Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Slapface’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Slapface’.
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There is a prevailing belief in our society, that children are supremely resilient, and it makes sense as to why this belief exists. After all, if they get scraped up while playing outside, they heal quickly and they bounce back from illnesses, with no problem. Plus, since their brains aren’t fully developed and formed yet, they don’t have to worry about complex notions that impact adults, they can just forge ahead and not sweat the big stuff and well… what’s problematic about that line of thinking is that… only half of it is right. Because yes, children do indeed heal fast and rebound from viruses and bacteria, but their understanding of the world and of emotions is far greater than we ever knew, and we are just now starting to learn this… the hard way.
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For more and more, we are seeing children commit some seriously unsettling acts, the kind that are violent and unrestrained in nature and it is our desire to understand the root cause of these acts, that is allowing for us to uncover the reality about children and their emotional development. In that, they are far more in tune with their emotions than we give them credit, they simply don’t know how to properly understand and process the more negative ones and because they cannot fully reconcile them… they will in fact, lash out and harm others out of that frustration. Which in turn leaves the rest of us to wonder, how we help them process those emotions so that they steer clear of dark acts, and it just so happens… that the horror streaming service Shudder, is now host to a movie that offers answers to that question in a harrowing manner in Slapface.

Now in this particular film we are introduced to Lucas and Tom. A pair of brothers that have fallen upon tough times. For their parents perished in a violent accident a few years back and Tom is doing his best to try and keep some semblance of family life together for his baby brother. Which is why he cooks and works to keep a roof over their heads, and at times… he tries to bring women into the household to offer a motherly feel. But despite his best efforts to help Lucas live a normal life and find peace over what they’ve lost, Lucas is despondent more often than not and struggles to make friends and stay out of trouble and to complicate matters further… he is convinced that a new force has entered his life. One that is born out of the supernatural legend surrounding their town and his undying belief in this spirit will leave Tom wondering as to whether or not his brother has indeed tapped into something supernatural… or if something horrible is happening to Lucas’ mind.

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Which is a plot at first glance, seems mired more in the power of grief and loss and in many ways… the plot does indeed focus on that a plenty. After all, it is obvious early on in this film that Tom and Lucas don’t talk about their emotions or what happened to their parents. They instead stick to the status quo we outlined earlier and try to tough it out and if by chance they need to feel something, they resort to a horrible game of Slapface, wherein they quite literally smack each other in the face in a misguided attempt to shed their pain. But it is the grief and loss present in this story that is central to its greater themes. Because the fact of the matter is, Lucas is aware that he is feeling some horrible things, but since he cannot process or properly understand them… and is often disregarded and bullied for his lack of understanding… he struggles, and this is where the horror comes into play.
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Because those emotions boil over and manifest themselves in the form of the monster and while that seems to be nothing more than harmless imagination projection, once the violence starts toward those who displease Lucas or have picked on him or harmed him in some way, it becomes clear that he is channeling his anger and frustration. Making Lucas appear to some as a statistic of sorts, another youth lost to the lack of a family environment… when in fact, his downfall relates to the fact that he is constantly bullied and ostracized and insulted and he has to process that pain while trying to process the fact that his parents are dead. Which of course, leads to a powder keg moment. One that forces the viewer to ask if we are indeed seeing the work of a monster, or the work of an emotionally fragile child that needs more than ‘just suck it up’ as guidance.

If anything, this is simply a powerful horror film when all is said and done. Since it truly dives deep into a topic that few are willing to dive into, but we need to. Because it isn’t enough anymore to just say that kids are being moody or don’t get it. They do, and they need the help of adults to process what’s going on and they need guidance when they’re being picked on or bullied so they don’t feel lost or broken and so their emotions don’t well up, and this movie deserves a round of applause for using the best parts of horror to teach us those lessons in a uniquely unsettling manner. Because watching Lucas struggle and be bullied and turn to what is clearly evil for solace, really does leave the viewer uncomfortable. But going that route does hammer home the lesson and it stays with you for quite some time. So, if you’re ready to immerse yourself in a brilliant but disturbing world, one that truly tackles an important topic, then swing by Shudder when you have a chance and give this film a look.  

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