Slashed

Slashed is a 2003 low budget independent horror film, financed and directed by Alexander Marks and written by Jed Shepherd. The narrative is presented as a tour diary for the Northern Irish rock band Ash, but soon reveals itself as a gorefest. The film features many famous musicians, some playing themselves while others play specially written characters. The initial idea was given to Shepherd to write a short 'slasher' film for use on the DVD side of the 2002 single release 'Envy'. The film was anticipated by the tabloid and music press but had never officially been released.

Plot

Slashed tells the story of the 4 members of Ash on tour in America, suddenly getting caught up in a cat and mouse game with a serial killer. The evil killer is known only as Martha who was brutally murdered on her wedding night. She appears to her victims in a bloody wedding dress, holding an axe high above their heads. This supernatural killer chances upon the band and makes it its mission to destroy them one by one. Anyone who gets in the way is killed off in a most gruesome style. Moby tries to warn the band that they should return home to England while they still can while Dave Grohl screams about a premonition that they will all die. FBI Agents Sherbet Bones (Chris Martin) and his sidekick Datsun Ford (Jonny Buckland) are called in to battle the killer. It becomes clear that the killer is more than human and that it will take more than just guns to defeat it. Equipped with poetry and a few catchphrases Bones and Ford track down the demonic killer and fight to the death.

Cast

Chris Martin as FBI Agent Sherbet Bones

Jonny Buckland as FBI Agent Datsun Ford

Dave Grohl as Hysterical Dave Grohl

Moby as Himself

Tim Wheeler as Himself

Mark Hamilton as Himself

Rick McMurray as Himself

Charlotte Hatherley as Herself

Tav as himself

Matt Sharp as God

James Nesbitt as Himself

Chris Carrabba as Himself

Amy Lordan as Angel #1

Katie Hutchinson as Angel #2

Cast Quotes
Moby has explained how he got roped into taking part in rock group Ash's horror film 'Slashed'. "We were on tour together and we were driving through the desert and saw the Ash tourbus on the side of the road and thought something was wrong," Moby explained. "So we stopped and looked up and they're chasing each other with axes and we were completely freaked out! My role is very small. I show up and create an awkward situation between Tim and Charlotte."

When asked what it was like playing the role of 'God' in Slashed, Matt Sharp responded, "I haven’t seen any of that footage. The only footage I’ve seen, is where Chris Martin (ColdPlay) is playing this Sherlock Holmes character and he is freakn’ hysterical. He’s kind of like a Monty Python player. I would have never thought of him to be that funny, and have absolute command of it, he’s great!"

Release and Reaction

Due to be released in 2004, to much press hype, Slashed did not appear for reasons unknown. In July 2007, Ash bassist Mark Hamilton let it be known that it was to be uploaded to Youtube as "I'm sure some people would want to see Chris Martin getting murdered". Initially thought to have been a hoax, a few clips have surfaced over the years to quell the disbelievers. Photos of the filming have also been on Ash and Coldplay websites for years and the long gestation period has not quenched the fans desires to see their favourite artists covered in blood and guts.

Cinematic and literary allusions

In the film, the supernatural killer is Martha, a young woman murdered on her honeymoon. She comes back from the grave to exact revenge upon a world who destroyed her perfect life. This emulates the narrative of many Japanese Horror which were a big influence on the writer and director. They were also influenced by Evil Dead 2, Transformers, Don Quixote, The Troubles in Northern Ireland and The Adventures of Conor McNicholas and Sancho.

Links

Official Ash Site

Audiojunkies - from the writer of Slashed

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See Also

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