Slotherhouse Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Slotherhouse Blu-ray Movie Review

"This is your new class mascot."

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 14, 2024

It goes without saying (but let's say it anyway) that the title "Slotherhouse" is a play on words. Primarily it's a play on "slaughterhouse," suggesting that the movie will be in some way a journey through a living nightmare where killings take place in and around a singular location. It replaces "Slaughter" with "Slother," implying that the slaughtering will be done by a sloth. One can also read the word "house" to suggest a sorority house as the film's location. And, indeed, it is, so Slotherhouse is a film about a sloth massacring a bunch of sorority house girls. But enough with the title. How does the movie actually play? Is it an A-list blockbuster? Is it a bottom-scraping Z-flick? A solid B genre film? It's definitely in that last category, a tongue-in-cheek B Horror genre flick through-and-through, and it's just gory enough, silly enough, well made enough, and different enough -- while still being imminently familiar -- to tickle the fancy of most every genre fan.

"It's not a dog, it's a sloth."

Brianna (Sydney Craven), or “QueenBri” as she is known online, has amassed tens of thousands of followers and has achieved her dream of being sorority house president, but in her fame and with her power she has become more of a dictator than a president. Because people are afraid of her, she seems a lock to be re-elected to her prominent position. Enter Emily (Lisa Ambalavanar), a girl with seemingly no chance of de-throning the queen, at least until she brings a new mascot -- a sloth named Alpha -- to the sorority. Suddenly, Alpha makes her super popular and she quickly climbs the ranks of sorority politics and popularity. But little does she know that the adorable mascot is more than a pet: it's a killing machine. As sorority sisters begin to die, it quickly becomes apparent who -- or what -- is behind the killings, and there seems to be no stopping the wild sloth from amassing a large body count.

This is a concept film: not a high concept film but rather a low concept film and somewhat similar to low(er) common denominator films like Cocaine Bear and all of the various low budget “killer animal/creature” films that are out there. It’s also kind of reminiscent also of the recently released Megan in that the film follows the pairing of a person and a seemingly innocent thing, only to have that thing, here a sloth rather than a robot, take up the habit killing people. And this is no ordinary sloth. It can drive, wield swords, spike drinks, and do a whole lot more than to just slice and dice with its almost Freddy Kreuger-like claws. If that sounds fun, well, then, Slotherhouse is for you.

The film is replete with shallow and vapid characters, but that’s kind of the point. It labors to set the stage in the opening act by exploring “sorority life” as it may be (including following the trend of so many recent films by dropping phone screen captures onto the screen to show “dialogue” and “interaction” as such things are in 2024), and it is not until the night of the “Candidate Mixer” and the progress through time after the somewhat grating introductory matter that things really start to push forward toward the movie’s main end, which is, of course, for the sloth to eliminate all of the snotty and unlikable girls, and some of the more “likable” one as well, in variously gruesome and quote-unquote comedic manners. It starts “innocently” enough with Alpha spiking a girls’ drink, but it quickly becomes something far grislier to finisher her off. And such is the case for much of the movie. It’s rated PG-13, so don’t expect buckets of blood, but do expect to be creeped out by the sloth, which moves just robotically and weirdly enough to send chills down the spine and send messages of general unease to the mind and heart, too.

Slotherhouse Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Gravitas Ventures releases Slotherhouse to Blu-ray on a 25GB burned BD-R disc. The picture looks quite good overall. The film was digitally captured and translates very well to 1080p, offering abundantly crisp and clear imagery that often appears to just about push the format to its limits, especially in some of the bright, zesty, early film exteriors where clarity abounds, and the visual richness is such that audiences can soak in every blotch of makeup and skin textures available. Here, colors are amplified for impact, just a little, to really allow the colorful clothing the girls wear to leap off the screen with extravagant push. Every tone is bold and lights up the screen. The film shifts darker for its second and third acts and is more bathed in blues and grays and blacks in the final act. Here, clarity is lessened by the darkness, but one can still see the sharp structure through the bleaker elements. Black levels are solid with no significant push to crush. Whites are bold and bright, and skin appears true. The image is host to a little bit of noise, even in some of the better lit interiors, but it never goes heavy even in the dark final act. There is mild banding to be seen a few times, but such issues are never prevalent. Overall, this is a good transfer from Gravitas Ventures.

Slotherhouse Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a well-rounded listening experience. The track is not extraordinary by any means, but it delivers all of the essential elements with impressive faithfulness, clarity, and spacing. Music is very clear, very accurate, and very smooth with seamless presentation in the fronts and a healthy and effortless back wrap that is always in proper balance. Various atmospheric effects, whether general din at a party or falling rain at the 34-minute mark, always immerse the listener in various location specifics. Light ambience is rich and pleasing, too, to draw the audience into the sorority house. Action elements are always piercing and aggressive but hold to critical clarity. Dialogue is clear, center positioned, and well prioritized for the duration.

Slotherhouse Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Slotherhouse contains no supplemental content. The main menu screen features a static image with score overlaid. Screen options include "Play" and "Subtitles." No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

Slotherhouse Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Slotherhouse will satisfy genre fans looking for a corny, yet still well made, movie about a sloth massacring sorority sisters. It's as ridiculous as it sounds, and one need have the right mindset going in, but viewers looking for cheesy, tongue-in-cheek horror that's attuned to the needs of fringe movie audiences should find this one to be very satisfying. Gravitas Ventures releases the film to Blu-ray without bonus features but with hearty video and a hefty audio presentation. Recommended for genre fans; for anyone who things this sounds "dumb" or lazy" or "not up their alley" will find the film to be so, but those drawn to the title and concept will likely enjoy it quite a bit.