Urban Legend
As I have said before (and I will continue to say it), I love scary movies. I love horror movies. And I even love the teen slasher subgenre of the horror genre. There's nothing anyone can do to ebb my opinion of these types of movies. A teen slasher movie was a rarity in Hollywood after the constant bombardment of sequels drove viewers to ignore the films. But in 1996, a film revitalized that cherished genre: Scream. Using a reflexive approach, the film had teens talking about horror films and the cliches they use. Then, the film proceeded to use them in a very effective manner.
And here we go again with the bloodletting, only this time, we have good actors and good technical qualities. Sure, you can argue Jamie Lee Curtis as the "Queen of Scream" but you have to admit that she made some very bad horror films. Most of those were bad due to the poor technical quality. Many wanted to follow the success of the minute budgeted Halloween, but failed miserably. Now, these types of films have an impressive budget, relying on cheap actors from TV who have already gained a loyal following. This way, they can afford lots of blood, effects, and sets. So, yes... this genre has never been better.
And URBAN LEGEND proves it rather well. Many critics will call it a Scream run-off, but it has a uniquely eerie style in which it was filmed. It has the same color quality and framing, but it does something else that Scream didn't. URBAN LEGEND has a mythical quality surrounding each scene, almost seeming like a bad nightmare. The murders are rarely actually shown (something I found surprising) and those shown usually enter the ludicrous. But what do you expect? This is a film targeted towards teenagers. And these teenagers are out for a good time. Who in their right (or is it left?) mind would want to have to think about the plausibilities during a movie such as this? Apparently, many do. Thankfully for them, when thought over, these implausibilities do manage to effectively work within the story.
URBAN LEGEND begins with a truly frightening scene. It isn't one that will scare you, but it will make you check your backseat before you get into your car on the way home. A young woman is driving in her expensive SUV when she realizes that she is low on gas. She just passed the last station and isn't sure if she'll make it in time. But she does and asks the attendant to fill her up. The creepy attendant takes her credit card in and comes back out, asking her to come into the store. Apparently, the credit card company wants to talk to her. She agrees and discovers that he was lying to her. She uses her mace and high-tails it out of there. Frantic and not thinking, she speeds away. In the background, an axe rises from the backseat. The attendant was trying to warn her.
After her death, we are introduced to Natalie (Alicia Witt), a smart but rather shy college student. Natalie's best friend is Brenda (Rebecca Gayheart), a beautiful student with brains (which is rather strange in a horror film). Brenda has her eye on Paul (Jared Leto), a journalist for the school's newspaper. Paul is good friends with Damon (Joshua Jackson), a freaky but funny student. And all are being taught by Professor Wexler (Robert Englund), who specializes in folklore and urban legends. The college is run by Dean Adams (John Neville) who seemingly has a hidden agenda concerning the aforementioned murder. As you can tell, this is really your typical teen-slasher film setup. But the fun lies ahead.
Following the Scream plot outline, all of the characters, save the lead, must be considered suspects. In Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street, we had distinct villains who never tried to hide who they were. But in order to add to the fun, screenwriters try to include a bit of mystery, forcing us to guess who-dun-it! And really, these films have all become mystery films, so perhaps it's wrong to classify them as slasher films. Oh wait... that's before people start getting sliced and diced. But compared to Scream, this is actually quite sanitized (except for a gruesome and slide-down-in-your-seat surgical operation). Much of the violence is done off screen, relying on genuine scares than gore. But don't worry... there's plenty of gore to go around.
One by one the friends are eliminated. Sometimes they aren't even friends, just people who have no real purpose in the film except to be killed. But for the most part, screenwriters Silvio Horta and Don Roos do a good job of keeping the characters relevant to the plot. Certainly, no one would call this plot original, but it has its moments. The urban legend elements are quite unique, but they have been done before, most notably in Candyman, one of the smartest horror films I have ever seen. But where Candyman used a fictional legend, URBAN LEGEND uses legends we probably all have heard of before. It makes the film much scarier too, because it will make you walk out of the theater looking under your car or making sure not to flash your high beams at anyone.
Many critics dismiss horror films as a "lower" type of film making. I disagree, because the emotions the film makers have to evoke are hard to do. It's easy to get people to cry, and it's even easier to get people to laugh. But to get people to jump in their seats... it's a tough job. So I give any film maker credit for making me jump. URBAN LEGEND utilizes the well-known and crowd-pleasing "jump" moment (if you don't know what that means by now, you'll never know). And I noticed one thing that makes a huge difference to a horror film: sound. In the theater I attended, for the first half of the film, only the front speakers were on. The rest were not. So all of the bass that should have been coming from the back wasn't there. Frankly, the film wasn't that scary. But after they turned them on, everyone in the theater was jumping like crazy. You could almost feel the theater rattle everytime a "jump" moment occurred. It would appear that sound is definitely one of the most important parts of a scary movie.
