Tags:
Film: Slaybor Day 7
Year: 2019
Director: Justin Wayne
Writer: Justin Wayne
Starring: Derek K. Moore, Paul Noonan and Mike Aspinwall
Review:
This was a short film that I got the pleasure of seeing early when I was reached out to via the Slasher App and through Instagram for the account representing it. I didn’t know a lot about it, as I prefer to come in as blind as I can to fully enjoy it. The synopsis is Maddox Mason (Derek K. Moore), a slasher icon who kills people that wear white after Labor Day, is chronicled in this mockumentary.
Much like the synopsis states, Maddox Mason is being covered on a fake show called Behind the Mask. I find this to be an interesting name for the show as I took this as a play on the found-footage/mockumentary slasher film Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. That was following and interviewing a fictional serial killer that is saying that slasher films really do happen and this movie is the vein of it as well.
Our host is Barry Bones (Paul Noonan) who is hosting the show. He sits down to interview Maddox who reveals that he has an announcement for the end of the show. What I like here is that they recap the previous 6 Slaybor Day films, the effect it has on the fans as well as the personal life of Maddox Mason.
I do like that Slaybor Day is parodying the slasher films that came out in the late 90’s mostly, using the ‘floating heads’ poster and even referencing I Know What You Did Last Summer. The premise of Slaybor Day is also one that is pretty funny as well. It is a motif that I’ve always heard and I’d probably give a slasher film set on this holiday a watch to be honest.
Something I have to give credit for is the time and care into making this. We get to see fans, setting up a convention and I even like the play on the YouTube reviewer with Courtney Wolf (Chelsea Forsgren). Going even farther though, they came up with different posters and ideas for all of the movies preceding what will be the seventh one. It is even funny that they take it into space as well. The last thing for these likes is the mask that Maddox wears. It is so simple, but there’s something about it that just works for me.
If I do have any gripes it is the fact that it is established that these are movies. They blur the lines a little bit too much where it almost feels like he really did kill these people. I think that this is partially the back-story where Maddox’s mother Lisa (Sissy O’Hara) is showing pictures of him as boy as well as a home movie. He wore this same mask since then, thanks to her. This is kind of an interesting aspect as we see in a lot of slasher films. The killers do tend to have mother issues. I thought it was funny, but it also doesn’t necessarily work for me either.
Being that this is a mockumentary, we really don’t get any kills and the ones that we do are pretty comical. They’re taken from ‘footage’ in the movies that Maddox starred in. I’m forgiving of any effects as its being a parody, I can overlook them.
So with that said, I had fun with this short film. I don’t think that it is the greatest or is something that is going to blow you away. It is fun though. I like the parody aspects as well as the mockumentary feel of it. Where it ends up was pretty interesting for me. The acting isn’t great, but it doesn’t need to be. I actually think the amateur feel helps the realism in my opinion. This does seem like a recap of a lesser known slasher villain in an era where a lot of bad slasher films came out. I really do think this is an above average short for sure. If you get a chance I’d recommend giving this a viewing as well.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10