Slasher - Season One

Honoring the horror movies of yore seems to be an ever-growing trend on the small screen these days. And with a plot lifted from "Scream 4" and a slew of other bloody films, "Slasher: Season One" isn't all that original. This review of the 2-disc Scream Factory Blu-ray is based on a viewing of episodes one through four.

Sarah (Katie McGrath) has just returned to her sleepy hometown of Waterbury hoping to bury the secrets of her past. As seen in the thrilling opening 10-minutes of "Slasher's" pilot episode, back in 1998 Sarah's parents were violently murdered by someone dressed as an executioner. Flash forward to 2016 and Sarah moves into her late parent's home to discover the truth behind their deaths.

Everyone in "Slasher" is a suspect as suddenly, the masked Executioner is back, hacking certain townsfolk to pieces using a seven deadly sins method.

"Slasher" wants to have its cake and eat it too. While it tries to be an in-depth look at the secrets of a small town and a mystery about a serial killer, the sometimes overly violent show gives in to the horror movie clich�s of characters splitting up and running upstairs instead of out the front door. "Slasher" also pays tribute to so many horror films that it gets lost in any originality the eight-episode series could have.

There are some highlights, however. The requisite gay characters in "Slasher" aren't stereotypes and non-lead actors (such as Wendy Crewson as Sarah's grandmother) gives the show some depth.

On disc two, there's a 15-minute behind-the-scenes featurette which starts as a promo for "Slasher." The lone special feature on the Blu-ray then turns its attention to the actors in the show and asks them their favorite 1980s slasher movie and what 80s horror villain scared them the most. Jason, Freddy, and Michael get mentioned by the actors and the Executioner in "Slasher" can't hold a candle to those 80s horror icons.

"Slasher - Season One"
Blu-ray
$27.99
www.shoutfactory.com