Horror Asylum
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Trending
    • The Last Deal starring Sala Baker, Mike Ferguson, & Anthony Molinari Out Now!
    • Daniel Stisen doesn’t die easy in knockout thriller THE SIEGE
    • BayView Entertainment release sci-fi actioner RIDE HARD LIVE FREE to Blu-ray
    • VIPCO & BayView Entertainment release SKARECROW: A CURSE NEVER DIES
    • Slick South Korean action-thriller THE KILLER on Digital platforms 27th March and Blu-ray & DVD 17th April
    • VIDEO SHOP TALES OF TERROR Gets Limited Edition Blu-Ray Release Through New Video Dungeon Label
    • Special Q & A screenings of Mark Pellington’s Cathartic Dance Film THE SEVERING coming to NYC & LA
    • Pancake Man cast includes Corin Nemec, Greg Tally, & Elissa Dowling
    Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    Horror Asylum
    • Home
    • Horror News
    • Horror Reviews
    • Horror Giveaways
    • Latest Interviews
    • Advertising
      • General Advertising
      • Horror Social Influence
    • Contact Us
    Horror Asylum
    Home » Sample Page » Reviews » THE LAST SLAY RIDE (2022)

    THE LAST SLAY RIDE (2022)

    0
    By Gareth Tidball on March 6, 2023 Reviews

    Amateur filmmakers Josh, Ivan, and Jessica are determined to make their independent movie ‘Slash Camp’ a success. When they are approached by members of the prestigious distribution company Rampage Media, things seem too good to be real – and indeed they are. After hastily signing a distribution contract for their film, Rampage leaves the filmmakers in the lurch, with none of the money they were promised. So, the trio decides to get the gang back together and storm Rampage’s mansion to confront the swindlers and settle the deal. But they soon find that the eccentric Rampage family seeks to drain more than just money.

    ‘The Last Slay Ride’ opens with all the ingredients of a low-budget screwball comedy, as lead filmmaker Ivan is chased and then beaten by a discount Tom Hardy-type in a worn Santa costume to the tune of royalty-free music. We soon learn that this grizzled Saint Nick is an investor of Ivan’s film ‘Slash Camp,’ who has not received any of his investment money back. The film then backtracks to the beginning of the filmmaking process, where the audience is dragged through more than seven minutes worth of bad auditions for ‘Slash Camp’ – a film we know nothing about. These auditions are more cringe-worthy than laughable, and slow down the pacing of the film quite a bit.

    From there, the first act continues to crawl along at a snail’s pace as the young filmmakers proceed to shoot and edit ‘Slash Camp.’ Ideally, these scenes should set viewers up to care about the filmmakers and the film being made; but as much as I wanted to root for the characters, no one was charming or relatable enough to win me over. Each character working on the film set is a tired version of a common comedic trope (the loveable smartass, the beautiful bimbo, the silent weirdo). Most of the childish jokes in the dialogue here fall completely flat, causing the scenes to carry on well past their expiration dates.

    Once the film-within-the-film is completed, we find the team at an unspecified and sparsely-attended awards ceremony, where ‘Slash Camp’ inexplicably wins best film. It is at the post-awards party where Josh is propositioned by the dark-clad members of Rampage Media to sign their distribution deal.

    Fast forward again – everyone is upset that Rampage has ghosted them. The cast members are bitter because they were never paid, so the central trio convinces everyone to investigate the mysterious Rampage headquarters, Scooby-Doo style, to demand their money. Here we learn that Rampage Media owes the filmmakers $20,000, but this seems like a completely arbitrary sum, and a foggy addition to the plot that doesn’t actually clarify any of the details of the contract that was originally signed.

    Things do seem to pick up once we come face-to-face with the mildly eccentric members of Rampage, clad in terrible Christmas costumes, who all happen to be (drumroll please)…bloodsucking vampires! This would have been an amusing and welcomed twist to the lackluster story of ‘The Last Slay Ride’ thus far – except that the trailer and even the film’s poster completely give away the fact that the film involves vampires. An opportunity was missed here, I think, to make the vampire element an unexpected and exciting reveal (a la ‘From Dusk ‘Til Dawn’). But sadly, any viewer who has glanced at the poster art would fully anticipate this plot point from a mile away, further fueling the sighs and eye-rolling of ‘of course they’re vampires – I totally saw this coming.’

    Despite this non-twist, the vampires all delight in being quirky and evil, which makes for some notable performances and, thankfully, a slightly more entertaining watch from this point. Poised to be the fan favorite is longtime indie horror icon Eileen Dietz, who is delightfully adorable as Grandma. Equal parts bumbling and bloodthirsty, she giggles and creeps through corridors gleefully searching for “man meat”. Elissa Dowling is icy and commanding as queen vampire Victoria, and Jackie Maya complements her well, adding to the fun girl-power dynamic, as the mysterious and alluring Nina.

    From then, we are put through a series of stop-and-start chase scenes and several unimaginative kills, which begs the overall question as to why this film is billed as a horror comedy. If there’s no sense of satisfaction in the gore, no genuinely scary elements, and zero laughs to be had…what kind of movie is this?

    Beyond the flimsy story and formulaic characters, one of my biggest complaints stems from a technical standpoint: almost every scene is captured only using very wide, continuous, static shots. These scenes are well-lit but in an extremely flat way, which does not serve to enhance the acting or storytelling. This visual monotony quickly bores the viewer and hemorrhages the production value. This is a common pitfall in independent filmmaking and a personal pet peeve: take the camera off the tripod, give the scene some movement, play with light and shadow, and push in on the performances to help the actors!

