By Melissa Antoinette Garza
I am still a teenage girl at heart. I adore teenybopper films. Give me a John Hughes marathon any day of the week, and I’ll be elated. I love teen dramas, but more than that, I love horror movies where the focus is on characters in high school or college. I had just heard about Crush last week and really wanted to give it a go.
There is just something about that crazy age which radiates. That is why so many horror productions focus on this age group. Not only is it that much of their audience is in that bracket, but those who aren’t can always relate back to that timeframe in their own life. Many of the classics are about teenagers. Everything from Friday the 13th (1980), Carrie (1976), Final Destination (2000), Killer Party (1986) – the list goes on and on.
There is so much conviction and passion in youth and when implemented correctly in horror the combination makes for some of the greatest films. Teenagers are in the strange in-between age range where they don’t completely believe in monsters and demons yet they’re not as cynical and close-minded as most adults.
Even when the movie isn’t supernatural but instead follows the story of a killer among a group of friends, the formula usually succeeds. Quite often the teenagers are forced to work against the police as the cops refuse to accept anything teenagers say. It can make for some great dialogue and scenes when adults play off the kids and share an exchange of harsh words. Some of the best scenes in Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) are between the protagonist Nancy (Heather Lagenkamp) combatting her father and police lieutenant (John Saxon).
Everything from rebellion, angst, being an outcast and first romance can be examined and used to flesh out horror productions. Trick or Treat (1986) and Christine (1983) are excellent examples of films that used all of these elements to aid in telling the story and making the villain sympathetic.
A lot of movies have begun telling the story of teenage obsession gone wrong. There was The Roommate (2011) which
borrowed much from Single White Female (1992); Homecoming (2009) which shared similarities with Misery (1990); and Swimfan (2002) which was basically Fatal Attraction (1987) light.
Though none were amazing, The Roommate and Swimfan both managed to be worth watching. I figured at the very least, Crush would follow suit and at least occupy my attention for an hour and a half.
The film opens with a little girl and a little boy sitting on the roof. The boy tells his friend that he kissed another girl. Outraged, the young girl pushes the boy off the roof proclaiming, “You kissed the wrong girl!”
Years later, athletic and super-popular Scott (Lucas Hill) is being pursued by a few of his female classmates. One of the girls is Bess (Crystal Reed). Bess certainly has some issues. She does over-the-top things like photoshopping herself in pictures with Scott, taking his artwork out of the trash and keeping it and dressing exactly the way the girls on Scott’s Facebook page dress.
I wish the film delved further into Bess’s psyche as I think there are a lot of girls who could relate. I know when I was in 10th grade I had a mad crush on this jerk named Joe. He was either a junior or senior when I was a freshman. I remember paying him $10.00 for a Polaroid picture of him. I was obsessed! His ego was huge which back then I found very appealing as I had zero self-esteem. I wish I hadn’t been so nutso about him because I’m sure it just strengthened his self-image even more. He’d strut around high school and smoke in the Senior’s Lounge. Every day, he’d dress as though he was at a business meeting. He’d fake respect for the principal yet wouldn’t think twice about insulting him if he didn’t get his way. He most certainly thought he was the coolest thing ever to grace Ludlow High. I’m pretty sure he ended up in jail where I’m even surer he belonged. Why I was obsessed with such a jerk is beyond me. I always Thank God that I didn’t get married until I was an adult because had I ended up with one of my infatuations in school, I would have been with a dick. Thankfully, I grew up and married the love of my life and the sweetest guy I’ve ever known.
That said, every girl I knew had some sort of obsession. Maybe, not as deep as mine, but there is just something within a lot of teenage girls which would cause them to do the dumbest things. Even today I see girls sacrificing themselves and turning on their best friends just to please a boy that most likely will be forgotten in a month. Needless to say, I’m not looking forward to my little niece growing up! She’s only 2, so there’s plenty of time to go. Still, I think I’m going to bury my head in the sand when she hits the dating age.
Back to the film – Bess is accused of doing really crazy things. First one of Scott’s teammates is tripped and injured. Next, his on-again/off-again girlfriend is harassed. Scott confronts Bess who doesn’t defend herself.
Meanwhile, Bess is being pursued by the very strange yet endearing Jeffrey (Reid Ewing). When Scott attempts to confront Bess, Jeffrey comes to her rescue. Jeff is the only believable and interesting character within the film.
The plot of the film is very simple. There’s a twist thrown together in a failed attempt to surprise. In all honesty, this should have been a fairly easy movie to throw together and make interesting. The formula was present, the plot was sound, but the execution failed miserably.
