Murder pie topped with plenty of nostalgia
A horror movie starring a famous rapper directed by the creator of his videos wouldn’t normally engender much in the way of expectations, but when it’s Chance the Rapper and pizza is involved, eyes perk up. The result is Slice.
The conceit of this movie is an interesting one. Our story takes place in a town where the dead aren’t just mourned, they’re still around. Those that lose their lives in Kingfisher return as spirits, “living” mostly in the Ghost Town neighborhood.
It’s this ghettoization of the ghosts that provides the urban flair to the tale. The crew from Perfect Pizza delivers to the wrong side of the tracks, but are lately finding themselves killed.
Slice is a described as a comedy horror film. It’s not laugh-out-loud funny per se, but it definitely takes a lighter bent toward the genre of horror. Having established comedians like Paul Scheer and Chris Parnell helps the cause, but the leads hold their own as well.
While Chance’s Dax stays in the background for a while, Zazie Beetz takes over the action in her role as Astrid, a former pizza delivery gal that comes back on the job for very personal reasons. Along with Rae Gray as Sadie the intrepid journalist, women push the action forward in Slice.
The horror tropes here are thick. It turns out the pizza place is built on top of a former mental institution. Of course. And by movie’s end, witches are added to werewolves in the monster pantheon.
Werewolves? Yep, that’s where Dax comes in. Another former deliverer of pizza pie, he’s an acknowledged lupine creature of the moon, but one with a heart of gold. He’s suspected of being the murderer but works to prove himself an innocent victim.
There’s nothing high-minded or revolutionary about Slice, but it does a great job of creating a modern take on ‘80s B-horror flicks. It is without a doubt a fun movie, with some surprisingly strong performances, especially by Chance himself. If more movies should deliver a good time, Slice helps fulfill this goal.
