Survival Knife

Director - Mike McKown (Stiff)
Starring - Tara Davis (Alexis), Danielle Donahue (Bigfoot vs. Zombies), and Josh Ebel (Prometheus Triumphant; A Fugue in the Key of Flesh)
Release Date - 2016
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Victim, Survivor, Avenger"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Slashers are a dime a dozen right now just like they were back in their heyday in the late 70s and early 80s.  People say it all the time but it is a beautiful time to be alive.  We have dozens of slashers released monthly and a good deal of them try to capture that 80s vibe that most of us grew up watching.  As much as I love slashers I have to admit that sometimes they do get a little stale.  Sometime ago I met Jim Town through Facebook and he told me about a film he worked on titled Survival Knife.  The story was very interesting but the title was a bit of a let down.  I was curious to check it out so I reached out to my friends over at Wild Eye and they were kind enough to send it my way.
     The film follows a young woman who survives an attack at the hand of a slasher.  She is the only survivor and has to live with the guilt.  The slasher cuts her leg up and stabs her in the eye forcing her to walk with a limp and blind in that very eye.  She struggles with adapting back into the real world and is unable to find work due to her disabilities.  She has been visiting with a doctor that is helping her cope with the trauma but people around her start turning up dead which brings in a detective that starts questioning her.  She becomes suspicious as well thinking that she may be blacking out and committing these crimes but she learns the truth.
     Slashers used to follow the formula where someone was wronged and returns years later wearing a mask stalking teenagers in different environments ranging from cabins, to sorority houses, and even slumber parties.  However, over the years the slasher sub-genre has got lazy and we now get people donning masks and killing for no reason.  These are still fun but it takes away from the who-dun-it angle and the mystery of the masked killer.  However, not all slashers are lazy.  Survival Knife is a clever slasher that somewhat thinks outside the box.  The acting in this one is decent but does feel awkward at times.  The cast, lead actress included, tries just a little too hard in several of the scenes that resulted in over acting in almost a comedic manner.  Experience and direction was definitely lacking in several of these scenes.  The story for this one is pretty fucking fun and rather original considering how many slashers have been released since the late 70s.  A film following the lone survivor of a slasher in the woods is pretty unique.  The day to day struggle living with her scars along with her fragile emotional state could have been a pretty sharp thriller but the film went back the traditional slasher formula following someone we already know killing.  This was pretty clever but did leave several dry scenes for the viewer.  These were slow and really did not help the story along at all.  I really enjoyed the story but there was a lot of filler that could have been removed.  Finally, the film has a few kills that are honestly nothing that gruesome.  Slashers, especially those from the 80s, were known for their kills.  Sadly, this one did not offer up any memorable kills.  There is blood and some great practical effects but the kills were lacking.  Overall, Survival Knife was not the film I was expecting.  Though the title is lame, the film itself is pretty rad.  The story is unlike any other slasher I have seen before and has earned itself a place in my horror collection.  Fans of classic slashers need to check this one out.