Starring Lily Berlina (the Slasher girl), Scott Javore (the Bait), and Adam Lesar (the Killer), Night of the Slasher is written and directed by Shant Hamassian, produced by Adam Lesar, Eve Constance, and Shant Hamassian. Cinematography by Eli Tahan, Visual FX by Alessandro Schiassi & Michaelangelo Frisoni, and Music by Simon Michel. The short film will play three screenings at SXSW 2016.
Night of the Slasher is a ‘shot-in-one-take’ film about a teenage girl who must commit horror movie sins in order to lure a masked killer so she can exact revenge.
Shant Hamassian’s short film sensation Night of The Slasher has competed in Oscar qualifiers, won over 30 awards and is about to play at this year’s SXSW festival where it will be pitched for a feature length flick. “For years, I kept running into closed doors, but now SXSW has opened a big one! But it’s not just a financial investment we are seeking, but an investment and trust in the vision and in myself,” explained director Shant Hamassian.
What this short does so well, aside from being shot in one amazing take which is absolutely mind-blowing when you consider it’s 12-minute runtime, is that it looks gorgeous and in no way does it look like it was filmed in one simultaneous shot. There’s a segment where the masked killer is pursuing our victim in the kitchen and keeps disappearing only to pop up in another location to spring towards our lead. There’s one moment where the killer is crouching while rapidly running towards this chick where I burst out laughing. It was hysterical. I’ve never seen an action sequence filmed in this way.
Night of The Slasher is an accomplishment in that it shows Hamassian’s talents as a director and they are extremely promising but it’s also a genre bending thrill ride. Both hilarious and thrilling, this short film is a must-see. I like the idea that this poor girl is forced to accomplish a list of tasks of horror movie sins (aka stuff dumb shits do in scary movies that get them killed). This concept is ripe for feature film exploration and Night of The Slasher will no doubt get it’s chance for a longer runtime after SXSW 2016. Hamassian’s choice to have the killer wear a Leonard Nimoy mask is genius in itself too. Eat your heart our Michael Myers – there’s a new badass in town.
Rating: [star rating=”5″]
Twitter: @tonightiskiller
Facebook: facebook.com/nightoftheslasher
