By Melissa Antoinette Garza
First and foremost, this isn’t a slasher in any real sense. It’s advertised as one, but the closest horror sub-genre it fits into is home invasion though it takes place in a school. The film begins with Mr. Robert Anderson (David Schofield) being punched by a kid after he fails him. Rather than the student getting in trouble, Mr. Anderson gets suspended until the end of the year for giving out an F as the school’s policy is to advise the paper needed to be resubmitted.
In the months after the incident, Anderson becomes a drunk, separates from his wife and becomes estranged from his daughter Kate (Eliza Bennett). Kate is in his class and starts seeing one of the hoodlums who gives her dad a tough time. She goes from being his star student to having detention.
At detention, Kate and Mr. Anderson continue their face-off while unseen people in hoodies break into school. Their reason is unknown as they kill students and faculty indiscriminately. The death scenes are adequate and no CGI was utilized. Though not gruesome by any standards, the moments of unease helped make the murders sting a bit more.
The major issue with this movie is that no questions were answered at the end. We never find out the who, what or why answers. Many people have speculated on the meaning of certain forewarnings, but there isn’t an concrete conclusions. Whereas more intellectual films like Funny Games (1997) or Death Game (1977) can get away with that this wants to have the action of a movie like You’re Next (2011) with the ambiguity of American Psycho (2000). The two don’t work well together. The audience of films which provoke thought and contemplation can leave things open and the viewer will thank them. Movies that are merely there to entertain with excitement needs to show everything. Showing is the only thing going for the film. So when the movie doesn’t explain the conclusion, it feels less intelligent and in fact very lazy on the part of the filmmakers.
Still, I won’t say that this is a complete flop. The pace was quick. The setting was creepy. Actual night shots were used opposed to ‘day-for-night’ shots. The characters were interesting. If the film went ten minutes longer and just wrote an explanation, I would have suggested this for a watch. As it stands, I would pass on this unless there is nothing else that looks more appealing.
Scared Stiff Rating: 5/10
