Patrick Lussier

  • Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever (2012)

    Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever (2012)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, October 2021) I’m not sure why I’d willingly watch a documentary about slasher horror films, considering that I despise the genre—but I’m always up to hear directors, screenwriters and actors talk about craft. Then again, I suppose that I’m not above some occasional hate-watching, especially considering how I know more about the genre than some of its fans. As the title Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever suggests, this is not a critical documentary—by fans for fans, it talks to cast and crew (but not critics!) and doesn’t dig deep in celebrating the genre. Whatever depth it has is in encyclopedic knowledge: The schematic nature of the film starts with an overview of the genre’s history (starting with Psycho, then going to the heavy hitters of the 1980s), then tackles genre-specific topics such as the villains, how to survive a slasher, why there are so many sequels and remakes, what makes the best kills, or the final girls. There is occasionally a bit of perspective from some of the interviewees (Patrick Lussier and Corey Feldman both make a few pointed observations), but not all that much—it’s not particularly pleasant to hear interviewees extol the feminist virtues of “the final girls” while conveniently ignoring the dozens of victims (usually women) killed before that point. Copious footage from the films (although some are unexplainably illustrated by stills—rights issues?) illustrates the matters being discussed. Obviously a low-budget production, director Calum Waddell uses an overall graphic design that feels ugly and amateurish, framing the interviews (which are not always of very high visual quality—probably an artifact of rushing to capture footage) in awkward ways. As a slasher documentary, Slice and Dice is exactly what it wants to be—an affectionate look at the genre from a chorus of sympathetic voices, put together with a low-budget and plenty of good intentions. It’ll do if you want an overview of the genre, but don’t go there if you want a critical perspective.

  • My Bloody Valentine (2009)

    My Bloody Valentine (2009)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (In French, On Cable TV, April 2020) Sigh… what is there to say about this My Bloody Valentine remake? As a teen slasher reboot that boasts of its 3D cinematography, it’s like a fusion of every single bad idea that infected Hollywood circa 2009. It’s visually slick, of course (director Patrick Lussier was already a decade-old veteran of medium-budget horror films at that time), but predictably even less engaging than the original. The plot is the same slasher plot except (as the title tells you) transposed around Valentine’s Day. Clearly aping the original, My Bloody Valentine plays up the villain-with-a-gas-mask imagery far more than the original itself. The gleefully unsubtle early-3D-revival cinematography of the film (which came out a year before Avatar) is incredibly intrusive on a 2D screen, which bode poorly for the film’s future reputation now that 3D TVs are on their way out. It’s all aggressively mediocre, especially for a slasher, but it’s not really meant to be anything else than a thriller for teens so who’s going to care? I have a feeling, though, that this version of My Bloody Valentine may age into something like camp in a decade or so, with the 3D cinematography being so over-the-top and combined with 1980s-style gore effects that it may play more as a comedy for horror fans than a horror film. But time will tell.