Slaughter Day

Director - Brent Cousins (Raising Dead, UFO Report)

Starring - Dave Anderson, Sam Bluestone, and Kuiaka Branco 

Release Date - 1991

Genre - Horror/Action

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Horror has a lot of different sub-genres that pull fans in. I grew up on zombie flicks and slashers while some of my friends are fans of kaiju, giallo, and so on. However, what brings many of us together is the curiosity that we have for lost and unreleased S.O.V. horror films from the late 80s and early 90s. A few companies have popped up in recent years that cater to unreleased S.O.V. flicks but some of my favorites were released by indie distribution companies. When Wild Eye Releasing announced the launch of their sister company, I was fucking ready to add the releases to my collection. Since that announcement they’ve really impressed me with the fantastic S.O.V. releases. One release that really caught my eye was for the 1991 action horror flick Slaughter Day. I quickly sent my friends at Wild Eye a message and they were kind enough to send a review copy my way. Like always I want to thank Wild Eye and MVD for hooking me up! 

      The film follows two brothers in Hawaii who accidentally stumble across the Necronomicon. They inadvertently unleash the evil spirits contained within that possess a group of construction works forcing the two to fight for their lives. 

      Slaughter Day was not what I was expecting at all but I fucking loved it. It’s energetic, bloody, and a lot of fun especially for a no budget S.O.V. flick that is based on horror but is overflowing with action scenes. The brothers behind this cinematic masterpiece truly loved mid to late 80s direct to video horror and action flicks and that love transferred to their own work. The acting in this one is pretty rough. The cast clearly has no experience other than acting in other back yard films but they give it their all. Most of the film is one big choreographed fight that’s not the worst that I’ve seen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just as rough as the film itself but it has it’s moments. The story for this one puts many of in mind of a Polonia inspired Evil Dead flick set in Hawaii. I enjoyed this simple, straight forward story way more than I should have. It’s possibly 20 minutes of story and the remainder of the film is fight sequences and a truck stunt. I couldn’t watch this one again anytime soon without some edibles or beer but it was a hell of a good time for a first time viewing. Finally, the film has plenty of blood and cheap effects. We get some blood and blood splatter and some prop limbs and so forth. The kills are not that memorable but there is a few gags that had me laughing. Overall, Slaughter Day is the perfect late night flick to watch with some friends. It’s absolutely bonkers and the kind of film that many of us enjoy. These young filmmakers had a lot of passion for the genre and it shows. Check it out.