Killer Workout

Director - David A. Prior (Zombie Wars)
Starring - Marcia Karr (Maniac Cop), David James Campbell (Scarecrows), and Fritz Matthews (Deadly Prey)
Release Date - 1987
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "The workout will kill you"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I was born in 1986 and grew up mostly in the 90s.  I was 4 when the greatest decade for movies ended and the 90s began.  Most assume that I know a great deal about 90s pop culture and horror because I grew up during that decade.  Well, I do know a great deal about 90s pop culture and horror but the 80s always held my attention.  I loved everything 80s and 80s horror will always have my heart.  Out of all the trends to come out of the 80s the slasher sub-genre has, and always will, be my favorite.  I have been collecting movies in one format or another for almost 15 years and my goal is to own every slasher regardless if they were studio, independent, or S.O.V.  One film that I always wanted to see and never could was Aerobicide, aka Killer Workout from 1987.  I never could find the film on VHS for a reasonable price and no official release of the film hit DVD.  Recently, Olive Films and Slasher//Video teamed up and released the film on bluray.  I had to see it so I reached out them and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way.
     The film follows fitness instructor Rhonda who owns her own gym.  She has a lot of stress running the gym where she is often hit on by a local douche and her employees are constantly late forcing her to pick up the slack.  She thought things were bad but they soon turn worse when someone is murdered in her gym.  The police start investigating and quickly suspect it is Rhonda due to her past.  Things turn even worse when her partner sends in a private eye to find the killer before more bodies turn up.  Things come to a bloody boil when the real killer is discovered...but was it a cover up?
     Slashers could take place anywhere.  Most people, like myself, love the slashers in the woods while others love them on college campuses.  I have seen them in laundromats, nightmares, churches, planes, but I have never seen one take place in a gym.  The gym setting worked very well but the film did not use the setting to it's full potential.  The acting in this one is what you would come to expect from an 80s slasher.  The cast does put forth an effort, a valiant one at that, but they are far from winning awards.  The story for this one is your standard slasher fare set against a rather unusual setting that we never see slashers go.  The story follows someone wronged killing people to justify being wronged.  This worked very well in the gym setting but I was expecting to see more kills centered around the gym equipment and exercises.  This was a bit of a let down considering that the killer mostly killed with a giant safety pin.  I somehow missed how it was relevant to the killer but was lame nonetheless.  Finally, those of you looking for original kills with amazing practical effects will not find them here.  The kills have some blood but were very tame in comparisons to the other slashers released around this time.  We get the unoriginal throat slit, hanging, and people stabbed in the forehead with a needle.  Nothing fun or unique.  Overall, Killer Workout is a slasher for slasher fans but the everyday movie goer and mainstream horror fan will not enjoy it.  The kills or boring but the story has it's moments.  Well worth the watch.