Cherry Falls (2000)

I went to see this movie with the idea it would be total crap. For that thought: I was not totally disappointed, but because I had that thought the movie was also enjoyable in some weird ways.

The story is about a killer who is slashing virgins from a local high school. After 'Scream', 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' and 'Urban Legend' it is not the most original idea. The movie rips all kind of ideas from those movies. The whole "slashing high school students"-concept from 'Scream', a visit to a very quiet place from 'I Know What You Did Last Summer', a scene with a certain aggressive artifact hitting a door from 'The Shining'. It didn't bother me much because it was all ridiculous anyway. All the clichés from the movies above, the same kind of characters, a revealed secret, and of course the killer you "never thought" it would be.

Like I said the whole thing was kind of ridiculous. There were scenes I really enjoyed because of the stupid events on screen. One of the scenes involves a whole group trying to lose their virginity at the same time on some kind of party. You think it is nonsense, which it is, but scenes around that event are quite funny. I had the idea it was made that "stupid" on purpose to give the movie some kind of comic release, but my guess is there were better ways to do that. The comedy in a movie like 'Scream 3' works better, although the movie wasn't that much better. In this movie sometimes it succeeds, if that was the goal of the scenes. If it wasn't, I still enjoyed that parts so it didn't matter much anyway. If you are going to watch it, just think you will see absolutely nothing at all, and you might enjoy it a little.

Fmovies: Misunderstood movie, very, very funny and droll, good sick take. Performances universally solid in a script not nearly so routine as I heard (I think details are being missed by some audiences). Hilarious climax, saw it in Spain. Will the DVD have fewer cuts?

There must be something about the way they executed this stupid and so-tired plot - nut case stalks high school virgins, sparking consideration of "protective measures" - because there was no other reason for me to periodically check in on this trash. I don't know, maybe there's a certain quiet campiness to the acting. Otherwise, from the tacky title to the plot and dialogue to the actual (in)action there's really nothing here.

Cherry Falls fmovies. A teenage couple is killed while making out by the lake in small town Cherry Falls. A further murder points the police to suspect that someone is killing virgins. While the towns' teenagers prepare for a sex party to protect themselves, the sheriff's daughter, Jody Marken, follows a clue that may unmask the killer and her motives.

One of the spate of `knowing' teenage slasher movies, Cherry Falls got some publicity from it's twist on the usual horror cliché that `sex = death'. Pointed out in Scream, whenever you have sex in a horror movie you mark yourself out as a victim, however here the twist is that virgins will die and those having had sex will live. The film is quite enjoyable and has the odd tense moment, but quickly falls into line with every other horror cliché in the book – right down to the big twist over the killer's identity and, true to Scream, it's a big leap!

The film is a little modern ironic but doesn't get much mileage out of it. More interesting to me was the angle that, in this day of AIDS and STD's, those HAVING sex were actually protected while those saving themselves and being careful were actually risking death. I'm not sure if this angle was thought of when making the film but it didn't get any significant air time or comment – I guess the film only wanted to be ironic or post modern if it didn't involve any thought or effort. That said it still sort of works, even if it doesn't really stand out from the rest of the teen slashers (but then, what does?).

The cast are so-so. Murphy is OK in the lead and Biehn is a familiar face as her father. Jay Mohr has a small role but happily isn't awful. The rest of the teens tend to fall into high school stereotypes of jock, nerd, joker etc and only really serve to be victims rather than characters. There are no really gory moments but there are lots of quite cruel ones which happen just offscreen but are no less horrific for it.

Overall the film is OK but can't really do anything intelligent with it's unique twist. I knew it was clever to do things like this, but the film gets no mileage out of the wider ideals (AIDS etc) and quickly falls into being a standard teen horror movie complete with shadows, twisty end and so on. Still worth a watch if you like this sort of stuff but it really could have been better than this.

Maybe I should start by saying I'm not the biggest slasher fan around here. Sure I can appreciate the classics like Halloween and the original Friday the 13th but they were never top of my list. And the post-Scream era has blown it all. Since this movie, everybody thinks they can make a horror film. The only thing they need is a few good looking girls who can yell very loud and a stupid outfit to give to the killer. This is kinda also the big idea behind CHERRY FALLS but, compared to most others, there are several good aspects and twists in this one. The story for starters... The killer's targets are exclusively virgins. This of course give a lot of opportunities to insert all sorts of humor. (shy girls, computer geeks who never get laid, slutty girls) It's all pretty predictable but it works. For example, I laughed pretty loud when some character said about another : " She thinks Fellatio is a characters in a Shakespeare play" As most films in the genre, the film tries to be as violent as possible, I was one of the lucky ones who saw the uncut version. If you're planning to see it, try to get your hands on this version.

The story develops pretty well. The killer's background gets revealed bit by bit and it's scary enough to keep you interested. A few good twists too, I may say. Cherry Falls stars a few very decent actors. Michael Biehn ( always one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, IMO ) is very convincing as the sheriff who discovers the truth behind the gore murders. His teenage ( virgin, of course ) daughter is played by Brittany Murphy. She gained fame and fortune lately by starring in that stupid Eminem film and a few others. She wasn't that famous yet when she did Cherry Falls, so I could enjoy her part. Her boyfriend ( named Kenny ) looks a lot like a young James Spader. So if they wanna do a remake of Secretary withing 15 years, they know who to cast... I also recognized a dumb looking DJ Qualls ( Road Trip, The New Guy, The Core) I think this guy is doomed to play the nerd for the rest of his life. Oh well... In general: Of the thousand stupid slashers who got released over the past 8 years, this certainly is one of the best. You'll forget about it pretty soon, but it'll sure give you 90 minutes of fun and violence.

Shamefully neglected horror thriller is probably the best slasher film to follow in the footsteps of Scream (1996), too bad it ended up being a television movie!

In the seemingly innocent town of Cherry Falls, Virginia, someone is murdering high school students who just happen to be virgins!

Clever premise, being a twist on the classic slasher convention of sex=death, pays off in this dark and splendidly suspenseful shocker. The direction of Wright is solid with the occasional touch of stylishness. He makes good use of the Virginia filming locations and adds some spooky elements, like the rather creepy looking killer. Ken Seldon takes what could have been a lousy concept and makes a wonderfully twisted and entertaining story. There's also the occasional touch of comic relief (like the have sex or die party) and a dark sense of humor about the story. The murder sequences are gory and shocking despite the limitations of TV censors, which caused some of the film to be edited.

The cast is pretty good. Young Brittany Murphy is appealing and likable as a rather unconventional leading girl. Michael Biehn is great as Murphy's father who's also the local sheriff. Jay Mohr is excellent as the rather timid school teacher who fears for his students safety. The supporting cast is also good, most notably Candy Clark as Murphy's slightly odd mother.

Cherry Falls is a film that really got the shaft on its releasing, as it's far superior to a number of the theatrically released slasher-by-the-numbers flicks that where out around the time. Horror fans, before you bother with the likes of Urban Legend (1998), the lousy Valentine (2001) or any sequel, give this one a turn! You just might find it to be one of the best!

*** 1/2 out of ****