We live in sensitive times. Not to say that’s necessarily a bad thing, but it’s impossible to deny that a microscopic focus has been put on materials deemed offensive or insensitive. The realm of subversive art and cinema has certainly felt this crunch. Comedy in particular is being analyzed down to it’s very minutia to ensure it won’t upset anyone. Enter Brandon Bassham’s follow-up to his 2015 gross-out slasher, The Slashening, titled Slashening: The Final Beginning. It’s nasty, nihilistic, downright offensive, and, dare I say, very refreshing in this day and age.
Slashening: The Final Beginning follows Madison (Addie Weyrich), a young woman who’s still adjusting to life following her father’s suicide, which happened in the wake of the events of the first Slashening. She joins a support group and makes new, albeit strange, friends, but it isn’t long before the bodies start dropping again. Madison struggles to survive as a gory whodunnit slasher unfolds before her. Will she live long enough to discovers who’s carrying out these grisly murders or will Madison fall victim to the second Slashening?
RELATED: Ten 2021 Horror Films We Can’t Wait to See
The film finds its home alongside the first Slashening on Troma’s roster of films. This is a perfect fit. Troma has a history of backing films that are subversive, offensive, low-budget, and nasty and this film is no exception. It’s easy to draw parallels in style and attitude between this title and other films in Troma’s catalog, particularly in-house productions like Terror Firmer, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, or the Return to Nuke ‘Em High films. The movie also features a cameo from Troma co-founder and spokesman, Lloyd Kaufman, that is rather hilarious.
Slashening: The Final Beginning chuckles in the face of PC culture. Nothing is safe. This movie takes jabs at feminism, hipster culture, fine art culture, you name it. In a time when poking fun at serious issues is so off-limits, Slashening: Final Beginning does it in such a way that feels smart and legitimately funny. If anyone watches this film and is truly offended, they’ve surely missed the point. There’s also some surprisingly good horror baked into this largely comedic film; enough to satisfy fans of low-budget slasher fare.
If you enjoy the type of films Troma typically distributes, this is definitely one worth checking out. It’s funny, gross, gory, and intentionally offensive. At times it feels like a film that shouldn’t exist in the current social climate and frankly, that’s really refreshing.
To celebrate the film’s release, director Brandon Bassham and members of the cast and will participate in a Q&A at the NoHo in North Hollywood, CA. Click here for tickets.
RELATED: Creator Spotlight: Mask Maker & Makeup FX Artist Vicky Clerici
Buy me a coffee
