"Slaxx" goofy and gory with something serious to chew on

Slaxx (2021)

Killer tires, killer dresses, and killer weaves are so last season, but “Slaxx” is the world’s introduction to killer jeans — it's "Murderhood of the Traveling Pants," if you will. Do you need further explanation than that? Not really, and what writer-director Elza Kephart and co-writer Patricia Gomez set out to do with “Slaxx” is easy to respect: a Killer Inanimate Object B-movie with bigger ideas in its back pocket. This conceptually goofy Canadian horror film rather pointedly comments on important sociopolitical issues, like the best genre movies do, through the prism of schlock. Determined to skewer hypocritical business models involving child labor and fair-trade consumerism, and the disillusionment of empty humanitarian mantras—“make a better tomorrow today”—director Kephart sews in some capital-S satire. It's all there to chew on within an irresistible, out-there premise about hissing, dancing, blood-slurping blue jeans.

Retail company Canadian Cotton Clothiers (CCC) prides itself on its organic, ethically sourced cotton and fair-trade deal with India — and cultural diversity and inclusion, of course. Eager new hire Libby (Romane Denis) is just tickled to start her first day on the floor of the company’s flagship store and join the CCC family, even if everyone is less than welcoming. It’s Monday Madness, their biggest day, as the store is ready to unveil its latest non-GMO collection: the “super shapers,” gender-inclusive jeans that instantly adapt to the wearer’s body size. As brown-nosing general manager Craig (Brett Donahue) and his sales associates get ready for the activation of a store lockdown, the hot new jeans seem to have a mind of their own — and a taste for human blood when any employee is tempted to try them on.

“Slaxx” actually doesn’t open at the sweatshop-free CCC store but in India, where a 13-year-old girl is working as a garment manufacturer and picking cotton. This will become important later on, as there is justice to be sought. Giddily gory without trying to be particularly scary, this is a slasher movie that lets no one off the rack in the killer pants’ strangling, blood-sucking path. Aside from the wide-eyed Libby and the perpetually over-it-all Shruti (Sehar Bhojani), all of the characters are deliberately grating and unlikable jerks. Everyone occupies a one-dimensional type before getting graphically murdered by denim. Thankfully, that even goes for an outside store employee, like vapid social-media influencer Peyton Jules (Erica Anderson), who gets a sneak peek before the lockdown. “I’m so, like, totally excited, I could just die!” Peyton squeals without realizing her on-the-nose line. Director Elza Kephart's energetic cast is a perfect fit for her movie’s arch tone. Standouts include Brett Donahue, doing a funny-sleazy Craig Bierko impression as manager Craig, and Sehar Bhojani, as apathetic, sarcastic hipster employee Shruti, who subverts and affectionately plays into the tokenism of person-of-color characters.

For a movie that probably spent the bulk of its budget on fake blood and denim, “Slaxx” is a hoot to watch. As the killing spree begins, the emblem on the bloodthirsty super shapers—a double “S” that looks like the “Cool S” every teenager doodled back in the day—fills up like a gas tank. When taking a break from slithering off the shelf and licking up pools of blood like a feral animal, the murderous trousers (in one of the funniest bits) take a liking to Bollywood music and show off some dance moves…because, of course, they do. (P.S. Be sure to stay through the end credits to see the magic of the jean puppetry at work.) 

Once it comes time to reveal who has possessed the super shapers (and why), the film becomes less gruesomely silly with something far more serious and of this world on its mind. This is where the bloody, over-the-top carnage and broad, initially overly self-aware performances almost feel at odds with the back half, but let’s take a daring swing that risks offending and nearly missing over safe convention. Not half as pretentious as Quentin Dupieux’s 2011 meta genre exercise “Rubber”—which ended up being just as interesting as watching a tire roll through the desert—“Slaxx” allows you to shop around for some amusingly horrific gore gags when it’s not satirizing mean capitalism. 

Grade: B -

The Horror Collective is releasing “Slaxx” (77 min.) on Shudder on March 18, 2021.