‘Slasher: Flesh & Blood’ Recap – ‘Thicker Than Water’ & ‘The Sins of the Father’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the premiere of ‘Slasher: Flesh & Blood’.
​
It is definitely safe to say, that our modern world puts a lot of stock in the nature and the power of family. Because we firmly believe that family has a huge influence on how the future of our society is developed. For when kids are raised right and taught the right moral lessons, they will indeed grow up to be productive members of society, the kind that contribute and lead good lives and in turn, hopefully raise their own quality family to let the cycle continue. Which is why family is often portrayed in cinema and television and print, in such a positive light, to reinforce its importance and to keep the belief that family is a wonderful thing, going. To the point where stories that feature an ‘off-kilter’ family, eventually see them reunite and heal because the power of this notion can fix anything. But while that definitely makes for feel good stories and indeed motivates us to think upon the good times in our upbringing, this is sadly the wrong way to view the family unit.
​
Because the fact of the matter is, not all families are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Sometimes they feature parents that are awful human beings that never should have kids in the first place, and they’re manipulative and twisted and the only reason their children turn out okay, is because they don’t ever want to be as disgusting as their parents. If anything, this is a reality that needs to be put on display more often, so that people can understand that sometimes, being the good person that the world wants to see more of, comes out of choice over environment and that could in turn motivate more people to abandon the trappings of their past and embrace a better tomorrow and really, all of this is relevant to our discussion today… simply because the dark side of the family dynamic and its impact upon us, is explored in great detail in the premiere of Slasher: Flesh & Blood.

A feat that ‘Thicker Than Water’ and ‘The Sins of the Father’ accomplishes, by introducing us to the enigmatic and eccentric Galloway family. One that’s outright weirdness stems from a great deal of trauma that was created by the family’s patriarch, Spencer. Who also happens to be a tycoon and uses his wealth and nasty demeanor to control people to do his bidding… and when we catch up with the family on their private island in these particular tales, Spencer is dropping his ultimate power play on the fam. For he reveals to all of them, that he is dying of stage four cancer and will be ending his own life on his own terms before this reunion weekend comes to a close and well, rather than go through a traditional will and testament process once he’s passed, Spencer decides that the best way to handle the fate of his vast fortune and the future of his company… is to force his heirs to fight for it. Which means they’ll all be subjected to a weekend of painful and twisted competitions to see who is worthy to own the Galloway empire, but there is just one problem when it comes to their quest. In that, a strange murderer is with them on the island this weekend and this individual has plans to wipe out the Galloway family and now it will be up to this sour and broken family to figure out a way to survive or let their differences help the killer divide and conquer. 

---

Which is… an incredibly detailed plot to inject into a slasher themed story, but that’s what this series is known for, thoughtful stories that are filled to the brim with depth and well, it doesn’t take long for this series to establish the themes we just discussed. For this family provides the viewer with some fascinating perspective on how choice plays into who we become, since Spencer’s immediate heirs are quite the ugly bunch, the kind that have indeed been manipulated and broken by their father’s machinations and chose a darker path in his mold out of the belief that they had no choice. Whereas their children are quite the opposite, and full of logic and kindness because they see through the garbage that Spencer sent their parents way and they aspire to be more than their bitter and broken parents and that leads to some supremely unique moments and interactions. The kind that challenge the characters in a dynamic manner since they are forced to choose between good and evil often and what’s wild is the depth doesn’t end with that fascinating concept.
​
For this is a story that uses the Galloway fortune and its trappings to explore the power of consumerism and money and how it corrupts a person’s soul. Because the competition in question, does tend to bring out the worst in some of the family members, to the point where they get a little evil at the prospect of inheriting a ridiculous sum of money and well, this is perhaps the most direct and simple exploration in the show, but a welcome one none the less since it is timely and relevant. But while it is indeed wonderful to settle in and enjoy a horror story that is filled to the brim with fascinating depth and meaning, we are of course here to see blood and guts and twisted moments, and these opening chapters offer that up as well. Since both episodes are filled to the brim with stunning and cringe-worthy gore, and it also features the savagery of man in a manner that only a slasher story can and to top it all off… this aspect of the story features one heck of a mystery as well, since we are dying to know the true identity of the killer, and why they’re so eager to punish the Galloways.

In the end, all of these elements make this a brilliant premiere for certain. Because this is an incredibly deep horror story, one filled to the brim with incredible commentary and intelligence, and it deserves our awe for all of the concepts it leaves us chewing upon. Plus, you can’t go wrong with quality kills, the kind that utterly leave you squirming in your seat with savagery, and it also doesn’t hurt, that this sucker features a horror legend in the cast as well. For it is David Cronenberg that plays the enigmatic and cruel Spencer Galloway and he offers up a performance so cold and so cunning that you instantly hate the character with a fire that is likely only rivaled by his very own family and well, all of these elements simply suck you in and leave you hungry for more and it will be quite interesting to see where this story takes us in the weeks to come as the Galloway family works to survive the evil that lurks outside their posh mansion, and the one that’s wrapped in the guise of family. Until next time.  

---