#Horror (2015)

Directed by: Tara Subkoff

Starring: Chloe Savigny, Timothy Hutton, Sadie Seelert, Haley Murphy, Bridget McGarry, Blue Lindeburg, Mina Sundwall, and Emma Adler

Genre: Horror, Slasher, Thriller

Rated: Not Rated

Six preteen girls having a slumber party are in for a night of horror as an unknown killer begins to pick them off one by one.

This film tried desperately to make a social commentary regarding our dependence on our phones and social media, as well as to make a point about the negative effects of cyberbullying. The girls the film centers around are hooked on this interactive mode of social media that is something of a cross between Candy Crush and Instagram. They snap pictures of each other and post them online with tags that range from cute to cuttingly mean. For instance, one girl, Kat, takes a picture of three of the others and tags it "#fatuglybitches," and one of Georgie, the overweight member of the group, tagging her as a fat pig, or something similar. However, these are the only instances of actual cyberbullying, the rest of the time, the girls are just bullies with no creativity when they cannot be glued to their phones. Apparently this addiction to social media and one's cell phone is an epidemic that affects the adults in the lives of these girls also, as more than one girl states that she feels invisible to her parents as they would rather be on their phones than spend time with her.

I wanted to like this film but there is so much wrong with it that I found that impossible. I've been looking for a horror movie that tackles the problem of cyberbullying head on and actually does a decent job of making the viewer think twice before posting something cruel online, but have had no success. I also couldn't bring myself to really sympathize with any of the central characters. I understand we are supposed to identify with and root for Sam, but she put me off in the beginning of the film with the rude way she spoke to her obviously loving, involved mother. Maybe after her ordeal she'll learn to appreciate the kind of mother she has, but nothing can be certain as she didn't really show much growth throughout the film. She did, however, half-heartedly try to stand up for the other girls when they were being bullied, and she did risk her own life to try and help girls who really didn't deserve it, so her character gets a few points of redemption on that front. The only other character that wasn't a complete waste was Francesca, who, while still a jerk, knew when enough was enough. Lastly, Ava wasn't too bad either, but she disappears pretty early on once the slasher aspects of the film kick in, so we don't really get to know her.

The three remaining girls I have absolutely no sympathy for. I tried to feel bad for Georgie when the other girls picked on her for her weight. As a supporter of the Healthy at Any Size movement and a believer that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, I refuse to judge someone by their weight, and find people who do judge for that reason disgusting and shallow. What these girls said to Georgie, constantly barraging her with snide remarks about her weight, telling her to stop eating when she eats for comfort, ridiculing any ideas she has about getting exercise, and telling her to kill herself, was uncalled for and hurtful. I did want to slap the hell out of the girls when they were saying those things to her. However, Georgie is not a sympathetic person, because instead of standing up and walking away from these girls who say such hurtful things to her, she turns around and joins them when they switch their attention to another girl in the group. Georgie also hurls homophobic slurs at Francesca, which automatically turns me against her. I don't care if you're overweight, I do care if you're an ignorant asshole individual.

The last two brats we have on the roster are Sofia and Kat, both spoiled, self-absorbed, entitled rich bitches girls who think they can do and say whatever they want. Sofia is the Queen Bee of the group and all the other girls fawn over her, regardless of the fact that she's a cruel little troll who will turn on any of her so-called friends in a second. Kat is even crueler than Sofia, as she is willing to take it far past a little underhanded bullying and tell someone straight to their face to kill themselves. This comment is too cruel, even for Sofia, and she actually finds herself kicked out of the house.

I've said it in prior reviews and I will say it again, I cannot find a horror movie scary if I do not care about the characters. As aforementioned, the young girls are entitled little trolls, but the parents aren't any more likable. Sofia's father is cheating on her mother, Alex, in the opening scene, while Alex tries to get in the pants of the workmen at her home. Alex also drives drunk and leaves six obviously unbalanced preteen girls home alone. (Yes, I stayed home alone at twelve, but I wasn't a psychotic little turd either.) Dr. White, Kat's father, seems too busy for her until it may be too late, then he goes off the deep end and barges into Sofia's house to terrorize the remaining seventh grade girls.

There were things I absolutely didn't understand, such as Sam's supposed psychic abilities/sensitivities - an aspect of her character that adds absolutely nothing to the story. What was the point of her having these "sensitivities"? They don't help her in any way, and actually detract from the plot. I also don't understand the desperate need the underling girls had to be friends with girls like Sofia and Kat. I guess these two must be the most popular in their grade, but what's the point in being popular when you don't have any real friends you can count on? I guess when you're twelve that spotlight looks awfully inviting, no matter how much you have to suffer to be in it. Lastly, this is a film centered around preteen girls, was it really necessary for the opening scene to involve a woman writhing in orgasm in the front seat of a car? Also, what purpose does it serve to have her walking around in the middle of winter wearing nothing but a skimpy negligee under a trench coat?

I think the one thing I hated the most aside from the girls themselves was the Candy Crush/Instagram social media program the girls were addicted to - as it came up as part of the actual film, transitioning scenes, introducing the idiotic characters, and depicting their photos that they post online. The fast-pacing and bright colors hurt my eyes, and I found it distracting from the actual storyline rather than helping it along. I also hated the emojis popping up randomly, as I also found them distracting. Other viewers seem to disagree, but, as someone who doesn't really use many emojis in my daily life, I'd rather not have them overtaking my horror films. It's not cute, it's not creative, it's juvenile and irritating.

There is very little to no suspense, the kills are rapid, and the gore effects merely decent. The death on the tennis court had potential, but was cut way too short despite the tension that was building up. The attempted drowning in the pool was the only scene that had a tangible amount of tension. The rest fell flat. Lastly, the killer was extremely predictable and but hardly believable.

The only aspect of the movie that I did like was the setting - the house is huge, modern, and boxy which I hate, however the vast amount of windows does add to the tension. I liked the way the art seems to pulse or move in a creepy fashion, and I loved that there was a constant dusting of snow falling from the sky. Also, the filmmaker didn't get it wrong when she depicted slumber party activities of young girls - dressing up, goofing off with the camera, swimming in the pool if your friend is lucky/rich enough to have one, dancing silly, watching movies and playing games like sharing secrets are all part of the slumber party package - though my friends and I were chowing down on junk food while these scrawny runts are "on a diet, Mom! God, how can you be so stupid?!"

Overall, another lame attempt at capturing the negative effects of bullying/cyber bullying, which is a shame, as this is a great, powerful concept to explore. The characters are obnoxious, spoiled little twits in dire need of a swat upset the head, and the game/social media almost being a character ruins a lot of the potential for me.  The gore effects were decent, kills rapid, and killer predictable. Avoid this one. 

3.5/10