Arriving on UK digital platforms from Monday 12th February is the low-budget horror comedy, Slotherhouse. The film – directed by Matthew Goodhue – stars Lisa Ambalavanar, Andrew Horton, and Sydney Craven and tells the story of a US college student who adopts a sloth with deadly consequences.
In the movie, Emily is a student entering her final year at college. As the new semester begins, Emily moves into the Lambda Omega Omega sorority house, where plans are being put in place to elect the next president.
After being convinced to put herself forward as a potential candidate, Emily attempts to find something which will give her the edge in the presidential race. That something quickly turns into a three-toed sloth, which she adopts, positions as the sorority mascot, and names Alpha.
But Alpha is no ordinary sloth and the animal soon starts killing off students in quick succession. She also takes a particular dislike to Emily, placing this fairly innocent foster parent in peril.
When approaching a movie like Slotherhouse, it’s best to understand what type of film you’re going into. Slotherhouse isn’t Citizen Kane, nor is it The Shawshank Redemption or The Godfather; it is a movie about a crazed sloth which goes on a slasher-style killing spree… in a sorority house.
Yep, that’s it. It’s a sloth slasher.
So, however way you cut it, based on its premise alone, this film won’t be for everyone and it is always going to be an acquired taste. Those who are likely to get the most out of it are film fans who like creature features, and more importantly, those who like daft films.
I will hold my hand up and say I am one of those people, so this film is very much targeted at me. As such, I approached this movie with (I believe) the right frame of mind and was ready to be entertained accordingly.
However, while there are aspects of Slotherhouse which are enjoyable, and I did chuckle along with some of the hijinks of the sloth, unfortunately the vast majority of the film falls short. I can certainly see what director Matthew Goodhue and writers Bradley Fowler and Cady Lanigan are going for, but I’m not convinced it works.
Slotherhouse has parts which are OK, parts that aren’t, and the combination of the two is a bit of jumble. One minute things are playing fine, the next they’re not, and this is pretty much how the film goes all the way through.
Slotherhouse clocks in at around the 90-minute mark, but it lacks enough ‘killer material’ to justify this length. To be clear, 90-minutes isn’t long, and in my opinion is the perfect runtime for a film (studios take note), but for Slotherhouse it seems a bit too much.
There’s not enough going on in here to keep things ticking along, and unless the film is focusing on the horror/slasher angle, it really struggles. As a result, the film feels padded in places, the pacing is a bit wobbly, and at no point is it as funny as its premise suggests it might be.
I didn’t laugh until around 30 minutes into the film. This is a bit of a problem for a 90-minute movie.
I also didn’t care about a single human character in the film. Live or die it really didn’t matter.
Successful horror movies get you invested in the main human protagonists, but this one didn’t. Pretty much every human character in Slotherhouse is either uninteresting or unappealing and this robs the movie of any suspense or tension when the killing starts.
Where Slotherhouse is more successful is in every scene involving Alpha the sloth. Alpha is brought to life using animatronics (no crap CGI here), and she is the movie’s trump card.
Whether she’s relaxing on a sun lounger, taking a selfie with her next victim, or murdering multiple students at once in a shower block, Alpha is great. Every time Alpha is on screen, Slotherhouse improves immensely and her design and execution is a lot of fun.
When Alpha wasn’t on screen all I kept muttering to myself was ‘I need more Alpha’. As soon as she reappeared, I was far more invested in Slotherhouse, and the movie’s playful tone and elements of comedy worked so much better.
Would I watch another film with Alpha in it? Yes – but the attention spent on getting her character right would have to be applied to everyone else in the movie. If a film only really works when she is on screen then it’s not something I’d sign up to again.
All-in-all, Slotherhouse isn’t great, but it’s not terrible either. When it devotes time to Alpha it really hits the mark, however, at all other times it is a bit of a bumpy journey.
The final third of the film is where it is at its strongest, so if you stick with it you may find yourself enjoying what’s on offer. However, you will need to make your way through the first two thirds of the film, which aren’t always worth it.
It’s no Zombeavers, but those who are open to Slotherhouse may find it entertaining enough. If all you want to watch right now is a film about a sloth who goes on a massacre, then fill your boots, it’s finally here!
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