For the first time in its history, extreme Japanese game show $la$her$ hosts an All-American special, throwing open the doors of its gore-drenched arena to six plucky U.S. contestants who must fight for survival against a trio of blood-thirsty killers for the chance to win a fortune in prize money.Going by the terrible UK DVD cover that simply screamed 'worthless garbage', my expectations for this low budget horror were set extremely low, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that that I actually enjoyed the film on more than one level...On one hand, $la$her$ is an enjoyably silly splatter flick—an over the top parody of extreme game shows that delivers a significant level of tension, genuinely well-executed jump scares, cheap and cheerful decapitations and dismemberment aplenty, and just a smidge of female nudity—all of which makes it a fun film to down a few beers to.However, for those looking for something a little more cerebral, the film also offers some wry satire that takes swipes at such subjects as today's celebrity culture, the depths to which people will sink to make a buck, and the hypocrisy of religion. Much of this humour is derived from the film's superb villains: Preacherman (Neil Napier), who kills in the name of God; Dr. Ripper (Christopher Piggins), who encourages the female contestants to get topless to boost their popularity; and Chainsaw Charlie (Napier again, in a dual role), an inbred redneck who is 'just doing his job'.Although production values are very low, the whole movie being shot on digital video on a flimsy set constructed from hardboard and plastic sheeting, the cheap look and feel actually works in the film's favour, effectively capturing the poor quality and style of many a tacky Japanese game-show.

I loved this movie! It's really not particularly scary, but even though I'm a real horror fan I have not a single bad thing to say about this movie! It even made me jump in my couch a couple of times.When it started I was wondering if it was a comedy/horror, but it's not.. It's just VERY amusing and entertaining. The actors are really good, even though none of the are well known actors. There are the stereo type characters we seen in bad quality horror movies, but in this setting it works perfectly. I must also say that the ending was somehow a surprise, even though I kinda expected something like that to happen. More than that I will not say. I'm must also add that I love all horror film involving game shows, and I love Asian horror movies, so this was the perfect match!Highly recommended!

6 people (Sarah Joslyn Crowder, Kieran Keller, Tony Curtis Blondell and more) have agreed to be a part of a Japanese reality show in which they are locked in a creepy house and stalked and killed by 3 sickos (a wonderful performance by Neil Napier and an alright job by Christopher Piggins). Whoever gets out alive wins millions and millions of dollars. But who will get out alive? Maurice Devereaux does a much better job at writing than directing. The script is surprisingly original and smart.The film is filled with bad actors. However, there are a few gems in here: Kieran Keller, who has done nothing and has nothing planned was actually pretty good IMO, and Tony Curtis Blondell is up and rising. But the best, IMO, was Neil Napier, who played 2 killers very well.Out of all the "Reality Show" horrors, this is one of the better ones, along side with "My Little Eye" and Kolobos.

I picked this movie up without much expectation -- I saw 'Fangoria' on the cover and thought I'd give them a chance to scare or freak me out. This is not the kind of horror that will make you fear the dark again but is more accurately described in some reviews as satire. This movie was every bit as fun as the bubble-gum pop theme song suggests. Many low budget choices were so appropriate to the setting and feel, and so well executed that they shouldn't have been done any other way. The gore effects were liberal with blood and so apparently fake that they contributed to the charm.This movie was so full of personality that even the camera was a character, one who was always present, but because of good action pacing managed to remain inconspicuous until one of the other characters addressed him. The cast of competitors were personable enough and watchable enough (though some become more watchable with their shirts off,) in spite of their weaker acting. But good horror relies on the strength of good villains, which Slashers had. Each Slasher had their comic-bookish personal style of WWF ranting and fun-park menace, backed up by their signature weapons, of course, and made the most of their screen time, hamming it up and thrilling their fans. Even bad dialog would be good for these subjects, but it was all delivered with such flair and enthusiasm by Neil Napier and Christopher Piggins that they were a pleasure to see every time they crawled, sometimes literally, out of the woodwork.