Film Filter: Off- This film was actually not as awful as one might think. It sort of reeks of Wes Craven's 1990's cliche horror style in part, but it delves a little bit deeper plot-wise than some of his former films.
Pros- First of all, this story line takes quite a few twists and turns, which I enjoy. It tends to deliver a vague concept or piece of information initially, but does a good job on following through and answering any and all questions. I also thought it was pretty unique to have a crazy person as the lead character, but not necessarily as the direct suspect either. I went through a healthy dilemma with myself before I ever really decided if I wanted to pity him or accuse him of the murders.
Another thing that this film does well is the background story on the legend of Ripper Day. A lot of the prerequisite knowledge happens in the intro, but what we don't get from that portion of the film is eloquently and flamboyantly told in a traditional story-telling manner commemorating the death of the town's former serial killer. It is appropriate within the context of the film, but also gives us a healthy amount of knowledge.
Another point of interest is that there is an extremely diverse group of characters as the Riverton Seven, particularly the spiritual girl, Penelope. I found this trait to be exclusively interesting, because not many horror films of the serial killer variety have a character who is deep rooted in religion. It didn't end up saving her in the end, but it was still intriguing.
Cons- As a typical 90's slasher film would have it, the deaths and how they occur in this film are both cheesy and abrupt. There seems to be no finesse or strategic planning in the murders, rather, they appear to come out of nowhere. I attribute a lot of this to the fact that they have seven characters they need to kill off to make the story work, but they had to fit in time for plot, dialogue, and story twists as well. No excuse, but I can empathize. Although this is only one flaw, it happens to occur pretty frequently as death is a common theme in most horror movies. The corny and sporadic nature of the deaths in the film don't completely destroy it, but it definitely leaves a lasting impression of the unfavorable variety.
Wrap up- Overall, this movie was way better than I thought it was going to be. Granted, that's not saying much as I had terrible expectations for it, but it was a pleasant surprise.
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