For years, horror fans clamored for the full-scale return of the slasher subgenre. After all, the subgenre had been in a bit of a recession since the late 2000s. That all changed about five years ago. Obviously David Gordon Green’s Halloween sequel trilogy and the new Scream films are the biggest examples of the slasher resurgence, but there are plenty of others.
Over the past five years, we have been gifted new installments in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Candyman franchises. Chucky has conquered television and is now in its third season. A grassroots swell of support for Terrifier 2 has launched Art the Clown into the public consciousness. We’ve also had new remakes of Slumber Party Massacre, Terror Train, and Black Christmas. There’s even a legacy sequel to The Mutilator on the way.
The slasher resurgence has also extended to a fair amount of original fare as well. The past year and a half alone has bequeathed us the likes of The Blackening, Pearl, Sick, Totally Killer, and X – and those are just the ones that have received a major release. Hell, later this month, we’ll be getting two holiday-themed ones: Tyler MacIntyre’s It’s a Wonderful Knife and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving! The slasher movie is back in a big way and healthier than ever. Into this situation appears Clare Cooney’s Departing Seniors. How does it stack up against the rest?
Very well.
To put on a bit of a Randy Meeks hat for a moment, there are certain ingredients that one must have at least a few of in order to craft a successful slasher film. Suspense is key, of course. Extreme kills are not necessary, but if you’re not going for the grue, then you’d better at least have an interesting hook to your deaths. A charismatic and/or striking-looking killer is also preferable. Lastly, it’s always a good thing if you can manage to have likeable characters played by a capable cast. You do not have to have all of these things, but a healthy mix of at least a few of them is important if you want your film to have staying power.
Departing Seniors has the likeable cast of misfits on lock. They’re a well-rounded bunch, even the assholes in the lot, and the performances reflect that depth. The clear standouts being our lead performers, Ignacio Diaz-Silverio and Ireon Roach. Between their turns and some really sharp writing from Jose Nateras, this is already a stalk-n-kill flick worth seeing.
Kill-wise, there’s nothing too wild here, but the killer’s intriguing modus operandi offsets that. The look of the masked murderer, while fairly lowkey, also works. No one is going to hail them a new genre icon, but it gets the job done.
I don’t want to get too in-depth here, as this film has not seen actual release yet. For the moment it is simply touring the festival circuit, although I imagine it will be getting a nice VOD push sometime within the first half of the new year. Which is good, because it deserves it. Departing Seniors isn’t an instant classic, but it is a rock-solid indie slasher that’s very much worth your time.
The Schlocketeer 