URBAN LEGEND
A review by Robert Strong
Starring: Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Jared Leto, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid, John Neville, Robert Englund, Julian Richings, Natasha Wagner
Directed by Jamie Blanks
Written by Silvio Horta
The only thing worse than watching a bad movie is realizing that the film had a lot of potential and could've been effective. Such is the case with _Urban Legend_, the new horror film from first time director Jamie Blanks. The idea behind the movie is that the mad slasher of the film muders people according to various urban legends. Examples include the killer in the backseat of the car and person getting calls from inside her house. The killer wears one of those L.L. Bean parkas with the hood drawn completely up, so you can't see the face. I guess Halloween masks are out of style for psychos these days. Anyhow, the premise is certainly a nifty one and the opening scene is spooky and atmospheric. It's a very good setup that promises more chills to come. Unfortunately, the film never takes off from there.
The movie takes place on a peaceful New England college campus. Like most slasher flicks, this one also centers around a young female main character whose friends are slowly killed off by a knife wielding maniac (or in this case an axe wielding maniac). I've always wondered why these killers don't save themselves a lot of time and trouble and just go after the person they ultimately aim to kill.
After the fine first scene, the movie degenerates into a monotonous series of those annoying you-thought-it-was-the-killer-but-was-just- someone-else scares. These are always accompanied by loud bursts of music. I guess sudden, sharp music chords are what passes for terror these days. The actual killer will attack at about every third music blast. The slasher appears, attacks, the victim is eviscerated, and the tedious cycle appears anew. False scares should always be used in moderation. Someone needs to tell director Blanks that things like this just aren't as scary as they used to be. This movie commits the biggest sin a horror film can commit--it's not frightening.
Remember the horror movie cliches that were so mercilessly mocked in _Scream_ and _Scream 2_? This movie still adheres to them. Tons of illogical moments about; more than I really have the inclination to list. And I don't mean illogical in the summer popcorn movie sense. That type of illogical can be fun. This film insults your intelligence more times than I care to remember. The last 20 minutes especially degenerates into such lunacy that you'll be laughing more than you'll be screaming. Actually, you won't be screaming at all. At its best, the acting can barely be called "adequate" and the script could've definitely used a rewrite or two.
The film still manages to have some strong points. The killings are certainly inventive and plentiful enough to satistfy most gore fans. There are some intentionally funny moments. (These were exceeded by the unintentional ones.) The film is well made from a technical standpoint. Besides the first part, there is also another good scene, a prolonged cat and mouse chase inside a radio station. If there had only been more sequences like this, that relied on tautness and suspense rather than loud bursts of music, _Urban Legend_ might've been worth your money.
Grade: C-
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