Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Bloody vampire comedy is also a sharp social media satire.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Slayers
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SLAYERS, Elliot Jones (Thomas Jane) became a vampire hunter after losing his teen daughter to a bloodsucker. Now he's on the trail of Steven Rektor (Adam Ambruso), a powerful, centuries-old vampire illuminati. Elliot gets his big chance when Rektor and his wife, Beverly (Malin Akerman), invite an immensely popular group of social media influencers known as the Stream Team, to their spacious compound. Elliot tries to warn the streamers -- who include Jack (Jack Donnelly); Jack's fiancee, Liz (Lydia Hearst); Jack's gamer sister, Flynn (Kara Hayward); and party girl Jules (Abigail Breslin) -- about a potential trap. And, indeed, something fishy is going on involving a new vaccine that promises to make humans immune to all disease. With the others falling under the influence of Rektor's wealth and glamour, Flynn is the only one who believes Elliot. So it's up to the two of them to try to save humanity.
Is It Any Good?
Though it's fairly shallow and exceedingly busy, this fun horror-comedy uses an old-style movie hero to cheerfully skewer social media and all its foibles, with vampires thrown in for good measure. Slayers starts off at full-speed with tons of images and graphics flying at viewers while explaining the history of vampires and vampire hunters. Fortunately, it's accompanied by the snarling, seen-it-all voice of Jane's Elliot Jones, who's in the same mold as Kurt Russell's Jack Burton in Big Trouble in Little China. Elliot cuts through the chaos and establishes himself as our rock, an anchor we can trust.
The younger cast members are just as well-played, hyper-focused on image and branding but still coming across as humans with human concerns. Hayward's Flynn only winds up siding with Elliot because of her natural pessimism (she has a built-in pouty sneer), whereas the others are too easily blinded by money and fame. The handling of social media here feels dead-on, too, which isn't always easy to do. (Other influencers, commenting on the vampire chaos, are seen getting distracted by their own advertising.) The vampire stuff isn't terribly fresh or scary, but the movie's real concerns, i.e. digital disengagement, hit home vividly.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Slayers' violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
What does the movie have to say about social media? Are popular influencers idolized? Are they ridiculed? How?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes like to be scared?
How does the movie depict drinking, smoking, and vaping? Are they glamorized? Are there consequences? Why is that important?
What's interesting about vampires? Why do we still tell stories about them after so long?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 21, 2022
- On DVD or streaming : October 21, 2022
- Cast : Thomas Jane , Kara Hayward , Abigail Breslin
- Director : K. Asher Levin
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : The Avenue
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bloody violence, and language throughout
- Last updated : October 19, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate