31 DAYS OF FRIGHT: CUT THROAT (aka SCARED) Doesn't Quite Make the Cut

"We're gonna need T&A if we're gonna sell this thing."
– DEATH BLADE Producer Guy

I couldn't agree more DEATH BLADE Producer Guy! A little T&A would help sell this thing. Maybe even some gore. Unfortunately, both CUT THROAT and DEATH BLADE – the movie within the movie known as CUT THROAT – lack in all of those departments.

Which brings us to CUT THROAT (aka SCARED), Kevin Walley's 2002 SCREAM wannabe aimed at, well, I'm not sure exactly what audience. Despite bearing "Unrated" status on the DVD case, CUT THROAT features the pretty chaste tale of a low-budget horror flick beset by a bunch of murders including a lead actress getting stabbed in front of the crew while the murderer gets away without much effort. (The masked killer literally crashes out the window, stabs the living shit out of her and disappears.)

With DEATH BLADE's lead chilling in the morgue a call goes out for a replacement and Samatha (TV vet Kate Norby) – who just happens to have a romantic past with director Hamlin (future 'Pictureka' host Cory Almeida) – slides into the final girl role. Has she hacked her way into the lead? Was her busty pal (Racquel Horton) looking to carve her way onto the Double D-list?

If you've watched more than a dozen slasher flicks in your life you'll immediately sniff out the villains as this drab example plays itself out over 90 painless but dull minutes. In addition to the hyper director there's Nick The Screenwriter (co-writer Luciano Saber) who feels like his brilliant wordsmithing is being ignored, Hunter The Producer (Doug Cole) who knocked up the AD (and wants her to have an abortion in a completely pointless subplot), and Detective Hartley (Brad Lockerman) who isn't so much a suspect as he is a constant source of amusement thanks to his soap opera level line delivery.

Longtime readers of ER know I love a good slasher. Hell, I can even love a mediocre slasher under the right circumstances. Unfortunately, the lack of key elements combined with the fact that Almeida and Saber come off as being far too unseasoned for the roles of a feature film director and his ambitious screenwriter keep this one from making the cut. – Dan Taylor

Dan Taylor is the editor and publisher of Exploitation Retrospect, which celebrates 30 years of covering junk culture and fringe media this month. Watch for an announcement regarding availability of the mega-sized 30th anniversary issue soon.

CUT THROAT is available at Amazon.