Popular reviews

• 

  Review by Christian Ryan ★★★ 2

  (or, Attack the Coastal Hamlet)

  I’ve shot a lot of goofy horror shorts with kids, and let me tell you, trying to coerce a performance from them that matches the one in my head can be an exhausting ordeal. When we first started, I’d shoot take after take of them repeating the same line until I was satisfied with the delivery. They’d whine and complain, but I’d put the squeeze on and at the very least get something serviceable. 

  It wasn’t until a few films in that I became aware of the toll my demand for perfection was taking on them. I was editing a scene, looking for the best take, and as I scrubbed through the footage a sort…

• 

  Review by sirvived ★★★

  A lot better than expected. This is such a fun exciting ride with a refreshing young cast and surprising amount of heart. It works as a teen adventure film, but most importantly, it is also a pretty great alien invasion horror. While the story seems familiar, the unique setting, culture and interesting characters are what makes this film unique and keeps it compelling all the way through. I like how it feel like watching real teenagers having a one crazy day, nothing is forced and over the top, everything falls neatly into place. The effects work is decent as well, as far as a low budget film goes. They never feel cheap and are very effective.

  2022 Horror Ranked

• 

  Review by Jesse Snoddon ★★★ 2

  [North Bay Film Festival. Opening Night, movie #2]

  A group of teen girls in Pangnirtung, Nunavut discover a predatory alien force. They must defend their town and try to neutralize the threat before it's too late. 

  Not bad, not great. The lead character, Maika (Tasiana Shirley) and her friends are at that age where everything about where they live is unbearably boring and everyone in their parents age bracket just seems like a dumb loser. It does a good job capturing that vibe as a backdrop and amplifying it with the isolated setting. I remember how I felt growing up in North Bay, a small northern Ontario town in Canada and North Bay makes Pangnirtung look like Toronto by comparison.…

• 

  Review by Justin LaLiberty ★★★½ 1

  will inevitably earn comparisons to Stranger Things which, though reductive, wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing as “girl gang, Inuit, Stranger Things” sounds — and is — a great thing (albeit this has much more in common with Attack the Block than the 80s nostalgia of that IP); almost totally sticks its landing here, which isn’t easy to do for something this ambitious, aside from some sub-par CGI work which isn’t much worse than films with ten times the budget and resources

• 

  Review by BenGrayeyard ★★★★

  Slash/Back is especially cool because it’s filmed in Pangnirtung (Pang) near the Arctic Circle, and the majority of the cast are Inuit. The alien invasion plot isn’t very unique, but the setting and execution are like nothing I’ve ever seen. There are a couple of scenes where the background doesn’t even look real because the Arctic looks so amazing. 

  Not only is the cast Inuit, but they are probably only around 12 years old. The inexperienced actors do a pretty good job. This movie would work with a younger audience since the gore and horror stay fairly mild yet entertaining.

• 

  Review by joshrowley ★★★

  Engaging; fun; likable; located; scenic; short; simple; tame; well-paced; well-shot.

• 

  Review by Zay ★★★½ 10

  Forgot that this was dropping on Shudder this week. A group of young inuit girls battle aliens in their isolated seaside community. It's a typical alien invasion flick but the likable characters, unique seaside village setting, and the peek at inuit culture make this standout. The effects are decent but obviously low budget.

  Slash/Back takes its time setting up the invasion and introducing the central characters. It steadily picks up the pace leading to a satisfying conclusion.

• 

  Review by Lynn Betts ★★★★ 6

  They pulled it off pretty well considering, and made something half unique and half inspired by classic horror and sci-fi.

  Both the CGI and old-school creature feature effects are, dare I say, decent... as in better than most big-budget films. Has a bit of an 80s feel, especially with the child protagonists left to fight the supernatural forces on their own. There’s a couple of reverse [ice] fishing scenes alone worth the watch.  The soundtrack really works. 

  The film, I believe, authentically portrays life on an Inuk reserve up north. The kids resent their life on the reservation, and the whole lifestyle which involves them having to hunt and fish, and stay bored at home while most of their parents…

• 

  Review by Joel Hilke ★★★

  I'll admit to grading this one on a curve, giving allowance for its novice cast and low budget. But it gets extra credit for being a spunky little film with a cool vibe. Plus points for filming in such a beautiful location.

  The film is set in a small Inuit fishing village just south of the Arctic Circle. It follows young teen girls as they hang out, grumble about boys and their town, and go on adventures. Unfortunately, there just so happens to be a body snatching alien invasion under way and these young ladies have to save the day.

  The film has a sense of fun, some cool editing, and an even cooler soundtrack. The production value is remarkably…

• 

  Review by Gemma G 1

  These Inuit girls took one look at a possessed polar bear and said “abso-fucking-lutely not”.

  Pulsating score, badass girl hunters, gross aliens, hilarious creature effects, top-notch jump-scares, daylight horror, dumb boys, kids on bikes, stunning landscapes and some coloniser bullshit to boot. All-round excellent family entertainment.

• 

  Review by Brad Henderson ★★★½

  SLASH/BACK was pretty great. A group of teenage girls fight aliens on their own turf. Funny, cute, and kinda badass. A true indie with a small community coming together to make it happen. Also some rad practical effects mixed with solid CGI sprinkled throughout. #SXSW2022

• 

  Review by RealAndrewLeo ★★★½

  “Nobody fucks with the girls from Pang.”

  This is a small film that not many Letterboxders have seen. I liked it and I think it could’ve been great if it had a bigger budget, better actresses, and a better script. A lot of potential here. 

  Set in a remote Arctic community, the film follows a group of Inuit (indigenous) girls that attempt to fight off an alien invasion. 

  The girls are mostly likable and they were easy to root for. Their friendship was sweet. However, the acting was pretty bad.
  To be fair, the girls are indigenous locals with no prior acting experience.
  Sean Baker can hire someone off the street and get a great performance. Sadly, that didn’t happen…