing a shitload of layers. Well, no, she isn’t. You see, only two of the tops are actually hers (her skin, obviously, and the top she starts off the game in), but the rest are–brace yourself–other people’s tops!
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nHow does she manage to wear the top of almost every character in this movie, you ask? That’s an excellent question. And I think the best way to answer it is to start from the beginning.
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nOpening with an explosion of in your face Japanese pop culture, or to put it another way, it gets underway with what most foreigners think Japanese pop culture looks like, we get a quick refresher course of what “Slashers,” Japan’s number one extreme game show, is all about.
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nJudging by what they show, “Slashers,” or “$LA$HER$,” seems to involve young people being murdered on live television. To give the show some added pep, it also features cheerleaders with skull pom-poms (The Slasherettes), an in-house DJ (DJ Slash), a perky host named Miho Taguchi (Claudine Shiraishi), and a catchy theme song.
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nHowever, on this episode of “Slashers,” the young people are Americans. Yep, welcome to “The Slashers All-American Special.” To celebrate this momentous occasion, Miho is dressed like the Statue of Liberty and the set is draped with American flags and other such symbols of Americana.
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nIf, by the way, you were stop me on the street and ask me who my favourite Slasherette was, I would say, without hesitation, the tall skinny one with reddish blonde bob hairstyle. Me likey.
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nThe Americans vying for the 12 million dollar cash prize are: Devon White (Tony Curtis Blondell), a former boxer from New York City; Michael Gibbons (Kieran Keller), a computer programmer from Chicago; Rebecca Galley (Carolina Pla), a fitness instructor from, oh, I don’t know, let’s say, Cleveland; Rick Fisher (Jerry Spirio), a bouncer from Detroit; Megan Lowry (Sarah Joslyn Crowder), a law student from Seattle; and Brenda Thompson (Sofia de Medeiros), an aspiring actress/model from Portland.
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nDid anyone else notice the way Rick was looking at Miho’s ass as she introduced Rebecca? Maybe that’s why I couldn’t remember where Rebecca was from, I was too busy watching Rick mentally undress Miho.
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nAt any rate, it’s clear to everyone, including the audience, that Megan is in way over her head. And that there’s no way Brenda is from Portland. I mean, would someone who is actually from Portland, Oregon really wear a top that colour? I don’t think so.
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nAfter the audience has finished chanting “dead meat” at Megan and Miho goes over the ground rules (there are none), we’re introduced to the masters of mayhem. First up is crowd favourite, Chainsaw Charlie (Neil Napier), a redneck wielding a chainsaw. Next is a rookie slasher named Preacherman (also played by Neil Napier), a demonic priest carrying a large crucifix-shaped knife. And the third and final slasher is Doctor Ripper (Christopher Piggins), a psychotic doctor whose weapons include scalpels and scissors.
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nMuch to my chagrin, the show’s three female contestants are all wearing trousers. Can you believe this? Trousers! Sure, the Slasherettes are wearing short skirts, but when the action moves into the “Danger Zone,” we don’t see the Slasherettes again until the very end of the movie. Again, can you believe this? Anyway, once inside the “Danger Zone,” the contestants are followed around by Hideo (Takaaki Honda), the show’s roving cameraman.
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nGiven one final chance to back out, Miho asks each contestant if they’re “game.” When Miho finally gets to Megan, everyone assumes she’s going to quit. Utilizing the fiercest scrunchie face in her vast arsenal, Megan looks directly at the camera and says, “No, I’m game!” Yeah, baby, I think I like this woman already. You might be wearing pants, but you got spunk, honey.
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nOh-oh, it would seem that Megan is starting to regret her decision to appear on “Slashers” already, as she starts to hyperventilate during the elevator ride down to the “Danger Zone.”
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nOnce in the “Danger Zone,” everyone, accept Megan (and Hideo), runs toward a building. Staring directly at the camera, Megan gives a speech deriding the show and the people who watch it. Claiming the viewers at home are responsible for her death, Megan waits to be killed by one of the slashers. Of course, it’s too early in the show to kill off any of the contestants, so the Doctor Ripper slasher rips off Megan’s top, leaving her topless in the middle of what looks like an indoor paintball course. Using her arms as a makeshift top, Megan eventually decides to join her fellow contestants, who, like I said, are hiding in a nearby building.
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nWhen Rick tries to prevent Hideo from entering the building they’re hiding in, he receives a painful shock. All the contestants, including the slashers, are wearing shock collars (which look like bike lights). While the game might not have any rules, the producers can still manipulate the contestants and the slashers with the push of a button.
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nIt’s during their time inside this building that I really began to appreciate Martin Gauthier’s synthy, techno-esque music score.
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nThe only member of the group who seems to have any idea what to expect is Devon, who is fashioning a spear from a wooden table leg as we speak.
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nAfter giving Megan his grey t-shirt, Devon says something to affect of, “look lady.” To which Megan responds, “My name is Megan!” I’m telling you, man, Megan rocks. Sure, she can be a tad whiny at times, but Megan’s the only character worth rooting for.
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nIf you’re wondering how Megan ends up with Brenda’s top, it happens because Brenda, after listening to what Devon says about her odds of making it to the end (5 to 1), removes her top. Thinking that her chances of surviving are a lot greater if she’s wearing less clothing, Brenda takes off her red floral top and gives it to Megan (who then gives Devon his t-shirt back).
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nWhile Megan and Rebecca (who are separated from the rest of the group) are wandering around the clown-themed hallway, we get to know a little more about them. Which is fine (character development is the cornerstone of drama), but all I can think about is how is Rebecca’s sleeveless camouflage top going to end up on Megan?
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nSince the answer to this question is rife with spoilers, I’ll just say, Rebecca had no more use for her sleeveless camouflage top, and, so, Megan took it. However, before she dons Rebecca’s top, Megan, in a fit of frustration, yells, “Do you want to see my tits?!? and removes her arms and shows the world her breasts.
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nNow, some of the audience will no doubt cheer Megan’s decision to finally let everyone see her boobies. On the other hand, there will be those who see this as a sad testament to the sorry state of popular culture (big boobs equal big ratings). Mocking horror movie conventions and the burgeoning disease that would ultimately become reality television, Slashers is a surprisingly intelligent satire and boasts one of the most memorable final girls in the history of horror cinema.
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