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For a slasher film called Fresh Meat, you can expect it to have plenty of one thing.
A group of internet influencers (Mika Amonsen, Joelle Farrow, Hannah Galway, Alex Sands, Karn Kala, Tyson Wong, Jorja Cadence) decide to break into an abandoned prison to make content. Of course, it's not as abandoned as it seems, and they find themselves being brutally taken out by a masked killer.
The film, written and directed by Daniel Turres, is no-holds-barred when it comes to the gross-out factor. It puts every cent of the blood budget to use, with gallons coating the prison walls. Outside of the kills, Fresh Meat struggles to find a voice of its own. We are introduced to a group of young people, just for long enough to root for their inevitable demise. They meet a mysterious figure warning them of the dangers to come, plenty of cop-out jumpscares, and, of course, they split up.
The narrative plays out more like a checklist of horror clichés than a fully fledged story. The characters exist almost exclusively to be butchered in gloriously bloody fashion. The central ensemble has a palpable chemistry even as they bumble around the prison, with each of the actors committing, for the most part, outside of a few flat deliveries.
On the technical side, both the cinematography and sound design stand out as highlights. Working in such cramped, small spaces makes it hard to light the location and move the camera. Yet, there are moments that are dynamic and interesting in ways that require significant workarounds in the environment, such as the camera tracking and spinning around in narrow hallways. The prison sounds like its own entity, in that the design incorporates a living hum and crackle throughout the whole building. The slow, creeping sounds rise as a jumpscare is around the corner, seemingly echoing through the hallways.
Turres clearly knew what he wanted with this film. It does truly feel put together, even if the script remains predictable. It's a confident command over something so bloody and chaotic. You can tell he set out to make a splatter film, and each moment of such feels like a knowing assertion. But really, where Fresh Meat shines is with the makeup and special effects done by The Butcher Shop. The audience was full of unified screams and gasps as each character met their gore-filled demise, their work absolutely shining through each moment.
The concept of influencers entering an abandoned property and being killed for doing so is not new (note Halloween: Resurrection), it is the first to have the good guys win with the power of Gowan. To those who love gore, guts, and plenty of blood, Fresh Meat is worth a watch, even through your fingers.
