Slasher is a horror/mystery show that follows a new case/new cast every season. The first season, subtitled The Executioner, follows Sarah Bennett, played by the brilliant Katie McGrath, and her husband Dylan, played by Brandon Jay McLaren, after they return to Waterbury, Canada, a town with a dark past. Sarah’s parents were murdered before she was born (the death scenes are gruesome and yes, that’s how she was born, it’s awful). But despite this horrific past, she and Dylan are coming back to town because the house is empty and they want a fresh start and figure the past is in the past. Almost immediately, bad things begin to happen. The neighbour is horrible to Sarah, she finds shocking videos of her parents in the basement, and then a copycat killer begins hunting townsfolk. Each new murder takes on the theme of one of the Seven Deadly Sins and the storylines unravel the mystery of the town and everyone’s secrets. Pretty much everyone turns out different than you’d expect and there were some serious shocks.
Sarah was definitely my favourite, but I also really loved the character of Robin. Robin and his husband are old friends with Sarah and welcome her back with open arms. Cam, another friend and now one of the police, is also delighted she’s back in town. His wife June is far less thrilled. Sarah spends most of her scenes with Dylan, Cam or Robin. Dylan, Sarah’s husband, was a more complicated character and sometimes I found him frustrating, but he was a good husband to Sarah. He’s the editor-in-chief at the local paper and is very hungry for success, often taking things too far, but he’s not irredeemable.
I thought Katie McGrath was absolutely brilliant in this and she totally stole every scene she was in! I’ve loved her since Merlin and she’s just so captivating. The character of Sarah was wonderfully complex and I rooted for her the entire time. She’s one of the best final girls of horror and was very capable and intelligent. I thought Brandon Jay McLaren and Christopher Jacot were fantastic as well.
Now, fair warning, this show is a gore fest. I looked away a good few times as the show isn’t shy with its gruesome scenes and there’s only so much I can take. But overall the mystery was very interesting and the cast were great! And I love watching shows set in Canada. ♥
On to season two!
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