The Slayers: Portrait of a Dismembered Family (2014)

Extreme Horror Cinema is a wonderful place with an exciting flow of new films coming through and you never know what will be next. With the second half of 2014 there have been some amazing filmic experiences, promises and possibilities to explore in the next couple of months and one of these is The Slayers: Portrait of a Dismembered Family. Investigating the thread and the links supplied I knew here lay something with a grand possibility!

Our film hails from the UK with it being the debut of filmmaker Alex Poray. Becoming friends with Alex on Face Book I mentioned what I felt about his film The Slayers and he offered the online screener for me to experience, enjoy and to naturally share my experiences on it!

Patrick is a disturbed young man with a secret to share! Involving a documentary team they set out to create a film on the events that transpires in the death of a young woman, Anna. Through interviews and apparently real life footage we go into this experience of what transpired.

Is Patrick a money hungry status or is The Slayer Family truly a demented family of Satanists and cannibalistic killers?

The Slayers: Portrait of a Dismembered Family (2014) is a mocumentary that takes the viewer on a thought provoking journey with what truly transpired as we go deeper into Alex’s debut of this young man telling a tale of diabolic horror.

For me Alex succeeded quite well with what he was after with this debut!

I experienced what could of easily been this documentary on a guy who obviously has his problems both mentally along with chemically as in drug addiction. This question arises throughout of is this true, that his family is a murderous group of Satan worshippers or is this all in Patrick’s head and he is just trying to get rich by creating this story that obviously will sell due to who his father is. Events played around in my head as I experienced this farther on concurrent viewings.

Each character is well portrayed by the actors in each case. Both physically as well as personality wise! Especially the patriarch of the Slayers family, Stanley! When we get him as his public image he is just that, this person who takes what he does seriously. Then we get the madness and satanic slaughter side, amazing! Especially with the eyes, the window to the soul! Everyone here did a great job in their roles; we get a family of diabolic miscreants!

Death and destruction eventually take Anna we are lead to believe and this was well done pardon the pun!

Tormented by her captors until the time comes for the apparent sacrifice then consumption. Drugged, battered, including being buried alive; she is put through misery! Then the moment arrives; Stanley standing over her with dagger in hand, the blade drops down and the scene pauses! This whole look is really effective, there is the dynamic at play that feels powerful! I felt done this way it was more effective then just a plunge into her sternum, though this would have looked great as well but that pause in time spoke to me. My one complaint at first, and one I mentioned to Alex, wanting to see the chainsaw cut her thighs off. But on re-watching I understood why we didn’t get to experience it…there actually is a reason as mentioned at the start of the mocumentery! But we do get blood, guts and gore; it looks really great, I loved the texture and colour of it!

Is Patrick a drug addict with mental issues and an obsession with death out to make a quick buck and fame for himself or is Stanley and the Slayer Family a coven of witches, Satanists and cannibals using their good name to hide a diabolic, murderous side? This is the question that sticks with this viewer throughout the experience that is The Slayers: Portrait of a Dismembered Family. For me in the end there were some clues that quite possibly Patrick was taking advantage of his family humouring him to get a quick buck and fame. But then there are instances throughout the film where my mind was saying yes there is more than a possibility of Stanley being a Warlock and a patriarch of diabolic doings! When the time comes go experience Alex Poray’s vision and decide for your self.