"Slotherhouse: Lazy Death" – An absurd dream for fans of ridiculous movies

A distinct category in cinema is dedicated to movies "so bad they're good". Throughout the history of cinema, we've seen "gems" like "Troll 2", "The Room", "Anaconda", the works of Ed Wood, and the "Sharknado" series earn this label. "Slotherhouse: Lazy Death", a comedy horror film that has been playing in cinemas since October 27th, is the latest addition to this list. It is as mindlessly entertaining as the previously mentioned titles.

With such a ludicrous concept, it's challenging to classify this film any other way. The title character - a sloth, goes about slaying young girls on a university campus. This animatronic animal is sophisticated enough to operate a smartphone like a savvy influencer, drive a sports car as good as "Fast and Furious" characters, and tamper with the drinks of its victims like a thriller psychopath.

The ostensibly slow and sweet pet, aptly named Alpha, is a unique mix of Chucky, the Terminator, and Predator. Despite its homicidal instincts, the character is charming enough that viewers might find themselves rooting for it to restore order to the sorority house riddled with rivalry and envy.

The film does not fall short of self-aware kitsch and features clichéd heroines whose characters are lampooned by Director Matthew Goodhue and screenwriter Bradley Fowler to deliver humor through well-worn slasher clichés.

The film includes stereotypical blondes, mean brunettes, "inspiring" speeches during life-threatening situations, and of course, the final girl. "Slotherhouse: Lazy Death" follows the classic shtick of mixing horror and humor, giving horror cinema fans plenty of nods towards favorites like "Halloween" and "The Shining".

As an antidote to mainstream Hollywood horrors like the new "Exorcist" or ostentatiously ambitious works such as "Speak to Me", it's refreshing to see movies that embrace their bad entertainment factor, a la "Killer Bimbos". Walking into the theater with low expectations never hurts, and "Slotherhouse: Lazy Death" might pleasantly surprise you. However, a notable downside is the scarce violence scenes as well as the "Mean Girls" inspiration, which doesn't always serve the film's slasher premise.

Nevertheless, out of all the horror offerings in Polish cinemas at the moment, this film stands out. Although this may not be a compliment to the genre itself, during a drought, it's satisfactory.