Who could ask for more from a late 90's teen horror movie? Let me list the ways: a weird wise janitor, a quaint island community, the 'new kid' in town, a lesson about the dangers in conformity, Director David Nutter's first foray into film includes this thriller with mass appeal at the time. The director's impression of a small-town high school is somewhat over-the-top; evidenced in letter jackets in the lunchroom, hot rods in the high school parking lot, bake sales in the hallways, front-of-class Dickens readings, and a caricatured school that would make John Hughes roll his eyes. Marsden and Holmes as students-become-detectives are quite good at suspending disbelief throughout the film--which is astounding in itself. There are three consistent themes that put this movie way over-the-top: absentee parents, a very loud soundtrack, and aggressive teens who seem to be able to commit assault without consequences. It's a great guilty pleasure but a reminder of the slew of imitators who followed the Scream franchise. Available on Netflix instant.
