Review of Disturbing Behavior (1998) by Tom M — 14 May 2011

One of the rare, post-Scream 90's teen horrors that was actually decent. It's never as funny or scary as it should be, but it never becomes boring. Providing constant entertainment is what all horrors should aim to do.

To be honest, the film is never really scary. Instead it builds up a creepy, uneasy atmosphere, as we slowly begin to find out more about the strange Blue Ribbons. The first half of the movie is great, and features some very smart writing, most of it belonging to Nick Stahl's character (he also gives the best performance of the film). Sadly, the second half of the movie isn't as good. All the time I was waiting for a big showdown. I was expecting the normal kids to take on the Blue Ribbons in the school or something, and provide us with some really awesome, memorable scenes. Sadly, we only ever get close to final showdowns. We sort of get one at the end, and we get a cool line aswell, but nothing worthy of rememberance.

Ultimately, the film has some great momments, but I can't help but think about the amount of wasted potential here. I was expecting a sort of campy 80's, 'Lost Boy's' final showdown of sorts, but sadly never got one. Still, the movie is worth a watch for Stahl's character and the interesting premise alone.