Santa Claus and wannabe Suicide Girls vs Krampus, what’s not to love? Cosplaying in a dilapidated old amusement park, a gang of young ladies find themselves caught up in an ancient battle between naughty and nice when they happen across Krampus himself. Luckily, Santa Claus is on hand to lend some backup to the Belles, dressed up like a Sons of Anarchy reject, but more than capable of kicking some ass on Krampusnacht.
Fans of creative low budget cinema should find plenty to enjoy in this tongue-in-cheek comedy horror film. While the lack of budget is obvious in both production values and performance, there’s an undeniable flair to Slay Belles‘ cheeky script and amusing story. While the individual performances leave something to be desired, director Dan Walker certainly achieves his aims in casting the Belles, all as beautiful and buxom as advertised by the title. One senses that many will give Slay Belles a free pass on the – ahem – “merits” of its Belles alone, which is most likely what Walker and his producers were hoping for.
Which isn’t to say that there isn’t some genuine talent in front of the camera. Barry Bostwick is a treat as Biker Santa, and even if the film can’t match his performance with a budget or the fight scenes he deserves, he steals the show anyway. Together, Bostwick and the Belles almost manage to make up for the slightly krappy-looking Krampus and the low-rent action. It also falls into the classic indie trap of saving money by having all of its characters trapped in one location together for an extended period of time, screaming and shouting the minutes away.
But flaws or not, Slay Belles is one of the better low-budget Krampus movies out there; leaps and bounds better than almost anything else with ‘Krampus’ in the title (Krampus itself being the wonderful exception). Santa Claus and wannabe Suicide Girls vs Krampus. What’s not to love? As it happens, quite a lot, but there’s still plenty to like.
SLAY BELLES / CERT: UNRATED / DIRECTOR: DAN WALKER / SCREENPLAY: JESSICA LUHRSSEN, DAN WALKER / STARRING: BARRY BOSTWICK, KRISTINA KLEBE, SUSAN SLAUGHTER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