Directed by newcomer Jamie Blanks, the film has a wild visual sense that is competently handled. It looks just like Scream but with dream-like lighting. Sometimes, it heralds back to Halloween, especially during one particular bedroom scene. Blanks, who comes to us from Australia, knows how to handle this stuff, and he does it well. But it's the screenplay that is the biggest letdown. While it is quite intelligent, it does provide a lot of moments when people gawk and giggle at the stupidity of the dialogue or characters. Why is it that these films always have to have one strange weirdo who appears from nowhere? The characters are unoriginal, but these films rely on the actors to flesh them out. However, one plot twist towards the end is a big surprise, sort of the way the ending of The Devil's Advocate is a surprise. You can interpret it several ways, but whichever way you choose to pick, you become annoyed that the screenwriters tried it. I won't say more, but you'll see what I mean. However, that's not to say that the screenwriters do everything wrong. They include pop-cultural icons, including references to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. But the funniest would have to be the most subtle. During one scene, Damon starts his car only to hear Paula Cole's "I Don't Want To Wait" come on the radio. The actor portraying Damon is the star of "Dawson's Creek"; Paula Cole's song is that show's theme song. Originally, I gave this film a lower rating, but after thinking about it, I realized that this film is much smarter than it first lets on. The final surprise that I mentioned above plays a massively important key in the preceedings of the film. If you interpret it one way, you may find yourself disliking the movie. But interpreted the correct way (or MY way), this ending only adds to the story, giving you *gasp* something to think over afterwards. It's a surprise that a horror movie--let alone a slasher film--contains a deep plot that is only coherent after thought about.
The murders themselves must be noted, especially with this movie. Taken from urban legends, the killer uses them to act out their vengeful deeds. But don't be mistaken... most of the murders have a relevance to the plot. And if they don't, they are just there to show us another urban legend acted out in life. One implausible but deliciously devilish murder involves those spikes which cause severe tire damage when run over the wrong way. One legend states that if you drink Pepsi and eat Pop-rocks, your stomach will explode. This doesn't happen... I've tried it. But the film makers manage to make it work. Trust me, you'll have to see it in order to understand. But the most frightening of them all involves the "scratching on top of the roof of the car." Truly the most spine-chilling of them all, you are bound to suspend your disbelief and watch in sheer horror at the events that occur. It literally had most people on the edge of their seats, all knowing the outcome but wishing it wouldn't end that way. This kind of effectiveness is hardly found in horror movies these days. Only the best of them do it right... and Urban Legend nails it.
The cast is a big part of making us care for what's happening on screen. Alicia Witt isn't really your average heroine. She's got red hair (note: this reviewer also has red hair), no tan (note: this reviewer also has no tan), and an average bust (note: this reviewer tricked you into thinking what he was going to say, but didn't). Not exactly the typical slasher movie hero, right? But boy, can that girl scream! Rebecca Gayheart isn't new to this genre. Many people will know her from Scream 2 as the incredibly stupid sorority sister. Here, she's actually pretty smart, showing that her bad acting in that Wes Craven film was just the character. Jared Leto is very effective as the reporter. Leto was last seen in Switchback and will be starring in the new film by David Fincher, The Fight Club as well as The Thin Red Line and American Psycho. Boy, that Leto is one busy guy. His blue eyes... that's gotta be it. Ahem... anyway, Joshua Jackson is very, very funny as the smart-mouthed student with a ton of tricks up his sleeve. After this, Jackson will probably get a lot of calls for roles. Loretta Devine is funny as a campus security guard who is obsessed with Pam Grier (she also provides one of the biggest laughs in the film). Tara Reid seems uncomfortable as a radio host obsessed with other people's sex lives. Reid is the worst of the group, although that girl can scream and cry like the best of them. Out of all the cast, three names stick out: Robert Englund, John Neville, and Brad Dourif. Mr. Englund is, of course, Freddy Krueger, although this time he plays a rather sane person. John Neville will be most known to us X-Files fans as The Well-Manicured Man. And Brad Dourif is the voice of Chuck in the Child's Play series.
URBAN LEGEND is rated R for graphic violence, gore, terror, language, brief sex, some nudity, and nude photos (Kama Sutra diagrams). Many slasher films of today leave out the sex and nudity which is a rather welcomed sight. The films of the 70s seemed to revel in the portrayal of naked people. Now, it's almost unheard of (in this genre, anyway). After all, that means more blood and less breasts. Let's face it... you won't see any man in this type of movie getting killed with hardly anything on. That job's left for the women. Yes... Hollywood at its finest (or most sexist). But overall, URBAN LEGEND hits it's mark and matches expectations set for the genre. If you want a good scare, this is certainly worth checking out.
P.S. By the way, a preview of Bride of Chucky was shown before this film, and I must say, it may be the best of the series. The visual style is just incredible and Jennifer Tilly never hurts. From a technical perspective, this Chucky film will probably be one of the best of the year.