Sweat and Screams: The Unique Workout That Combines Fitness and Horror

In the heart of Burbank, a unique fitness studio is making waves by blending exercise with horror. Killer Fitness offers a workout experience like no other, where participants can burn calories while surrounded by their favorite horror movie villains. The studio's signature class, Slashercise, is led by co-owner Vanessa Decker, who brings her love of horror to life through a high-energy workout that incorporates iconic scream scenes and petrifying puns. The workout is not for the faint-hearted, as participants are encouraged to fight for their lives through a series of stabbing actions and fight-for-your-life moves. The studio is also filled with horror-themed props, including plastic chainsaws and fake knives, which help with strength training. The repetitive movements, inspired by vintage Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons tapes, burn calories and tone muscles. Killer Fitness opened in May with the hope that horror's increasing popularity at the box office could translate to this unique, in-person third space. The studio offers 20 exercise classes a week and hosts evening film screenings with panels and Q&As. The day and night offerings are part of a larger spooky universe that's helped Decker become a tastemaker online, amassing 133, 000 followers through her "Horror Vixen" identity on Instagram. The studio's co-owners, Vanessa Decker and Ama Lea, connected at "Slashback Video, " a 2017 art installation that recreated a vintage video store environment at the Mystic Museum, a horror hub in Burbank. The pair garnered momentum for their workout DVD after appearing on horror streaming service Shudder's "The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs. " Soon, fans started asking where they could experience Slashercise for real. Last year, at Midsummer Scream, a popular L. A. horror convention, they presented workout skits and had a life-changing conversation with the owners of Dark Delicacies, the landmark Burbank retailer known for creepy collectibles and comics. The owners, Del and Sue Howison, were planning to close after three decades in business and offered Lea and Decker (and silent partner Kay Elyse) first dibs on their retail space for the campy cardio concept. Fast forward a year later, and Killer Fitness is now a bustling brick-and-mortar shop with a horror-driven boutique and on-theme exercise experiences. "Horror Yoga" is focused on restorative stretching, while "Fitness Ghouls" offers low-impact exercise. "TERRORTwist, " a high-energy dance workout, feels like a rigorous rehearsal, mashing tunes from Lady Gaga and She Wants Revenge with blood-pumping choreography from Michael Jackson's "Thriller, " "Little Shop of Horrors, " and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show. " Killer Fitness is special because it's inclusive and judgment-free, catering to all body types and horror obsessions. The studio's instructors are certified by the American Council on Exercise, ensuring that participants are in good hands. Decker differentiates Killer Fitness from chain gyms, which she calls bright and annoying. "Working out can be daunting, so we just want it to feel inviting, " she says, adding that there are themed workouts all around L. A. , like goat yoga. "So why not a gym for horror fans? "