Shredder Review (2001)
My History with the Film:
I first heard of this movie a few years ago, when I stumbled upon a trailer on YouTube. I pride myself on trying to watch and keep up with all the post-Scream slashers, but this was one that slipped by me. After researching the movie, I recognized the DVD artwork, but I had definitely never seen this film.
It would take a couple more years before I ran across it on Tubi. The film had received a blu-ray released from boutique company RoninFlix a few years prior, so the transfer looked great, and I was excited to check this film out.
What the Film is About (Non-Spoiler):
A group of friends spend the weekend at an abandoned lodge at a ski resort that is rumored to be haunted.
What I Liked About It:
-Who doesn’t love a winter horror movie? There is just something about blood on snow that makes for such great imagery.
-The movie is shot well, and the production employed some talented snowboarders to make for some interesting chase sequences.
-The film never takes itself too seriously and seems to know that it’s a fun, dumb slasher and it doesn’t apologize for it. It’s definitely a throwback to the 80’s, and if it was released today and marketed as such, I have a feeling it would be quite successful.
-The kills are solid as are the practical effects. No crummy CGI or CGI blood to ruin the shots in this film. The final kill was especially satisfying.
-The film feels like a product of its time and that makes it work for me. We have some unfamiliar pop-punk songs that play throughout the film and thanks to the extreme sports slant it almost feels like a Mountain Dew commercial from the turn of the century. This may turn a lot of people off, but I’m not one of them.
-The girls in this film are extremely horny and it’s played up quite a bit. At first, I thought the movie was going to tease without any nudity, but eventually the film gave in with some minor nudity and that’s always welcomed in a slasher film.
What I Didn’t Like About It:
-The cast is all pretty forgettable with the exception of our star Cole (Scott Weinger) whom folks around my age will recognize as Steve from Full House. You may also recognize Kimberly (Lindsey McKeon) from Saved by the Bell: The New Class.
-The dialogue is pretty atrocious in spots and the love triangles are all quite apparent from the beginning. It definitely feels like a paint by numbers slasher, and I wish it would have strived to be just a bit more.
-Another issue with the script is the fact that our protagonist is a bit forgotten. We spend so much time with the different characters and their various motives, that our main character just sort of pops in and out of scenes.
Rating:
I really enjoyed Shredder. It doesn’t try to be meta, and instead just focuses on re-creating the goofy, fun that the 80’s slashers offered. There is a fair amount of comedy in the script and the kills are creative, which made for a fun watch.
I rate Shredder a three out of five and say watch it, if you like slasher films.
