Sub-category: Teen Thriller, Slasher
Setting: High School
Predictability: Madam Cleo would have a hard time
Scare Factor: I checked under my bed twice
Gore Factor: Blood and Guts Galore
Look-at-these: No Nudity (Men in their Undies)

Synopsis: Corey is the new kid in school with a troubled past. He recently killed someone during a wrestling match and hasn't been the same ever since. He begins school at Hallows End High, only to discover that the outcasts of the school are being killed off one-by-one. He does his best to help others from falling to the same fate, only to discover the true secret of Hallows End High. The secret is just to stupid to be believed.

Title Analysis: This film is Frightening, Frightening that anyone could come up with an ending that was so lame.

Analysis: The film stars Robert Donovan (Murdercycle, Don't Sleep Alone) and Brinke Stevens (Teenage Exorcist, Slave Girls From Beyond Infinity). Combined, the pair has quite a bit of horror experience. Once you see them in the film, it also won't surprise you that they have starred in a number of late-night Cinemax-type look-at-these movies. The film also features the lovely Tanya Dempsey (Witchouse 3), whom I was very glad to see. She delivers the best performance of the film despite her relative lack of on-screen experience.

The film features lots and lots of buff guys running around in their skibbies. So it was no surprise for me to discover later that the film was directed by David DeCoteau, director of The Brotherhood I & II which also boast scantily clad men. Most horror flicks feature women walking around topless and the like. Since I have never questioned the validity of this, I have no right to question why a bunch of guys would hang out in the basement of a school in their boxer briefs. It's only fair. But I do have to ask the question, 'Why do people prefer boxer briefs?' They have the constriction of tighty-whities and the length of boxers, the main drawbacks of each. Being a boxer guy I guess I just won't ever understand this.

The cinematography is actually quite nice. There are some very good shots of the four killers approaching their victims and some almost dizzying flashback scenes. The film also makes good use of the dark school basement, a pretty spooky atmosphere. The deaths involve the right amount of gore. Enough to be scary but not so much as to make the average person turn away. Overall, the filming was quite good.

The plot proceeds quite nicely up until the end. The film was mediocre up until the 'secret' of Hallows End High was revealed. Since I won't recommend this film, I will give away the ending.

*** BEGIN SPOILER ZONE ***

On the back cover, the film boasts to be 'A New Class of Horror.' Actually this film is The Brotherhood meets Sixth Sense. It reminds me of The Brotherhood because of the previously mentioned half-naked men. The ending is stolen from Sixth Sense. It turns out that Corey is really dead. His mom talks to him and drives him to school because she still hasn't come to terms with the whole thing. What a complete rip-off. Hallows End High is the place where young ghosts, the ones that cling onto this world the hardest, are sent over into the great beyond. Nothing spectacular here.

*** END SPOILER ZONE ***

Final Comments: The film started out well enough, but lacked originality in the end. For this reason I can't recommend this film, although I will give it 3 stars because of its redeeming qualities. If you want to see a decent film with half-naked men, then I recommend The Brotherhood part I.

DeCoteau's Homoerotic Thrillers: The Brotherhood I, II, III, Leeches!, The Frightening, Voodoo Academy

DeCoteau's Non-Homoerotic Thrillers: Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Witchouse, Ancient Evil: Scream of the Mummy


Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older