A Prom slasher sendup that doesn't quite make the grade!
When I set out to do this, the goal was to watch different types of horror, and this film definitely fits that bill. It's quirky, meta, funny at times, goofy at times, and really confusing at times. It's like they took all these different types of shows and threw them in a blender. Now, don't get me wrong, this is not one of those "Meet the Spartans" films that just take random pop references and throw them together as skits. No, this movie does have a storyline, but the story is also one of it's biggest downfalls...
The film starts off with Taylor Fisher (Alison Woods) giving us the low down on her life. It almost comes across as Disney tv, until some expletives are hurled at us and some naughty humor...it's just so darn meta. You know, with the signs on the screen telling us things (Zombieland), and she is griping about the world and how "little miss princess" is getting ready for Prom and then...she is promptly butchered in her bedroom, by a guy wearing a mask...natch. This is quite graphic, but completely played for laughs.
Cut to Grizzly Lake high school where we are introduced to our cast. The film focuses on Riley (A very likeable Shanley Caswell), who is doing her best to make it at school. She is in love with Clapton Davis (Josh Hutcherson of the Hunger Games), but he is infatuated with Ione (Spencer Lock). Ione is on the cheerleading squad and Riley is the mascot...how uneven. And we have the guy that is really in love with Riley, Sander (Aaron David Johnson). We are shown how Riley just doesn't fit in and in a bit of comedy that does work, she tries to hang herself in the middle of the school, only to be attacked by the killer. Some great choreography follows as the killer repeatedly misses her and keeps knocked down. I found this to be really funny. There is a chase scene that sort of follows the same blueprint later on, and it's equally as great.
So a party is thrown and during the middle of it, the school bully Billy (Parker Bagley) is savagely chopped up. This is one part of the movie that did not work for me. They try to do this send up of The Fly and give him this whole backstory, which amounts to nothing because he's slaughtered a few minutes later. And this leads us to the Detention part of the movie, as they all try to figure out who the killer is. Oh and the principal is played by a very dour Dane Cook. This is the part of the movie where it goes completely off the rails, incorporating time travel, body switching...you name it.
I have to confess that this was rather easy to watch, it's just too bad that the story becomes so incoherent. I don't really understand why they would throw time travel into this. It just made the story really confusing. On the brighter side, I loved the way this was shot...really bright and vibrant and the murders are also done in these environments which really seems odd now that I think about it. It's not traditional for this genre. At times this movie reminded me of stuff like Parker Lewis Can't Lose. There is even a send up of a Prom Night style killer named Cinderhella. But the soundtrack is really cool. They use music to frame different time periods and it works out very well. It took me back to my college days. So, this movie is kind of hard to rate, it's definitely inspired and kind of fun to watch...but some of the elements just don't work. The ending is just a complete mess..even parodying Iron Man of all things. But, it's just kind of fun to watch, and Shanley Caswell is great as the central character.
7.5 out of 10
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