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So many slasher movies (The Burning and Sleepaway Camp to name a few) have shamelessly used the same idea as Friday the th, Scream Bloody Murder looks to jump on the same bandwagon and hold the reigns. Where the others were successful in being somewhat good (or at the very least entertaining) films, this one just fails in nearly every aspect of plot, acting and scares. The main problem with Scream Bloody Murder is that it lacks originality. The idea is the same as Friday the th; masked killer kills counsellors in a summer camp, everyone dies and the killer isn’t who you thought it to be. Even the mask bears an uncanny resemblance to Jason’s. Hell just to spite originality even more, there is a character that goes by the name of Jason who is even accused of being the killer!
Scream Bloody Murder is let down in so many ways it is hard to know where to start. One of the worst aspects of this film (it is very hard to state just one) is the choice of actors. No offense to these people because I’m sure it is hard to become an actor these days, but they could have at least tried. Our main heroine if you will, Julie, could have easily been a very likeable character – she is kind, caring and has a slight sense of humour, but it’s a shame that this rather beautiful girl played by Jessica Morris was not believable one bit. Her and Crystalle Ford (Drew) could have lead this film out of its minute misery if only they were good at their job. Their acting was so forced it made the whole film seem like it didn’t want to be made.
The acting is followed by a rather predictable, clichéd and weak story line. Even from the start the flaws kick in. First of we meet the masked killer for no apparent reason. He then revs up a chainsaw (which in fact doesn’t even run and it is that obvious) and kills a passer by, again, for no evident reason. Then the soon-to-be-counsellors tell us about a former – and perhaps mythical – camper who went missing and has been killing people since. Yes, I am thinking the same too, where have we seen this one before?! Believe me the plagiarism doesn’t stop there. Throughout the film we see so many resemblances to Friday the th it is very scary – scarier than the end product, in fact.
Scream Bloody Murder features more plot holes than Camp Crystal Lake does dead bodies. But saying that there are some nice plot twists that you wouldn’t expect to see. The killer, when first accused by Julie is Drew. And we could all see that one coming a mile off. Then seconds later you think, that was too easy, it couldn’t have been her? And sure enough you are right. After some pointless and irritating detective work on Julie’s behalf, she then finds out the killer is the one they least suspected. Again surprise, surprise. It was the camp leader Patrick all along. Sure enough Patrick is caught by none other than the originally-accused killer, Drew. Which leaves the film in an anti-climax. Not that this film had far to go to get there in the first place.
The one part of the plot that I liked the most was when Patrick is being taken away by the police. The sheriff, the only believable and likable character in the film, is asking why he killed Doug, one of the campers. The sheriff didn’t see the connection that he had with the other victims. Patrick then tells the Sheriff that he didn’t kill him and that it was the mythical ex-camper whose existence was being questioned throughout the film. Who then turns up again. That was a very good plot twist in my view. Unfortuanlty it wasn’t able to save the film.
Another aspect that this film lacks is blood, and when I say ‘lacks’, I mean ‘needs desperately’. The only time we see blood is in the first killing. Only a puddle on the floor doesn’t really make up for the rest of the film. One counsellor is killed by an arrow going through him – was there a fountain of blood, you ask? Hell no! The only trace of blood was a small stain on his shirt. That same thought goes for the counsellor who gets darts through him.
I suppose I should end on a high note. The best part about Scream Bloody Murder – yes I did say best, there actually are some – is its unintentional comical factors. It was rather funny seeing the below standard acting on a below standard and unoriginal storyline. The one thing that makes this film funny is that it thinks it is a serious contender. Take one look at the front cover and you get the first impression of something that is going to be serious. But it fails at the last hurdle.
‘#ccc’>OVERALL SUMMARY
This could have been a good film – if the storyline had been original, the acting to scratch and if there was some blood, but that’s a pretty big ‘if’. Those points were possibly the biggest let downs. It still had the nerve to be rated . I suggest that the next time you are babysitting you take this film along and give the kids a good night in because this isn’t going to scare them one bit. By all means watch this film, it’s a great cure for insomnia.
