Leigh Janiak directs Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch and Benjamin Flores Jr. in this affectionate pastiche of the Nineties slasher revival that self consciously is kickstarting a 500 year spanning horror tale.

A very Gen Z take on the Nineties. The kids taste in music and clothes is squeezed awkwardly through a current filter… I’m pretty sure we were all into Stiltskin, Ace Of Base and U2 back in ‘94? Their needle drops are a little too cool for my era of teenagers, really. The prologue is a direct lift from Scream. Is Maya Hawke the current equivalent of Drew Barrymore? Only if you only watch Netflix (and I type that with a fondness for Maya). This is a tad too over plotted and tad too heavy-footed “woke” to truly seduce. The chase sequences need maybe an extra minute or wrinkle to really build the tension but it is always in a rush to dash off and hint at the next chapter or do some overly mature character work that dampens the energy. There’s no way anyone is getting their fuck on during all this cursed carnage, don’t care how horny you are. But it looks pretty swell, feels pretty cool for targeted product, I liked the ensemble and there’s one very nasty kill in the finale that will become iconic. My appetite is whetted for 1978. And I’ve never read an R.L. Stine book in my life!

6

Perfect Double Bill: Summer of 84 (2018)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/