TNMC
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Good evening.
Hollyfeld, here, and welcome to the second night of unspeakable horror, which we will attempt to speak of anyway. 31 Days Of Horror continues, courtesy of Look Closer... and TNMC, with one of the more entertaining Slasher films ever made. Actually, I'm pretty excited about today because we're talking about a movie I really groove on and no one else knows, and I don't even like Slashers that much.
The Slasher genre actually has two distinct roots, one that paved the way and one that cemented its existence in the mainstream. The form began with Alfred Hitchcock's groundbreaking Psycho, which introduced new extremes into the realm of cinema - the birth (in the mainstream, at least) of ultra-violence, a re-introduction into the forbidden realms of sexuality (lost since the times before the Production Code), and a groundbreaking, taboo-shaking storyline. Psycho was a film that broke all the rules, killing off its heroine halfway through the film, turning the likable Freddie Prinze, Jr.-type character into a cross-dressing killer; it even contained history's first on-screen flushing toilet. However, Hitchcock's film did not directly lead into the Slasher genre, it would be twenty years before John Carpenter's classic Halloween jump-started a new medium.
But we're not even here to talk about Halloween, although it is certainly one of the most praise-worthy horror films in history. One of the problems with Halloween was that its style was so simple (unlike Psycho) that it became a formula - for years there would be dozens upon dozens of films that would follow its lead and be, simply, Halloween-lite. Films like Terror Train and Prom Night, while certainly entertaining to some extent, had very little personality to recommend them, and if there is one thing that every horror film needs to be successful it is personality. Verve, if you will, or a spark. A clear indication that the filmmakers involved had a genuine interest in what they were creating - a passion for horror.
The reason why, typically, I do not like Slashers is simply that lack of Verve... most Slashers just go through the motions. There aren't as many easy-to-use outlines for a monster film - be it about vampires, Frankenstein or even a CGI mummy. It is for this reason alone that I was incredibly surprised to find an energetic, fun, and occasionally genuinely scary Slasher film on the straight-to-video market last year. You may have heard of it, or passed by the box on your way to more popular fare. I am talking about...
Cherry Falls. No. Really.
Cherry Falls came in on the tail end of the mid to late-nineties Slasher craze, but even before its eventual straight-to-video release this nifty little feature was met with nothing but ridicule. It's not particularly hard to see why, especially considering its premise: A small town serial killer makes headlines by only killing teenage virgins, sparking the entire high school community to call for an orgy party as a preventative measure. Of course, the adults try to avoid this from happening...
"If you tell these parents that this psycho is knocking off virgins we are going to have one goddamn fuck fest on our hands."
But come on, if your teenagers really want to have sex, there is really very little that is going to stop them, right? Right? Except for a serial killer, I mean... Surely SOMEone noticed that hundreds of teenagers writhing naked on the floor is a pretty easy target for any mass murderer... right?
Geoffrey Wright, best known for writing and directing Romper Stomper, the popular Australian film starring Russell Crowe, directed Cherry Falls, and imbues the film with a vivacity that most of the recent Slasher crop was sorely lacking. Instead of tiptoeing around a clearly ridiculous premise, Wright and screenwriter Ken Selden embrace both the obvious absurdities of the script whilst keeping the situation painfully real to all of the characters involved. Because the characters react to unbelievable situations in a believable way, it becomes genuinely nerve-wracking when we they are about to die (or at least we think they are).
But in spite of this, the filmmakers' hands are distinctively sly - they know that their premise is one that leads an audience to anticipate lots of sex (there's actually not quite as much as you'd think), and so every conversation becomes charged with the promise of things to come. (No pun intended.) The actors on the whole embrace this, and the energy involved in almost every dialogue exchange helps turn this film from a "Whodunnit?" to a "Who's Gonna DO it?!" While this makes even the most casual conversations between the cute, slightly nerdy teacher (Jay Mohr, Jerry Maguire) and the main character Jody (Brittany Murphy, Clueless and Don't Say A Word) surprisingly sexy, it can also lead to unexpected creepiness between said lead and her father, played by Terminator's Michael Biehn. On the other hand, the look Deputy Mina (Amanda Anka) gives Jody when she promises to never let her out of her sight is very interesting, indeed...
It is also nice to see the traditional Slasher motif of "Have Sex Then Die" completely reversed. The virgins of the school have to resort to the skanks for coaching in an impromptu seminar about halfway through the film:
(A sexually experienced teenager holding a seminar for the virgins in the school)
"Girls have to do everything. Boys are totally clueless when it comes to sex. It starts with them trying to unhook our bras, fumbling around, and it never changes. Wait until they try to put their dick into you."
"Please don't say they need help with that."
"Always."
Rather than punishing the sexually enlightened (or, as mentioned above, simply skanky), the killer of Cherry Falls actually helps certain characters to come to terms with their burgeoning sexuality - Jody's come on to her boyfriend in particular is a bit of a surprising treat. Other, more minor characters recognize their innate attractiveness and promise themselves to the outcasts of the school at varying rates. So at least the filmmakers had a sense of perspective about the kind of behavior films like Cherry Falls can encourage. Being highly sexual can have its advantages, but can also speak volumes about the person in question.
Cherry Falls was heavily edited in order to avoid an NC-17 rating from the MPAA, which makes it especially sad that the film went straight-to-video, where ratings are significantly less important. Large amounts of violence and sexual situations were sliced out of the film, all of which, I imagine could have made Falls an even more entertaining film to its target audience - horny teenagers. But it also would have aided the rest of us (who are not teenagers, though the adjective may still in fact apply) to enjoy a film that didn't feel like it was pulling any punches. Though largely effective and certainly very entertaining, Cherry Falls certainly has its flaws: sex scenes that largely fail to live up to the expectations a plot like this creates, and a uncharacteristically uncreative ending are my two biggest complaints. (The muted gore is not terrible to watch - indeed, the subtlety borders on being a nice change of pace.) But though imperfect in many respects, you will be hard-pressed to find a better Slasher film made since the first Scream, or at the very least, a more entertaining one.
Tomorrow... Horror Be Kicking At Old School. Be there, or be a Zombie.
As always, Hollyfeld can be reached at hollyfeld_@hotmail.com
You there! You think you could do this job better than I can? Well, you might be right! Look Closer… is always looking for guest columnists, and you might as well be one of them. Just write a review of reasonable length for a movie that you think is under-rated, over-rated, no one knows, etc., and if it makes the grade we will print it in an edition of this column! Those whose reviews are published will also receive a free piece of (slightly cheesy and really inexpensive) promotional merchandise from a movie, to be sent when their review is published, courtesy of me. Just send any and all reviews to the above address. Thank you for reading and participating in the site!
Lazlo Hollyfeld is the pseudonym of an aspiring writer/actor/director located in Southern California. With one screenplay under his (collaborative) belt and more to come, he is sure to work his way up in the world with the help of his talented and close-knit group of friends, co-workers, and penguins. Yes, you heard me, penguins. A film student since before he can remember, he has devoted much of his life to the study of the silver screen and its related art forms.