Innovative and entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (4 December 2014)

I heard a lot about this movie before I decided to see it. Since I am not a horror fan, I wasn't crazy about seeing it, but the more I heard about the more I got intrigued. One day, I decided to rent it and just see it. The result was an interesting and entertaining ride with unexpected results.
1) The acting. Since the movie is not (primarily) focused on the teens I found that the two pillars of the movie are Jenkins and Whitford. The positive energy these two emit from the screen is contagious. It is obvious that they had so much fun acting that it is just a pleasure to watch them. But, the problem is, they were having such a good time acting two demonic and evil characters. The job that they do is disturbing beyond sanity, but their energy and fun made me root for them instead for the teens. And that is what disturbed me the most. This is one of the most interesting elements of the movie, the ones you are supposed to root for you want dead, and the bad guys are the ones who you are rooting for. The teens are so generic that there is almost nothing I can say about them. But, the point of the movie is to make them (too) generic, in fact one of the plot points is based on that. But, Kranz did a really good job. He was entertaining even more that it was intended, and he raised his character a little out of the boundaries, which was more than entertaining and fun to watch.
2) The story. The thing one must understand is that this movie mocks all other teen-horror/slasher horror ever made. Elements of every cult horror can be found in this movie: Evil dead, Friday the 13th, almost every zombie movie ever made etc. Now, some would say that the movie is a copycat of all those movies, but the plot line is so ingenious that all those elements actually make sense and do not feel copied, but as well placed puzzle pieces. In all my years of watching movies I have never seen a movie that plays with horror elements so well. The climax is almost completely unexpected and innovative that one just can't believe it ended the way it did. Still, about two thirds into the movie the paste and story changes so abruptly that it leaves you stunned. The problem with it is that the change is explained too fast and too simple. The way the movie develops afterward is a bit rushed and the focus gets a bit lost. Still, the finale is exceptional and quite fitting for this movie. If the third part of the movie was a bit longer and more focused the final product would have been even more fun and interesting that it actually is.
Every other aspect of the movie is not worth mentioning. It would be quite strange that a 95 min mystery-horror-comedy had more to offer than good acting and a great story with a couple of jump scares and quite a bit of gore. It is important to remember that everything you see has a reason, and if something feels familiar, that feeling is also there for a reason. An open mind and a box of popcorn with this movie guaranties a great evening.