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Actually, everyone loves Mandy Lane (Amber Heard, in a low-key, believable performance) and is in some way obsessed with the Junior High School goddess that no one seems to be able to deflower. Yes, no boy is able to get with Mandy and it seems to be taking its toll on all these kids, from stoner Red, to jock Bird, to popular hunk Jake, to even Mandy’s best friend Emmet. Throw in an industrial-sized dose of teenage angst, reckless hormones, drugs/booze and youthful sociopathic behavior and all will end in a bloodbath during what was supposed to be fun weekend getaway on a countryside farm to celebrate the end of the school year. Add the presence of mysterious farmhand/former marine/war vet Garth (portrayed well by Anson Mount) at Reds’ parents farmhouse/ranch and this teenage drama of carnage is also set for a whodunit.
Let’s start with the good. For the first hour and a bit, director Jonathan Levine’s movie trots along beautifully as a seamless mash-up of a serious teenage drama and a slasher movie. The film works well up to that point due to remaining completely straightforward with actors/characters that actually look, sound (courtesy of screenwriter Jacob Forman) and act like teenagers which is actually a rare commodity in films starring teenage characters. The characters are not particularly likable, but are believable, as are the actors portraying them. As these kids are being as disaffected as we might imagine they would be, the chain of events is alarming and the inevitable sense of doom for all involved haunted me from the opening frame. A very effective scene at a pool party early in the film left me with chills. Then the slasher film mode fully takes flight and the murders are realistic and brutal. The killer is wonderfully unmasked mid-way, ending the whodunit admirably (or so I thought…). This all remains tense and compelling… until the last 10-15 minutes where the film falls apart.
Unfortunately, a twist ending is implemented and this would be all fine and dandy in a regular disposable slasher film. But in one so hell-bent on being an authentic/serious portrait of youth and a truly brutal horror drama, this sudden shift to an implausible climax was disappointing in the end. I just wasn’t able to buy what ends up happening and wished the filmmaker had just stayed on course with the mayhem that had been set in motion. I still recommend it for its different take on the slasher formula (for the most part), as well as the compellingly real characters and the excellent camera-work that adds beautifully to their air of authenticity.
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