Five delinquent “teens” (Hollywood-speak for 30-something) are sentenced to renovate a brothel-turned-hospital in South Central LA that apparently used to host ritual sacrifices back in the day and is now a portal to the land of the dead frequented by demon ghosts of dead prostitutes. Ho-hum. These sub-par, poseur actors are about as close to their characters’ assigned roles (goth chick, gangsta brotha, punk boy) as they are to being teenagers.
Since the story takes place in South Central, there is a significant black presence in the cast: three main characters — two “kids” and their cop chaperone, Mr. Cobb (Layon Gray), one of whom actually lives to the end! (Beyond that, they’re on their own.) Demon Slayer might’ve been interesting if any demons actually showed up in the first hour or so, especially considering the film clocks in at less than 80 minutes. Instead, we get a bunch of bickering and people just “seeing things” for a mind-numbing stretch of time. To its credit, the movie tries to spice things up with some humor, but face it, these people are no Gallagher.
