Almost every character must avoid “death” if they want to survive in horror, whether it takes on the shape of a masked killer or a man-eating creature. It can even be an invisible presence and still cause shocking ends to whomever it targets. The proof is the opening of Final Destination Bloodlines, where crushed bodies and burning flesh make for a showstopping, fiery massacre. Victims getting knocked off in solo scenes can be unforgettable, but when horror gives audiences a bloodbath it can be an extravagant set piece and even help a subpar movie become so much better. This is true of Aquaslash (2019), which turns a waterpark into a death trap. Creative, schlocky, and created with practical effects, this summer-themed horror builds toward one of the best, most outrageous bloodbaths that you will see. Waterparks should be a safe, fun place to cool off, but once you go down the wrong slide in this movie, you will come out in pieces.
What Is ‘Aquaslash’ About?
Two teens sneak into Wet Valley Water Park one night and their hookup ends with them being attacked by a mysterious killer. The carnage isn’t over. It will get more inventive when the local high school graduates soon arrive. They take over the place to celebrate the end of school with a weekend-long farewell. No one is aware that a killer is in the area, they are too busy with personal problems. The couple that run the waterpark have agreed to an open marriage, and are getting involved with some of the graduates. The closest thing to a final boy is Josh (Nicolas Fontaine), who secretly hooks up with his ex behind her volatile boyfriend’s back. The petty drama of nearly everyone in the cast doesn’t have the same intensity as Euphoria, and it would have been a stronger movie if it did. But the bloodbath is where it gives horror fans what they want.
The Summer Horror in ‘Aquaslash’ Won’t Scare You
After the opening kill, violence looms over the graduates, even when no one dies before the gory finale. There is a drunken mishap at one of the pools, with smashed heads and broken glass. Josh finds out how angry his ex’s boyfriend can get. Aquaslash isn’t very long, coming out at barely more than an hour. What fills in that time, when there aren’t kills, is the summer aesthetic. It captures the seasonal bliss of the main location with shots of the graduates hitting the slides and the water splashing up to consume the screen. It can get you in the mood for summer, but with a “killer in a waterpark” premise, it needs to deliver on that. With some patience, the mysterious killer at Wet Valley decides on an absurd way to attack by rigging a water slide.
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They should’ve listened to their own tagline and gone home.
Recent bloodbaths in horror can include slashers, but not always. The town of Haddonfield will have numerous funerals in the aftermath of Halloween Kills. Acid rains onto hedonistic party-goers in The Fall of the House of Usher, ending with the sickening noises of their melted skin. The disappointing Texas Chainsaw Massacrefrom 2022 at least has the bus massacre, where influencers find out Leatherface doesn’t care about getting cancelled. How quickly life turns deadly is what makes these bloodbaths so memorable and Aquaslash has its turn with a waterpark. The killer places two large blades into one of three massive slides in Wet Valley, and the movie doesn’t reveal which one will soon dismember whoever goes down.
A Gory Surprise Is Waiting for the Cast in ‘Aquaslash’
The graduates climb to the top of the slides for a contest where teams try to reach the pool below the fastest for a cash prize. Despite the flaws of this movie, the finale gives you an extended scene of the pileup. Once you go down a waterslide, there are no brakes and the group of doomed graduates find that out. CGI blood can’t beat what practical effects can do.Aquaslash doesn’t waste one limb being severed. Slo-mo is used to watch the real props of sliced body parts finish the race. A head or torso tumbles down, with so much blood in the running water that it discolors the pool below. It’s a bonkers concept and the execution of the kills, in every sense of the word, is just as unhinged.
Aquaslash falls flat in sticking you among not-too-interesting graduates, and makes up for it with a descent that slides them right into a death trap. Horror fans might just come away thinking the rare statement: “I haven’t seen that before.” Summer-themed horror can get you nervous about campgrounds or oceans. Now waterslides might be on that list. No one is left untouched in Aquaslash. If someone isn’t cut to pieces, they are soaked in blood and chlorine.