    Overall, I found ‘The Last Slay Ride’ severely lacking in both entertainment value and originality. Despite being a tight 90 minutes, the extended length of the scenes and the poorly-written comedic gags make the film seem much longer. Although the performances from the leads and supporting cast members are all fairly solid, they are not at all bolstered by the direction, which totally lacks creativity in regards to camera framing and lighting choices.

    For a film that I was hoping to offer some witty commentary on the trials and tribulations behind landing a solid distribution deal, or even a mere tongue-in-cheek love letter to indie filmmaking, ‘The Last Slay Ride’ unfortunately provides neither. Once the end credits rolled, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that I’d no longer have to endure a bunch of vampires running around in bad elf costumes. It was almost as if the life had been sucked out of me.

    Review by Gareth Tidball

     

    THE LAST SLAY RIDE is out now on Blu-ray in the USA and Streaming Platforms worldwide from VIPCO and BayView Entertainment.

     

    40%
    40%
    • User Ratings (1 Votes)
      0.8
    Gareth Tidball

    Gareth Tidball (she/her) is an award-winning actress and writer with an affinity for indie horror. As an actress, she typically finds herself playing young, tough women with a strong sense of justice and an air of quiet mystery.  A proud dual citizen, Gareth has performed in theatre and film in both the United States and Great Britain. Her fiction will be published later this year in the upcoming Forbidden Psalm game book, Dread Nights. She also dabbles in screenwriting and playwriting.

    www.garethtidball.com/
    bayview entertainment Calvin Morie McCarthy Christmas Christmas Horror Eileen Dietz Elissa Dowling Jackie Maya Jason Hawkins Lukas Verri-Singer Sanae Loutsis Steve Larkin the last slay ride Vampires Vipco
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleOfficial Trailer for Horror Romance Film, Desperate Souls
    Next Article Crowdfunder launched for Spanish slasher film DON’T MAKE A SOUND

    Related Posts

    BayView Entertainment release sci-fi actioner RIDE HARD LIVE FREE to Blu-ray

    VIPCO & BayView Entertainment release SKARECROW: A CURSE NEVER DIES

    SCARED CRAZY coming to Blu-ray 28th March 2023 from BayView Entertainment

    Leave A Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.

    • Like us on Facebook
    • Follow us on Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Follow us on Pinterest
    New Release
    Bayview Films on Roku
    Popular Categories
    • Giveaways (1,480)
    • Interviews (49)
    • News (12,276)
    • Reviews (1,576)
    • Uncategorised (2)
    Recent News
    March 29, 2023

    The Last Deal starring Sala Baker, Mike Ferguson, & Anthony Molinari Out Now!

    March 28, 2023

    Daniel Stisen doesn’t die easy in knockout thriller THE SIEGE

    March 28, 2023

    BayView Entertainment release sci-fi actioner RIDE HARD LIVE FREE to Blu-ray

    March 28, 2023

    VIPCO & BayView Entertainment release SKARECROW: A CURSE NEVER DIES

    March 27, 2023

    Slick South Korean action-thriller THE KILLER on Digital platforms 27th March and Blu-ray & DVD 17th April

    Horror Reviews
    8.0
    March 23, 2023

    ON THE EDGE (2022)

    8.0
    March 10, 2023

    ORCHESTRATOR OF STORMS: THE FANTASTIQUE WORLD OF JEAN ROLLIN (2022)

    4
    March 6, 2023

    THE LAST SLAY RIDE (2022)

    4.0
    January 19, 2022

    COVEN (2020)

    Marketing Macabre
    Horror Interviews
    March 23, 2023

    Exclusive Interview: Lester G. Reynolds (Alien Storm E.P.)

    December 21, 2022

    Exclusive Interview: Jason Reynolds (The Last Slay Ride)

    December 20, 2022

    Exclusive Interview: Calvin McCarthy (The Last Slay Ride)

    December 9, 2021

    Exclusive Interview: Director Thomas Walton (They Turned Us Into Killers)

    About Us
    About Us

    Horror Asylum

    Unleash your dark side with the Horror Asylum. Established way back in 2001 we have enjoyed over 20 years of providing the latest and best horror news, reviews, interviews and exciting giveaways.

    The content contained on this site should be viewed for entertainment purposes only. We are not liable for the misuse or for inaccuracies contained within.

    Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube
    Latest Horror News
    March 29, 2023

    The Last Deal starring Sala Baker, Mike Ferguson, & Anthony Molinari Out Now!

    March 28, 2023

    Daniel Stisen doesn’t die easy in knockout thriller THE SIEGE

    March 28, 2023

    BayView Entertainment release sci-fi actioner RIDE HARD LIVE FREE to Blu-ray

    March 28, 2023

    VIPCO & BayView Entertainment release SKARECROW: A CURSE NEVER DIES

     

    Horror Stock VHS
    RETRO HORROR VHS, PROPS & GIFTS

    Asylumedia Web Services
    WEB DEV, SOCIAL MEDIA & DIGITAL CONTENT

    Back to the Movies
    INDEPENDENT MOVIE & ENTERTAINMENT SITE

    Copyright © 2023 Horror Asylum. Powered by Asylumedia.
    • Advertising
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Copyright & Disclaimers
    • Contact Us

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies.