As far as calling backs to the golden ages of slasher films, 'Aquaslash' does a pretty good job of walking the line between out dated troupes and homages. With excessive female nudity and heavy drug use, this has all the perfect ingredients to make a late 90's/ early 2000's 'Slasher'... except the major oversight that 'Aquaslash' infact does very minimal slashing.
Considering the simple premise and overall amateur tone of this movie, there are some pretty great film making moments on display. The cinematography and direction features some great utilisation of droan based camera work, showcasing the nostalgia that comes with the waterpark set location. And although, writer and director Renaud Gauthier has just a couple of full feature productions to his name, I'm curious to see what came before this, and what he may do next within the horror genre.
The casting is adequate enough. Granted, no one is going to win any awards for their performances, but each actor manages to hold their own. There is no denying that each one of them falls in to the stereotypical slasher character tropes that have been established throughout the history of the subgenre, yet that's not to say this is a bad thing. With Nicolas Fontaine as lead - a slightly outcast cool band member Josh, and his even less cooler best friend who follows his lead Chad played by Cameron Geller, as well as Lanisa Dawn taking on the 'Final girl' role of Kimberley. Each one of these characters finely balance the parody-esque nature of their characters without being unrealistic with their personalities.
There is one particular scene here that I would consider as the entire focus of this film. Taking an hour to get there and with only an hour and 10 minute run time, I can only assume that at one point or another this was a short film that focused on this climax and has been extended in order to bulk out a feature length production. And as much as I enjoyed this final pay off, it unfortunately felt slightly anticlimactic for a film I had expected to play out like a slasher and it is disappointingly the only moment of genuine horror.
Overall, 'Aquaslash' is still a rather enjoyable movie. I think my own expectations for what this film should, or could, have been, caused more harm to it than the movie itself. The practical effects used in the closing act are really impressive and the overall story arc provided a satisfying conclusion to my investment. I can't say it is something I would watch again but I would certainly recommend those who haven't seen it to give it a try.
💀💀1/2
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