Surprisingly emotional and less graphic than most within the genre, ‘Slapface’ nevertheless presents characters that interest us and keep us watching, even if the monster/witch in the story is seen less than the shark in Jaws, and always in shadow.
Lucas ( August Maturo ) and his much older brother, Tom ( Mike Manning ) live alone together, following the death of their mother. They love each other, but they have a weird ritual of playing the game of Slapface every night – literally taking turns slapping the crap out of each other.
Tom escapes his woes with alcohol and Lucas spends a lot of time alone – often in the nearby woods. Lucas is bullied at school and at play, with only one girl giving him the time of day, and only when the other two girls who bully him are not around.
Inside an abandoned building one day, Lucas comes across a silent but very tall monster who, instead of killing him, seems curious about the boy. In fact, the two gradually form a kind of (again, silent) friendship. To be honest, there were brief flashes that made me think of Elliot and E.T., but just in a flash.
This is a film that takes its time getting to the “reveal”, but it’s only about 80 minutes and totally a doable watch. And, as I say, it’s more of a spooky story than a hardcore horror flick, which means it won’t be for everyone.
That said, there is some bloody violence and it’s not a kids’ movie.
It’s a lot harder to find a child actor who brings more authenticity than “showbiz kid” vibes to a role, and one major strength is Maturo’s performance.
Writer/Director Jeremiah Kipp has things to say about bullying in this movie (including a title card just before the closing credits that offers resources for victims. I’ll add one, too, from the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