First, the movie was not well cast. Lucas Hill was simply wrong for the part. His voice was monotone and wasn’t climatic even when the storyline dictated it should be. Regardless of who was on screen, the dialogue was never delivered with any type of punch. Even when the protagonist was being held hostage, the kidnapper was calm. Perhaps the hope was to come across as psychotic but instead it just was boring.
While watching, I got the vibe that the powers-that-be wanted to make something more than just the average teenybopper horror movie. Much like the atrocity that was Disturbia (2007), I believe the director was putting in an effort to make this film very Hitchcockian. If my assumption is right, he failed. The movie could have been entertaining, but it seemed as though energy was put in the wrong place. Instead of creating a fun factor, it seemed that the movie was going for something deeper and more profound yet never quite finding it. The result was a pretentious, confused, unwatchable mess which changed tone multiple times.
To be fair, the director Malik Bader has not done much. He’s directed a few shorts and a movie called Street Thief (2006) which I haven’t seen. He is currently filming Landlord (2014). I read the synopsis for Landlord and though I’ll definitely give it a chance, it seems as though this too may try to be too big for its britches.
The summary labels it a “neo noir.” It follows a Landlord who lost his faith when he became a widow. When his daughter is kidnapped he finds himself searching for redemption. It’s supposedly a dark thriller, but I’m skeptical. The lead character’s name is Elvis Martini. I don’t know about you, but to me that just screams “DOUCHE!”
There is nothing wrong with writing, directing and filming a deep movie that prompts the viewers to think. The greatest films of all time are those that compel thought. Intellectual films like Psycho (1960), 12 Angry Men (1957), East of Eden (1955), Halloween (1978) etc. are amazing contributions to the medium. The Twilight Zone (1959) is the best television show of all time because of how much it made the viewers soul search.
Rod Serling understood humanity so well that he was able to create a show that resonates just as well now as it did over 50 years ago. That’s an amazing feat! What’s more is that never once, did any of the productions come across as pretentious. They never looked down upon the viewer but instead engaged them. Whether by the words spoken or the storyline, the shows and movies were designed to push the audience and the envelope. It demanded a level of intelligence from the viewer and it is because of how brilliant the production was that it remained with those watching long after the credits rolled.
Now, I don’t and didn’t expect something that caliber from Crush, but if the powers-that-be want to make something more than just an entertaining piece, they need to do the work. Producing a movie that is underwhelming in respect to the way that dialogue is delivered doesn’t bring a level of realism but rather bores the audience. The entire film just seemed under-played especially when considering the amount of strange activity that took place.
That said, I do have some respect for the fact that they tried to go against the grain. Nothing is worse than movies that dumb down society or films that take for-granted that the viewers are idiots. I’d rather watch a pretentious film than one that lowers my IQ simply by viewing it. For example, films like Date Movie (2006) or Jack and Jill (2011) make me sick. Somewhere in recent years, a lot of comedies devolved into unfunny movies that lacked jokes yet were filled with lame punch lines (a.e. Jennifer Lopez has a big ass). Intelligent comedies like See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) or Little Miss Sunshine (2006) are few and far between. Instead, we have nothing but toilet humor that my nephew wouldn’t laugh at. It definitely went too far when horrible spoofs were parodying comedies. Basically, some movies opted to be live-action Family Guy (1999) episodes. Family Guy appeals to the lowest common denominator. Sometimes I’m out and I hear someone discussing how “hilarious” the show is. It’s always some 30-something loser with a balding head and a football t-shirt on. I have zero patience for Family Guy fans.
On the flip side, it’s always refreshing when a movie or a book for that matter whether it is a comedy, drama, or horror pushes the audience over the edge in an intelligent manner. I’m not implying controversy is always the answer. Films that are controversial just for controversy’s sake are usually awful. The Brown Bunny (2003) is dreadful. It tried so hard to stir the pot by showing Chloe Sevigny’s character giving Vincent Gallo’s a blowjob. Though mildly shocking, it didn’t save the movie.
There needs to be more. Serling never shied away from controversy but he delivered it with substance. Even a lighthearted horror film like Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) which stirred controversy had the entertainment value to back it up whereas trash like I Spit on Your Grave (1978) pushed the envelope just to get noticed.
Overall, Crush wasn’t controversial, intelligent, scary, or atmospheric. It’s just a forgettable movie that managed to disappoint despite the low expectations going in.
Scared Stiff Rating: 2/10
