How many films can you honestly say scared the living skit out of you? For me, there are only four such titles: The Exorcist, Ring (Jap version), Halloween and What Lies Beneath. These movies possess a certain quality needed to tickle your scary bone, have well though-out, plausible storylines, and use every trick in the book to ensure you don't sleep without the light on for weeks to come. All of which, also, are attributes sorely missing from this tame slasher from the land down under.
In 1990, an acclaimed horror director (played by Kylie Minogue!) was brutally murdered by the lead actor in her latest slasher production "Hot Blooded". Production was obviously halted but four years later a plucky young director decided the resurrect the project and pass it off as his own. He was killed during a private screening of the workprint and the killer was never caught. The project has now attained cult recognition worldwide, with claims by some of a 'death curse' surrounding the movie and anyone who tries to complete it.
Step up the graduating film studies class of 2000! Led by the plucky Tess, these fearless (or stupid, depending on your tolerancy level) teens decide it'll be fun to work on such a high profile picture - and with slasher pics undergoing a revival, it may even clean up at the box office. Amazingly, they persuade the original actress (Molly Ringwald) to come back as the heroine and begin shooting the new footage a.s.a.p. Naturally, someone didn't want them to do this and before long a masked killer begins to bump off the crew members with his garden shears/machete ensemble. Now it's up to the smart girls leading the production to work out just who it is and why... before it's too late.
'Cut' starts off well enough and is helped by some wonderfully camp performances from Molly Ringwald and Kylie Minogue in her rather brief cameo. Acting can't always save a poorly written movie, though and the lack of logic and plausible suspects by the midway mark begin to drag the whole thing down. By the finale, the promise of the first fifteen minutes has well and truly disappeared as the director attempts to merge horror subgenres with disasterous results. Another notable omission from the director is the use of suspense; deaths are signposted well in advance and there isn't a single jump in the entire feature. That said, it is mildly entertaining in parts and therefore not a total washout - just very, very close to one. Not recommended - ** / *****
In 1990, an acclaimed horror director (played by Kylie Minogue!) was brutally murdered by the lead actor in her latest slasher production "Hot Blooded". Production was obviously halted but four years later a plucky young director decided the resurrect the project and pass it off as his own. He was killed during a private screening of the workprint and the killer was never caught. The project has now attained cult recognition worldwide, with claims by some of a 'death curse' surrounding the movie and anyone who tries to complete it.
Step up the graduating film studies class of 2000! Led by the plucky Tess, these fearless (or stupid, depending on your tolerancy level) teens decide it'll be fun to work on such a high profile picture - and with slasher pics undergoing a revival, it may even clean up at the box office. Amazingly, they persuade the original actress (Molly Ringwald) to come back as the heroine and begin shooting the new footage a.s.a.p. Naturally, someone didn't want them to do this and before long a masked killer begins to bump off the crew members with his garden shears/machete ensemble. Now it's up to the smart girls leading the production to work out just who it is and why... before it's too late.
'Cut' starts off well enough and is helped by some wonderfully camp performances from Molly Ringwald and Kylie Minogue in her rather brief cameo. Acting can't always save a poorly written movie, though and the lack of logic and plausible suspects by the midway mark begin to drag the whole thing down. By the finale, the promise of the first fifteen minutes has well and truly disappeared as the director attempts to merge horror subgenres with disasterous results. Another notable omission from the director is the use of suspense; deaths are signposted well in advance and there isn't a single jump in the entire feature. That said, it is mildly entertaining in parts and therefore not a total washout - just very, very close to one. Not recommended - ** / *****