Reel Review: Gothic Slayers (2025)

“Gothic Slayers” delivers a low-stakes, nostalgia-tinged adventure that feels like a VHS rental from a long-lost Friday night.

Small-town takeovers have been a staple of science fiction and horror genres for a long time.

From the paranoia of Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the slow-burn invasion of Invaders from Mars, it’s a story that can be used practically anywhere. It’s the movie equivalent of a comfortable pair of slippers or a super-worn-in hoodie. There are no real surprises, but at least you know what you are getting.

And you know exactly what you will get after about eight minutes of pressing play on Gothic Slayers.

The levels of enjoyment will vary, depending on whether you are a slippers or hoodie person. You could dismiss this as a just-about-adequate flick if you’re a slippers person. If you’re a hoodie person, you will get more from it, especially as it’s something you can watch with older kids as a potential gateway into more horror content.

Ben (Ben Getz) and Dylan (Dylan Eshbaugh) are twenty-somethings who work at the local putt-putt (Crazy Golf in the UK) and live in their own self-contained bubble.

The opening sequence plays back their daily routine during their commute to work. We know that any interaction they have with anybody else is going to see them sat at the bottom of the food chain, from the patrons of the Putt-putt to Jenny (played by Piper Verbrick) in the ice cream parlour who looks incredibly tired of her daily interactions with the pair to the point that she doesn’t even mask it.

Their nights consist of hanging out and playing in the Arcade with others who share the same ‘cast out to the periphery of society’ position in life, and it seems that for them both, it’s about as good as it gets.

In fact, it’s going to get worse as the town has been quietly invaded by a demonic cult, who are here to carry out evil misdeeds.

At this point, most viewers will understand exactly how things will play out.

The cult is introduced through long-distance shots, with a Father who puts enough bite into the role and looks like he’s had fun doing so.

The cult members get their hands dirty and fiercely play up the goth side (step up Sam Rothermel and Quinn Hemphill as Chloe and Rebecca, respectively, who both nail their parts with murderous intent). Because the story is so thin, the cult members raise the material around them with energetic performances along with the two leads.

So, can two arcade-inspired losers battle the demons, save the town, and possibly save all of mankind?

Well, I will not spoil that for you here. What I will say is that it’s fun to find out because it is earnestly made and quite well captures that 90s vibe, especially with the use of pixellated action here and there.

There are some neat call-backs to earlier times, too, such as when they get their gaming faces on with a nod to Commando and other actioners of the 80s.

Wisely, it doesn’t try to overreach itself and concentrates on telling the story using the best techniques it has to hand. In terms of gore and frights, they are thin on the ground, and there are spots where it feels like it’s treading water to justify the runtime. But, on the plus side, everyone gets into the piece’s spirit, and a giddy, good-natured vibe runs through it.

I won’t tell you it is a classic, and those looking for claret being spilled here, there, and everywhere will be disappointed.

However, it leans more into a spooky-comedy vein and is something you could watch with older children, which is always appreciated.