Slotherhouse (2023)

 

 

Streaming Service: Hulu

Movie Name/Year: Slotherhouse (2023)

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Thriller

Length:  1h 33min

Rating: PG-13

Director: Matthew Goodhue

Writers: Bradley Fowler, Cady Lanigan

Actors: Lisa Ambalavanar, Sydney Craven, Andrew Horton, Bianca Beckles-Rose, Olivia Rouyre, Tiff Stevenson, Sutter Nolan, Milica Vrzic, Stefan Kapicic, Annamaria Serda, Grace Patterson, Kelly Lynn Reiter, Tiana Upcheva, Cady Lanigan, Fernando Duran, Djordje Misina, Jelena Kosara, Jomely Butsayamant, Anita Yoo

 

IMDb Blurb: Emily Young, a senior, wants to be elected as her sorority's president. She adopts a cute sloth, thinking it can become the new mascot and help her win, until a string of fatalities implicate the sloth as the main suspect in the murders.

 

 

Selina’s Point of View:

Slotherhouse is a bad horror movie that I’ve been looking forward to for a while.

 

It came out in August of last year, but we’ve been so busy with other films that this is the first we’ve gotten to it. I remember dying of laughter the first time I saw the trailer. I’m pretty sure it would have made my top 20 for that month, if not for strikes.

 

Right from the start, you know exactly what to expect from Slotherhouse. It opens onto a sloth puppet. It moves strangely, it’s creepy, but also kind of adorable. It’s a good kind of janky. Knowing that’s the big bad of the whole film sets you up for the hilarity to come. 

 

 

You have give the flick credit. Most of its contemporaries would go the easy CGI route. It’s not like anyone expects the visuals to be flawlessly crafted by the most brilliant coders in the world – not for a film like this. They could have gotten away with the same visuals you see in Asylum films. No one would have faulted them for it. Something about the use of practical effects made everything feel a bit more immersive. Maybe it’s just me, but I think they made a choice there that really helped the overall feel of the movie.

 

That ridiculous sloth puppet made the humor of Slotherhouse pop.

 

This is one of those ‘so bad it’s good’ movies that I could sit and watch with a bunch of friends, pizza and beer at the ready. It’s creative and fun. It’s everything I hoped it would be. 

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

Sometimes movie titles come along that just instantly make us roll our eyes and think “really?!” as we consider the absurdity. Slotherhouse was one of those movies for me. Who would have thought that a creepy crawly slow critter would make a killer murder-spree movie villain? Here’s the thing, if you go into movies like this with actual real-world logic and scientific facts in mind you’ll be sorely disappointed. This isn’t the movie for you.

 

Alternatively, if you see young college girls on the poster of a slasher film and immediately think this is going to be one of those movies full of nudity, sex, and ditzes making dumb decisions… this is not that movie, either. This is less Sorority Row (2009) and more Mean Girls (2004) with a deadly and unexpectedly insane twist.

 

 

Really, it’s best to throw all expectations out the window when you approach Slotherhouse and just go with the flow. Let yourself have the fun as intended. There are a couple good messages buried within this crazy flick involving sisterhood, commentary on social media addiction, and animal conservation – but that’s not why we’re really watching this. Let’s be honest. The immediate thought following “what the hell?” when seeing this poster or even just the movie title is usually “how?” and Slotherhouse is the perfect vehicle to take you on that gloriously absurd ride.

 

You might be getting the gist so far that I actually enjoyed this crazy creature feature, and you’d be right. It falls squarely into that sweet spot of the “so bad, it’s good” horror comedy.

 

I was talking to my screen with each new bonkers scene and laughing so hard my daughter was looking at me funny and decided to sit down and watch with me from the middle. In fact, I would recommend watching Slotherhouse with a group of friends and make a fun night of it. Laugh at all the implausible sloth-related shenanigans and just cut loose. Just turn off your brain and grab some popcorn. With the PG-13 rating and the lack of the usual splatter and gore of the typical slasher film, this one is even generally safe to include a younger crowd, as well.

 

I would actually, and will most likely, watch Slotherhouse again.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 61%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 75%

Metascore – None

Metacritic User Score – 4.8/10

IMDB Score – 4.7/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

 

P.S. - There is a mid credits scene, as well as animated images that call-back to the movie that play during the credits along with a theme-song for the killer sloth.

 

Movie Trailer: