Even though I enjoyed some aspects of MTV's new "Scream" series (minus the teen drama) and Ryan Murphy's "Scream Queens" on Fox was a guilty pleasure with more misses than hits, Chiller's first original series "Slasher" is everything they should have been. I'm not aware of who the creators are or what their horror pedigree is, but the first two episodes are the most "slasher-esque" out of any of the series previously mentioned. If the producers don't have a home shelf full of classic slasher titles, I'd never know, because "Slasher" feels like it was made by a fan, for fans.
The series, in classic slasher style, is set up to be a "whodunnit" (something its sister shows had in common), in which the audience will presumably discover the killer's identity in the season finale. But what makes the trip more bearable this time out is that, unlike MTV and Fox's offerings, we don't have to sit through a bunch of teenage angst and bad gags in between the mayhem. Whoever made the decision to have this story focus on adults (and I mean the house-owning kind, not the "I'm away at college" variety), the audience thanks you. Oh, the drama is there, but it's lacking the Dawson/Joey element.
As any effective slasher is only as good as its ability to create suspense, have a good amount of gore, and give us a menacing killer, the series pleasantly gets all of these crucial aspects right. We have ACTUAL suspense (P.S. young, pretty women in these things should never go out walking alone). The Executioner, the show's debut villain, is an imposing cross between the hook man in "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and Ghostface (he proves he can run).
Add in a nice machete kill that I was surprised made it past the censors, and there's your gore aspirations being met.
The cinematography is also worthy of mention, as it's even better than "Scream" or "Scream Queens." A Chiller TV series having better production values than a Ryan Murphy production on Fox? I almost didn't believe it myself.
Chiller scores a hit with its first original series, and the first two episodes breeze by leaving you wanting more (instead of checking your watch, something I did frequently during "Scream Queens" interminable two hour premiere). "Slasher" is a love letter to slasher fans, and the next few weeks are going to be quite a ride. Thanks, Chiller.
