That’s a Wrap (2023) 

Following their film’s shoot, a director with his cast and crew meet up at the studio for a wrap party. Soon, it’s clear someone else is there wanting to make their own meta version of the slasher film being celebrated.  

Written by Joe Knetter and Robert L. Lucas and directed by Marcel Walz, this slasher with shades of giallo goes the very meta route with self-referential lines, mentions of the industry, mentions of things that happen in horror films, the whole nine yards. This is a definitely horror, definitely a slasher, and a bit of a giallo. The writers and director clearly know the genre they are playing with and make the most of being horror fans themselves, giving horror fans something to watch that is pretty, witty, and not self-absorbed. The film is clearly a labor of love for the genre, and it adds to the fun of it all. The film within the film, the self-important film director, the starlets, the aging (by cinema industry standards) director’s wife wanting to hold onto fame, the kills, the way the film is set-up, it all shows a great attention to details.  

The cast here is solid. Getting Cerina Vincent for the opening is fun and the rest of the cast does quite well too. Regular of Knetter and Walz films, Sarah French is involved of course, both as a producer and a star. Her part here is not as central as in the Pretty Boy films, but she’s solid as usual, giving a performance that shows she knows what she’s doing in the world of slashers, but also in a film this meta about horror films. Monique Parent gets to shine here with a monologue that works well and an attitude that sells her scenes perfectly. Robert Donavan as director Mason Maestro plays the self-involved, self-absorbed man just right. The rest of the cast, slasher fodder for the most part look like they knew what they were getting into and knew who to make the most of it all. They clearly are having fun with their parts and showing understanding for the way things develop in these films, getting meta dialog in many cases and delivering it right. A small cameo by a slasher director as a “blank” (we’re not telling you who or what their part is) is super fun to see. There are a lot of characters here and most of them get some good deaths, showing once again the filmmakers’ love for the genre. 

The special effects here are mostly practical with some great bloodletting and some fun kills, showing that when a film’s crew is unafraid, they can really give you something to work with in terms of blood and gore. Working with these effects is the cinematography with a helping hand from the lighting. These two elements are on point. The work by cinematographer Marcus Friedlander grabs the viewer from the opening and gives them something pretty to look at throughout the film The look here is important and most definitely a part of the film itself as it refers to slashers and giallo, giving the giallo vibes through the images, the lighting, the color schemes, and the killer’s outfit of course. 

That’s a Wrap is a fun slasher/giallo, one where everyone involved understood what they were working on, giving their best shot at creating a meta film about horror and slashers while keeping the look of giallos and creating more of an homage to the genres it plays into than simply being a meta, self-referential, self-aggrandizing film. This one is the real deal in its genre while bringing wit and talent to the screen.