Urban Legend

Rating:
Summary: eh
Review: Director: Jamie Blanks
Cast: Alicia Witt, Jared Leto, Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid, Robert Englund.
Running Time: 108 minutes.
Rated R for violence, gore, language, and mild sexual situations.

With the success of "Scream" (1996) and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" (1997), director Jamie Blanks cashes in on this second wave of slasher-hyseria with this slick, innovative angle towards the genre. The opening scene sets the tone for the entire film: a lone traveling college woman stops at a gas station to fill up, only to be harrassed by the sales clerk. Little does she know that the clerk is only struggling to warn her about the murderous maniac wielding an axe is hiding in her back seat.

This, of course, is an urband legend that has been passed down from generation to generation. Alicia Witt stars as a normal student adjusting to college life, only to have her friends being knocked off by a killer in strange fashion--all die similarly to famous urban legends. With the help from the sly journalist Leto, they attempt to track down the killer before it is too late.

Certainly a film that is better than expected, with an intense, smart script and suitable acting. Blanks does a fine job using certain camera angles and shots to portray the killer as mysterious and unknown. Look for Robert Englund, who plays Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, in a brief cameo as a college professor--he is almost as scary in this flick as his others. Rivals both "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" in style and authenticity.

Rating:
Summary: Completely and totally mediocre in every sense of the word.
Review: The string of teen horror flicks was revived with the wonderful Scream. It was then followed up with I Know What You Did Last Summer. Then along comes Urban Legend. This film takes everything you learned from Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and turns it into the completely predictable piece of film trash. You can figure out who the villain is, who he/she will kill and even how they are gonna bite it. The film is okay to watch if you are a fan of horror, but do not expect Halloween standards. The only thing good about this film were that a few of the scenes were inventive, but still predictable. Don't see this film, watch Scream instead.