Good Morning Lovelies, 

With an all-star British cast, Slaughterhouse Rulez, features some of the best names in home-grown acting. However, instead of hitting the nail on the head like Shaun of the Dead, the film becomes more Scooby-Doo and crew.

Finn Cole takes on the role of Donald Wallace, a very different character compared to his Peaky Blinders figure. Wallace is new to the area and enrols into an elite school, Slaughterhouse. Run by Michael Sheen’s headmaster, the school uses its land to raise money, allowing fracking to take place on the grounds. Yet, when a mining accident takes place allowing out of this world creatures to roam free, Wallace gathers those closest to him to help fight them off.

There is something about schools in films and TV that breed monsters. And no, I am not talking about the pupils. Give a story a young cast and most of the time the trouble starts in the hollow halls between classes. This is what makes Slaughterhouse a bit of a bore. With superb talent on board, the story could have gone anywhere, but it feels more like the characters lose their lust for the project about 30 minutes in.

It plays out in a mixture of both horror and comedy. Yet, the jokes fall flat with the over the top running around and screaming in which the students do. From the first look of the film’s posters, it comes across that it will be like Attack the Block, but sadly it is not like this. There are moments of long pauses, storylines getting lost in the unpredictable nature of the film. As moments begin to flow, the story uses old techniques that ruin them. Fart gags and suicide jokes fail and are not something many will find funny. However, there are some key elements that really work for the film.

All of which that lie with the cast. Asa Butterfield is on a role with his recent performances and it is his one in this that makes it worth watching. The same goes for Michael Sheen, whose horrid headmaster is perfect viewing.

Whilst it may not rule the screen or school-based features, Slaughterhouse Rulez is worth a watch for the casting alone. However, one viewing may just do the trick with this monster horror comedy. There so, I am giving it…