‘Everyone’s getting slaughtered in the pub tonight!’
Slaughtered – original title: Schooner of Blood – is a 2008 Australian slasher horror film written, produced and directed by Kate Glover (co-producer of I Am Not a Serial Killer; 47 Meters Down). It stars Chloé Boreham, Christopher Tomkinson, and Steven O’Donnell.
Plot:
When a new worker joins the group of bar staff, tensions starts to rise and so too does the body count, as something horrifying is lurking beneath them in the cellar…
Reviews:
“The plot is threadbare and the resolution is lacking, but the low-budget urgency to capitalize on a nifty location is milked for all it is worth. Seemingly every inch of the bar is given a set piece and the script has fun with the assorted elements that can be used for murder, ranging from traditional weaponry to keg taps.” Horror Talk
” …sadly the directing and staging are very flat. The movie is very, very low budget, which explains the acting that ranges from almost okay to totally unconvincing, but doesn’t explain the characters’ nonsense motivations and logic. Set ups are often incredibly obvious, and most of the kills lack flair.” Digital Retribution
“Despite successfully building up upon both the film’s characters (with the film’s first half spent upon their lives inside of working inside of the pub) and establishing a strong element of mystery upon who the killer could be […] Glover fails to establish any suspense or intrigue…” Letterboxd
“While Slaughtered, not sure the pun works in the title, is not going to make my top ten slasher list it’s still miles better than the standard outing in the sub-genre […] If you dig on slashers than hunt this one out, it works on its own terms, has an interesting enough situation, and pays homage to the classics, (one character is called Crazy Ralph).” Scary Minds
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“The pub was well lit which seems counter-intuitive for a drinking establishment, but the real problem was that the lighting quickly became garish and difficult to watch. It left little room for mood or atmosphere and little to the imagination that’s so critical for horror.” HNN
“Director Kate Glover employs the postmodern techniques of point of view, blackouts, slow motion, flash and jump cuts, and expressionist camera angles. Her framing is occasionally weak but she has a greater problem in presenting reality in her treatment, since the killings take place in a working pub with oblivious if inebriated customers. Performances are also troubling; however the narrative provides false shocks as well as real ones.” Peter Shelley, Australian Horror Films, 1973 – 2010, McFarland, 2012
“The build-up takes a bit to long. For about half an hour we have to listen to some guys who run a pub. Luckily after 30 minutes, the killer shows up to have some fun. His creepy looks make him an entertaining figure pretty quick and his scenes are pretty tensive. It’s a shame his weapon (some kind of hacksaw) doesn’t look really convincing…” The Gory One Liner
Trailer:
Release:
The film was first shown in the UK at the Film4 Fright on March 2008 and in 2009 at Grimmfest. It was released on DVD in the UK by Scanbox Entertainment on 31 May 2010. The US Vanguard Cinema DVD was released on November 28, 2011.
Main cast and characters:
Chloé Boreham … Jamie – Wolf Creek 2- Christopher Tomkinson … Bar Man
- Steven O’Donnell … Jack – Sharehouse Zombie Apocalypse TV Series; Undead
- Cassandra Swaby … Sarah – Bedlam
- James Kerley … Ash
- Erica Baron … Kirsty
- Tudor Vasile … Luke
- Roger Adam Smith … Crazy Ralph
- Robin Queree … Stan
- Michael Lewis … Jasper
- Marc Kay … Simon
- Curtis Oakeshouse … Tim
Production:
Initial shooting began in February 2007.
Film Facts:
Slaughtered should not be confused with Anthony Doublin’s 2008 American film of the same name.
