April 2000:

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This month's review by YMS Staffer: Jordan

Urban Legend (1998) reviewed by Jordan

When your campus dorms are filled with more dead than living bodies, you gotta know something is not right. When your campus security guards start slipping through pools of blood, it's another indication that something is amiss.

 

Here comes another horror flick with a decidely teen theme. The formula has been done to death (excuse the pun). You know, a bunch of pretty teens start ending up very dead. Every scene is a buildup to another murder, or not, but still the buildup. You know, darkness, scarey situation, buildup, relief beacuse it's only your friend, then buildup again, and slice! Another one bites the dust from the unknown murder's ax. Urban Legend does not stray from this formula. It just adds the current modern touches.

This time there's murder afoot on the sleepy college campus. The murder roams the hallowed halls wearing a parka that's too big to reveal his face. His implement of choice is a nice shiny ax. And in this film, you suspect everyone, no one is above suspicion of being the campus ax murderer. The twist here is in the Scream tradition. You know, everyone is aware of those Hollywood tricks, and they're made light of. The other twist is each killing is done to re-enact an urban legend (do you think this is where they got the title?). Which does make it kind of fun.

Still, it's pure formula. The cast screams appropriately, the shocks are well performed, and unless you're a complete moron, you're able to guess who the killer is rather quickly. If you enjoy this type of thing, (say, you've seen all the Screams, and I Know What's) then you'll find this a watchable movie. I must say, they're a lot better than the films they parody and emmulate that graced theaters in the 70's and 80's whose videos are now almost unwatchable except for a good laugh. The cast is uniformly pretty (especially Jared!) and everyone knows their lines.

I'd say it's a great curl up on the couch with your date movie.

Two and a half stars.

Why not!