Director(s) – John B. Sovie II (F4L: Friends 4 Life) and Kristian Hanson (F4L: Friends 4 Life)
Starring – Travis Hanson (The Black and White Maze of the Painted Zebra), Kristian Hanson, and Dustin Bowman (The Pancake Killer)
Release Date – 2013
Rating – 4/5
Tagline(s) – “He is just a psycho with a sledge” and “He didn’t drown, he wasn’t burned, and he doesn’t hear voices; he’s just a psycho with a sledge”
Not long ago I was browsing horror reviews on blogs when I came across a review for the film Sledge. The movie looked really good but I was unable to find a link for the film. After just a few minutes of searching I gave up and quickly forgot about the film. A few days later I visited another blog and saw a review for the same film.
This time the review had a link but when I clicked it I discovered a dead link that was not properly added to the review. Later, I checked my Facebook and noticed a few people had actually liked the page so I was able to finally find them. I messaged them and they were nice enough to send me an online screener to review so thank you guys so much!
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a beautiful young girl watching a late night horror show. The film she is watching is Sledge. So this film is essentially a film in a film. In-sledge-tion? Anyway, the film she is watching follows a group of twenty-somethings who decide to go camping. The group consists of two couples and a fifth wheel who is the ex of one of the girls.
Unbeknown to them a killer is stalking the woods killing everybody in his path unless you are mentally disabled and eat dog shit skittles. Anyway, the wisecracking killer works his way through the group until only the two ex-lovebirds are left and they reveal they still love each other only to have a final showdown with the masked killer.**Spoiler Alert**
The reviews I found for this film all made the film sound great but they did not do the film justice. This is honestly one of the best slashers I have seen in recent years. When I requested the screener the person behind the Sledge Facebook page kept warning me that it was a horror comedy which indicated they had no idea who I was or what kind of films I like. I love a good mix of horror and comedy and I especially love seeing them combined in a sub-genre that I am not used to seeing it in. I have seen humor added to slashers but it usually goes unnoticed other than the Nightmare on Elm St series and Student Bodies. This film was able to incorporate it in and made it very effective. I laughed a lot at this film which is a shocker when compared to other indie horror flicks.
The acting is very good by the entire cast and an amazing performance was delivered by the man behind the mask. This film needs a sequel starring the same masked killer and we should not have to wait years for it. The story is nothing new. This is the same tired slasher formula but with humor added to it. Sure, the film relies heavily on one liners and puns but it still entertains and that is the bottom line for any film. Finally, the film does not have a lot of on screen kills. Instead, the film opted to have them mostly off screen with the blood and gore splattering on the screen. This was effective and a great way to make the kills look good without relying on horrible practical effects that could ruin the kill. The killer also looks great showing the talent for practical effects was actually there but was chosen not to be applied to the kills. Overall, Sledge is a fun slasher flick that will make you laugh even as the blood as flying at you. Brutal and funny just the way I like em! I highly recommend it.
