HORROR MOVIE REVIEWS: FINAL GIRLS




31/2/5

It's been three years since Max had lost her mother in a car crash. To celebrate her mother's life, Max and a few friends go to see a slasher movie where Max's mom starred as a teenage victim. When the fire brakes out in the theatre our friends escape through the tear in the screen and find themselves trapped inside a horror movie. Will Max be able to rekindle her relationship with a cinematic version of her mom while the killer is on the loose and dead are bodies piling up around them? As friends take a stand against the maniac, they understand that in the slasher movies of the 80's there can be only one final girl.

FINAL GIRLS is not really a horror movie, but is made for horror fans. Focusing on the relationship between the girl and the imprint of her lost mother the film gives us a surprisingly genuine drama. It is also a proof that Taissa Famiga as Max and Malin Akerman as her mother are fine actors. Their scenes together are believable and heartwarming.

The premise of 80's slasher is nicely staged with over the top colour palette and idealic summer camp setting. The murders are brutal but swift, with as little on screen gore as possible. The  grand finale confrontation between the killer and the final girl is a delight. In whole, the movie leaves a warm impression, the way "feel good" dramas do.

A genre blander, FINAL GIRLS successfully combine parody, comedy, thriller and sentimental. Avoiding false notes, it is not a gore feast, but a plunge into nostalgia, final result being a solid and focused film.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - the film c
Read more

KOREAN MOVIE REVIEW: MEMOIR OF A MURDERER

Image
8/10 Byung-su is an elderly veterinarian who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He has a caring daughter who does all she can to make his life easier, and a policemen friend whose name Byung-su forgets from time to time. He also goes to a poetry club (in order to keep his mind exercised) where a lonely widow makes advances at him. But there’s one thing that sets Byung-su apart from the other senior citizens of his little town – he is a serial killer.  When a new wave of killings begin Byung-su starts to suspect that a young man who is dating his daughter is the culprit. Trying to keep the remains of his memories together Byung-su writes extensive journals. But what if his memories are actually real? Losing his grip on reality he goes head to head with the new serial killer in order to protect the only life he cares about in the world – his daughter’s. Before Dexter came around Koreans had excelled in creating charismatic killers as protagonists of the films
Read more

MSFF: DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES (MUERTE EN BUENOS AIRES)

Image
3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema
Read more