Review of Cry_Wolf (2005) by James D — 11 Jun 2009

I really should have known better when I heard the TV trailer end with those terrifying words; "Rated PG-13". But there was a good review in the L.A. Times, and so I went along anyway, thinking I might be pleasantly surprised.

I wasn't. Everything about this movie is purely generic, from the limply derivative plot to the bland performances and boring visuals. A brief scene in a dark library provides the movie's only remotely chilling moments.

There is no violence, no scares beyond the old cat-in-the-closet ruse. The so-called twist was tired when it was done in a dozen straight-to-video slashers in the eighties. Perhaps a few pre-teens on a sleepover may have fun watching it in the dark, but anybody else will be thoroughly bored.