

A
troubled new kid at school named Corey
Peterson (Matthew Twinning) arrives at
Hallows End and hopes to have a good
year. However, he finds out that many
students there were missing and then end
up dead and no one is doing anything
about it.
It seems that some students dressed in
black are killing them away as the school
has a dark and twisted secret as there
was a secret to a student body there but
nobody knows who this body belonged to.
Corey is being asked which crowd he
should belong to and is forced to decide
by a popular student named Perry (Jack
Charlisle) but he doesn't know which
crowd to choose from as it can lead him
to danger.
He chose to pal around a misfit named
Mason (James E. Foley) and his group who
have a bad reputation there as one by one
that crowd ends up disappearing as well.
He also falls for a popular girl there
named Beth (Charity Rahmer) which he
thinks is great that she finds him normal
and just not a typical NEW KID.
However, either way he needs to find some
way to survive before he becomes the next
victim at Hallows End.

The film was
nearing for a turkey but it did pick up
in many spots and in the end was fairly
well done for what it was.
Alot of the slashings weren't convincing
but certain performances were. It's not
scary by any means though.
This was almost like another Brotherhood
film. Although lots hated that one I
found some of them okay.
I mean naming a highschool Hallows End is
corny enough and making it sound obvious
that this is a horror film.

Alot of the acting
in the film is quite poor but we have
some others that make a good effort with
their characters.
I found that lead actor Matthew
Twinning was just a typical pretty
boor type of look and didn't carry much
of a character to his role as a torubled
and disturbed new kid at his highschool.
At times he did pick up but mainly with
his aggressions.
James E. Foley on the other hand
seemed to be full of energy to his role
as a highschool misfit that everyone
thought caused trouble. He seemed to
almost know his part inside out.
Jack Charlisle was one of the best
characters out of the whole cast in this
film. He came across evil and mysterious
with his part and had nice smooth and icy
words whenever he spoke.
Charity Rahmer was another downfall
as a popular student who mainly just had
the looks (Barely that) and was rough
with her performance.
Kyle Patrick was fairly solid as a
punk rocker type and seemed to know how
to be intense too.
Tanya Dempsey was another wild child
who really stood out well with her role
and bringing her character to life
leading on to acting in more underground
horror films.
Robert Donavan was probably the best
out of all the actors as he showed a
great nasty streak to his role as the
sharp and strict school principal. You
wonder if he is a suspect in this movie
he does it so incredibly well.
Of course we have B-film scream queen Brinke
Stevens whom this time plays a
basket case type of mother to the lead
actor in the film which is a little
different than her other roles mainly
one's by Decoteau. That is if
you've seen her in his film like Sorority
Babes in the Slime Ball Bowl O Rama.

People are stabbed
and some slit by the throat with some
bloodshed.
Lots of blood gushes out of people's
mouths
A small axe is stabbed in the back
A persons face is melted due to some acid

The directing by David
DeCoteau has some real effective
moments and alot of poor moments too.
Alot of the dialogues between the actors
looked very bland and Decoteau
doesn't seem to do much work on his
direction with any of it.
There is a good argumentive dialogue
between supporting actors Robert
Donovan and Elizabeth Bruderman about
shutting the school down and the other
disagrees which looked strongly done
while they enter the school and into the
hallway.
There is a nice and dark shot on the
stairway to the basement with Bruderman
walking down looking a little nervous
after hearing some sounds but when she is
wandering in the basement trying to ask
whoever it is to come out the setting
doesn't look scary at all like it;s
supposed to be.
We have nice dialogue sequences between Brinke
Stevens and Matthew Twinning
as mother and son relations especially
after a nightmare sequence with
Twinning and Stevens talks
to him about his troubles.
There's a good shot on Twinning watching
a wrestling match practice and he looks
drowsy almost falling asleep.
Of course we spot many small cast members
playing jocks taking showers too but
doesn't show their nudity probably cause
they're underage.
Alot of the times with the murderous
moments on the supporting cast dressed in
black about to kill doesn't look
impressive like it should be in a horror
film but there are some moments it does.
For instance, we have a nice shot on Kyle
Lupo walking down some stairs from
his workplace at a cafe holding a bat and
the setting looks dark and this time it
really works and then he shows nice
terrifying expressions when he get
slayed.
Also with supporting actors Scott
Clark and Keary Ann Bixby
hanging out in the highschool basement
looks fairly impressive when they're
goofing off and it does almost look
horror like that something is going to
happen to them.
Clark reacts very intensively well
after his face is splashed with acid and
a nice camera shot on his face melting.
It looked good with the people in black
ganging up on Bixby as well.
There was a nice and almost seducing
dream sequence by Twinning when
he is walking in the hall with his boxers
on which is typical for a millenium DeCoteau
flick. It looked good with him walking
into the basement of the school and
seeing other people shirtless mainly
performed by Jack Charlisle staring
at Twinning coldly and there's a
bonfire there as well. Then Charity
Rahmer behaves seductively with him
by feeling him all over. It almost gives
you a relaxing feeling but then the
nightmare starts.
We spot a great scene with James E.
Foley talking to Twinning
about the disappearances on the students
at the school which makes that scenerio
very impressive.
We see a powerful dialogue between Twinning
and Donovan in the
principal office when they discuss the
going on's and Donovan shows
nice rage against Twinning with
his attitude about what is happening
which almost makes you wonder if he is
behind all the madness.
There's another nice moment with Donovan
against Charlisle in his
office at night which looks a little
intense. Charlisle really knew
his direction at sounding cold, deadly
and evil towards him.
The best direction was with Charlisle
confronting Twinning with
his sleek attitude and coldness to his
voice as to why he did the things he did
which also involved Rahmer.

The music was quite good
composed by Jared DePasquale
which he brings fine advernturous
classical style to the film and not
typical synthesizer Z-grade music.

Corey:
(Running in the house) Mom,
listen I know it's going to sound really
crazy... but you gotta believe me.... I
uh...
Mrs. Peterson: It's okay to be
happy once in a while you know??? I got
to think legally you don't have to be a
mindless zombie until you've reached my
age.
Corey: Mom, listen....
Mrs. Peterson: Did you take your
pills? The last thing I need is for you
to wake up in the middle of the night
screaming.
|