Slaxx has just debuted at the digital edition of Fantasia Film Festival and it is sure to be a film that is talked about in certain circles for years to come. Why? I hear you asking. Well because it’s about a pair of sentient jeans with murderous intentions. Yes, you read that right, it’s a film about killer trousers, and it’s just as out there as it sounds.
Mild-mannered and environmentally conscious Libby (Romane Denis) is about to start her dream job at an international clothing store. Her first day happens to coincide with the release of the newest designer jeans, a revolutionary pair that are ‘gender inclusive’ and will fit any size or shape. We all know that the perfect jeans sound too good to be true and that’s exactly the case here as the jeans hide a deadly secret. What the workers don’t realise is that they’ve become sentient and want all the employees at the store, dead. As the jeans begin to devour all who wear them, Libby must do everything she can to survive what is easily the worst retail shift ever.
Slaxx is a zany off-the-wall high-concept slasher that captures your attention with its wacky premise. It’s a similar effect to that of killer snowman flick, Jack Frost, or crazy clown, Killjoy; Slaxx owns its silliness and encourages the audience to embrace it and have a good time. There’s also a faint sense of Chopping Mall at times as Slaxx taps into that nostalgia for a good old-fashioned slasher. This formula works for the first portion of the film as we watch the jeans bump off the staff in all manner of grotesque ways. However, towards the end, and after a Bollywood dance break (yes, you read that right), Slaxx slows right down and things start to get a bit more serious. After this point, the film struggles to pick up the pace come the finale, which is a massive shame as it could have been something truly spectacular.
The trousers themselves are a stroke of technical genius. Somehow, director Elza Kephart and her crew have managed to give them their own personality. The jeans have eyes and a mouth of sorts, which gives them a more humanoid appearance. It’s choices of methods of killing are inspired, and it follows the slasher kill rules, with no two victims dying the same. They are also much more than just clothing with deadly intentions as they also have a personality and an affinity for dance. As the film progresses, you may find yourself wanting a pair of your very own; I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with a pair of jeans that bops along to a Bollywood classic?
It’s been a while since we had a truly batty slasher idea, and Slaxx is certainly a premise that’s hard to beat. The film suffers from some pacing issues, but the first half at least is ferociously fun. Slaxx is clearly the bloodthirsty sequel to the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants films that we’ve all been waiting for.
Slaxx was reviewed at Fantasia 2020.
Slaxx will be available on Shudder from 18th March 2021.
Slaxx
Summary
It’s Chopping Mall meets The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants in this zany slasher.
