Review: Shudder’s ‘Slaxx’ is a One Size Fits All for Fun

March 19, 2021

slaxx review — Photo Credit: Marlene Gelineau Payette/Shudder

From the producers of Turbo Kid comes Canadian filmmaker Elza Kephart’s Slaxx, a horror-comedy now streaming on Shudder. Slaxx follows CCC’s (Canadian Cotton Clothes) newest employee, Libby (Romane Denis) as she starts her dream job working on the sales floor of a clothes company that aligns all of their social views with hers. As Libby gets started into her first day, she starts to realize the employees aren’t as down-to-Earth as they seem, however is still excited to meet the CEO as he announces the release of their newest product, the Super Shaper jeans, which are specialized to fit anyone perfectly. Little does Libby and the rest of the employees know, these jeans come at far too high a price, as they’re possessed and out for blood.

Yes, the premise of this film is as silly as it sounds, and yes, it is a blast. When it comes to the story, Slaxx clearly draws surface inspiration from other successful fan-favorite films with killer inanimate objects, like Deathbed: The Bed That Eats or Rubber. Overdone slasher cliches are present throughout this story. However, the film never takes itself too seriously, even while making a necessary but not too heavy-handed social commentary on the globalized issues in the fashion industry, like sweatshops and child labor.

The acting was quite a bit stronger than I would have initially expected in a film about killer pants. Romane Denis does a wonderful job of representing the innocent and naïve superfan of a major corporation, ignorant of any skeletons in its closet. We’ve all been there at some point in our lives (*cough* Disney *cough*). The biggest standouts for me were the various super silly and snooty corporate fashion employees that Libby had to interact with from the get-go. Although their performances were purposely over the top, they were perfect for a film like this, in the way popular slasher films always have annoying or deplorable characters in their films. It gives the audience a reason to cheer for the slasher…which in this case, happen to be demonic trousers.

The special effects were mostly fun and effective, bringing out the big guns of ’80s horror nostalgia with severed limbs, decapitations, and blood fountains. Even in moments when the film showcased CG killer pants moving on their own, these scenes were blended well with practical effects to ease the viewer’s minds. There were only a couple scenes that went a little too far with the CG and the silliness. With the absurdity of the film’s concept, expectation of foolishness comes with the territory. There were a few moments when Slaxx bordered on slapstick humor, which honestly felt out of place with what the message and the rest of the movie were aiming to achieve.

From pretty much all other technical aspects, my expectations were surpassed. Extremely solid camera work, editing, and a groovy score from Delphine Measroch (Horns) made the flow of the film feel smooth and non-distracting. Recognized focus of the technical aspects of filmmaking isn’t always present in films like this, so it was refreshing to see. The director clearly didn’t say, “Let’s make a movie about killer pants, who cares whether it looks/sounds good!” That is apparent and appreciated.

Overall, I had a lot of fun with Slaxx. The film is a brisk 77 minutes long, and I think making it any longer would have been a mistake. It was the perfect length of film to adapt what felt like an insane story out of a Stephen King or Joe Hill book of short stories. I recommend checking it out! Slaxx is now available on Shudder.