Mckenna Grace, known for Scream 7, is earning strong critical attention with her latest body-horror project, Slanted. Early reactions from critics have been largely positive, pushing the film to an impressive score on Rotten Tomatoes.
What critics are saying about Slanted in reviews
Slanted centers on Joan Huang, a high school senior who believes becoming Prom Queen represents ultimate acceptance in American culture. In pursuit of popularity and beauty, she undergoes an experimental racial transformation that turns her White. What initially feels like a dream quickly turns disturbing, as the change leads to emotional and physical consequences.
The story mixes horror and satire while exploring identity, race, and self-acceptance. The project comes from writer-director Amy Wang. Alongside Grace, who plays Jo Hunt, the film features a cast that includes Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Shirley Chen, Amelie Zilber, Elaine Hendrix, and R. Keith Harris.
Critics have offered a mix of praise and thoughtful criticism about how the film handles its themes. Meagan Navarro from Bloody Disgusting wrote, “As personal as Slanted feels, the superficial nature of its satire winds up softening a lot of its sharper edges. That likely suits its teen demographic well but won’t be as winsome for seasoned horror fans.”
Other reviewers focused on the emotional weight behind the film’s concept. Tim Grierson of Screen International noted, “Even when Slanted becomes surprisingly bloody, the writer-director ensures that the anguish of the immigrant experience courses through every frame.” Meanwhile, Peter Debruge of Variety said Wang “springs a few clever surprises” even if the ending becomes somewhat predictable.
Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter added that while the satire doesn’t always land, Wang still shows confidence as a filmmaker. Zachary Lee of RogerEbert.com praised the film’s intensity, calling it “cathartic to see rage so singular and justified on-screen.”
Slanted gets strong score on Rotten Tomatoes
Despite some mixed notes about the satire, the overall critical response has been positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds an 83% Tomatometer score from 24 reviews, signaling strong approval from professional critics.
The rating reflects praise for its bold premise and the way it tackles identity and cultural pressure through horror storytelling. The RT score places the film among the better-reviewed genre titles of the year so far.
Originally reported by Rishabh Shandilya on ComingSoon.
