Slashercise started last year as a micro-budget movie directed by Ama Lea and starring Vanessa Decker, Thomsen\u2019s co-owners.<\/p>\n
The film featured a serial killer called Meat Head \u2014 with a chunk of raw beef for a head \u2014 who preyed upon Los Angeles gym instructors.<\/p>\n
![\"Killer](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\/1a2b821d-85d0-4774-a2e2-1ebd6847cbac.jpg\")
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Meat Head looms in the form of a cardboard cutout<\/p>\n
JUSTIN L STEWART FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n
It was always intended as a fusion of a movie and a home fitness video, interspersing horror scenes with workouts. But after the premiere of Slashercise, fans wanted to experience the combination of adrenaline-pumping horror movies and 1980s aerobics videos inspired by Jane Fonda<\/a> and Richard Simmons with other enthusiasts.<\/p>\n The class, with neon lights, synth music and fog machines, was born. Participants are given plastic chainsaws and knives during the workout, while the frightening array of monsters and villains projected onto the screen induce the terror of being chased.<\/p>\n The class is far more challenging than it appears. I am not unfit. In January I completed a marathon, and while training for another later this year I am running about 20 miles a week. Yet here I am, lying on a mat, sweating and panting, as women in their fifties and sixties outdo me in bicycle kicks.<\/p>\n Just as humbling is my lack of co-ordination. The other participants can follow the dance moves with ease, while I look like a zombie encountering music for the first time. <\/p>\n Despite the burning thigh muscles and aching shoulders, the hour zooms by. Decker, the instructor, jokes between sets and never grows frustrated with those of us struggling with basic choreography.<\/p>\n The classes are inspired by classic slasher films<\/p>\n JUSTIN L STEWART FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES<\/p>\n Slashercise was designed to be inclusive, Thomsen said. \u201cWe wanted to make sure that every single human body feels welcome in this space. So you can come in no matter what your fitness level, no matter who you are, even if you\u2019re not really a crazy horror fan and you just want a fun workout, come on in.\u201d<\/p>\n Our class is proof that Slashercise is a broad church. There are women in their twenties and thirties whose expensive athleisure gear<\/a> would not be out of place at a West Hollywood yoga hall. There is a film historian in her sixties specialising in scary movies, a guide who leads walking tours of Hollywood Forever cemetery and a baker who makes horror-themed desserts.<\/p>\n Annabel de Vetten, 54, is the gothic cakes expert. Originally from Frankfurt, she went on to study and work in Britain for 30 years and now lives around the corner from Killer Fitness, where she joined a class for the first time on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was really enjoyable \u2014 relaxed and a cool atmosphere,\u201d she said. \u201cThe whole theme was fun. It\u2019s the least gym-like environment I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n De Vetten was pleased that the class was not visible from the street, unlike some Pilates classes in Los Angeles where participants stretch in full view of passers-by.<\/p>\n \u2022 Pilates is meant to be gentle. How did it become such a hazard?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI wouldn\u2019t go to a gym. I have access to a free one, but I never go,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s better that it\u2019s in the back and not one of those Pilates studios that you can see. We don\u2019t want to be judged. Just making the effort is a huge thing already, and to have fun doing something you hate is pretty darn good.\u201d<\/p>\n De Vetten attended the class with two friends, and quickly got to know the woman next to her. They have made a group text called \u201cthe Slasherettes\u201d and plan to go to more sessions. \u201cIt\u2019s a great way of building a community. I\u2019ve already recommended it to everyone,\u201d de Vetten said.<\/p>\n![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/\/0b2aac65-c417-42e6-9e91-ed6c71dd74f6.jpg\")
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