Over-hyped but still worth a look

Rating: 7/10 (6 August 2000)

But once again actors in their mid-to-late twenties are playing teenagers and the effect of the film is totally ruined as they behave and act so unrealistic. While most people may consider this a cool movie just because of the scares and the over-hyped 'irony' there is actually an intelligent plot with a pretty good twist. I notice this more as I am a writer and this is one of my fave horror/thrillers.
I advise you not to watch this for the pumped up scares (to a very loud soundtrack) but for how a typical 'who's the killer?' plot line can be a little better than it is believed to be.
Some of the characters can be really annoying. In fact the only one that doesn't enrage me is Dewey. His idiotness makes me laugh and diverts my attention from the other characters in the very slow 'character building scenes'.
The direction and photography are very bland. Wes Craven did a much better job of a real horror film with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. Here it just seems as if he aiming at the teen/popcorn market. You'll notice that, with these kind of movies, most of the characters (not actors) are teenagers and the tone of the film is mostly 'safe'. In the Scream 'sub-genre' there is never any REAL edge.
After this movie was made, many, increasing bad, movies that were all exactly the same rolled off a conveyor belt in Hollywood. They were easy moneymakers. Craven knew this beforehand but deep, intelligent movies do not sit well with mass audiences. The blander the style of film is, the more popular it will be with the majority of audiences.
The plot in this one redeems these bad qualities. I just wish for a real horror film to come out of Hollywood.