The Horror Show
Flay
by Eric Pham
Flay is what happens when someone takes a well known character and shoves it deep within a story where it does not fit. I described it to a friend as “a Slenderman movie that isn't a Slenderman movie.” He responded, “What?” I said, “Exactly.” This movie is nothing but a whole mess of what.
I guess I should at least give you a brief backstory for what Slenderman started out as and I really should address the Wakesha Stabbing. Slenderman began as an entry to the Something Awful forum's photoshop contest. He was created by Eric Knudsen in 2009 and from there his lore evolved naturally: a faceless boogieman with tentacles that comes for children. After the birth of the creepypasta, a lot of people started to create their own Slender works. Video games like Slender: The Eight Pages, YouTube series like Marble Hornets, and a plethora of fan art began popping up everywhere. Slendy was beloved and feared like some kind of bizarre celebrity. The character gained notoriety and things got weird. Wakesha, Wisconsin, 2014: a twelve year old girl was near-fatally stabbed by two of her friends. The reason? The two friends wanted to get Slenderman's attention so they lured the victim to the woods and stabbed her multiple times, leaving her for dead. Luckily, the little girl was found and was able to make a recovery. This creepypasta went from famous to infamous in a blink. Hollywood couldn't wait to turn this monster on to the big screen. In my opinion, none of them have been good, including this one. Warning: Here there be spoilers.
Flay is about a brother and sister dealing with the death of their drug addicted mother's death. It's also how Slenderman was originally a Native American shaman who had his face removed. Go ahead, say it. What? Exactly. Junkie Mom is picking up a box of stuff to use in her art from A. Michael Baldwin, who any horror fan knows as Mike from Phantasm. Don't get used to him. He's only in this scene, two or three more in the film, and one after credit thing. He leaves her for a moment and she steals some chain that has a terrible effect added to it. I can only describe it as when you look through gas fumes. It's all wavy and really unnecessary. The music told me it was evil, you don't have to go all wavy gravy. This chain was the chain used to bind the shaman as the white man cut off his face. He haunts the chain. Junkie Mom uses a link of the chain in a painting. He didn't like it, so he kills her. Enter in Moon, the estranged daughter. She is back in her hometown to look after her mom's estate and her brother, River, who is a dick bag. His friends are worse and his girlfriend is a waste of breath. River's girlfriend steals pieces of the chain to make the ugliest jewelry to give to her friends. The shaman is pissed people keep yankin' his chain. He goes on a rampage, dead Junkie Mom in tow. He kills a driver's ed teacher. He follows River and his shitty friends to their house.
There's a weird trope in this movie where Slendershaman is seen in puddles of liquid. It was a stupid trope and sometimes I never saw anything in the puddles. It feels like someone forgot to edit them in. Everybody spills something, everybody dies, and River is taken to Slenderland. Moon goes to get him and we see the worst acted scene ever! It shows how the shaman lost his face and was drowned. His face came off in one piece. I can't even peel a potato that well. I call bullshit. Then the drowning! Oh my god. His face never touches the water. The water barely splashes! It's so bad! River gets out. Moon is dead. Credits roll. After the roll, there is a scene that is a piss poor nod to the great Angus Skrimm and the end of almost every Phantasm.
Flay was a bad film that had the potential to be a fun movie. I love the idea of the shaman getting revenge. I don't like the idea of him being Slenderman. I didn't like all the digital effects that could have been done better with practical or were not needed at all. It felt like someone got After Effects for Christmas. The acting wasn't bad. River's girlfriend was terrible. Moon was good. Her cop ex-boyfriend was great. I liked him and Moon the best. It was well directed. It falls short with the writing. Oh man, this would have made for a great movie about the Wendigo. The shaman curses the families of the ones who harmed his people and stole his face or maybe it's not a shaman killed, but the woman he loved. He calls upon the curse of the Wendigo. Boom. Fixed your story.
Inserting in an outdated creepypasta that now is associated with the stabbing of a child might not be a good idea. There were so many ways you could have gone with this. It was super disappointing. I do not recommend this at all. Super dull story that left me with a huge question. Where in all of the afterlife did a native shaman get a three-piece suit? I am baffled. If you still want to try this out for yourself, Flay is on VOD as of April 2nd.
HMS received an advanced screener of this film in exchange for review.
Robin Thompson, HMS
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