Director: Jerome Sable.
ADVERTISEMENT
Cast: Allie
MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Meat Loaf, Kent Nolan, Brandon Uranowitz,
Ephraim Ellis, Melanie Leishman, Thomas Alderson, James McGowan, Minnie
Driver.
Certificate: 18.
Running Time: 89 minutes.
Synopsis: After the murder of their broadway star mother
(Driver), two teens are left as cooks at a summer camp for performing
arts. It turns out that the producer (Meat Loaf) intends to resurrect
the show that was to be their mother’s last.
Certainly aiming for a unique angle at this year’s FrightFest is the
enjoyably silly STAGE FRIGHT. Announcing your film as a cross between
FRIDAY THE 13TH and Glee may not be the best way to draw in the
crowds, but it is certainly an intriguing premise. Horror’s and musicals
have joined forces before in the form of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW,
CANNIBAL THE MUSICAL, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON
BARBER OF FLEET STREET, but STAGE FRIGHT offers a youthful charm that
many viewers will find irritatingly infectious.
Balancing all its genres well, we follow a simple premise of a stage
production haunted by a mysterious killer. The musical numbers are
incessantly catchy with often clever and funny lyrics. If there’s one
problem, it’s that the film could have used more numbers and even
afforded to make them longer. That’s also a compliment for Jerome Sable
and Eli Batalion whose compositions are hummed well after leaving the
auditorium. The young cast can also belt out a tune or two, making this a
highly pleasant affair for fans of musicals. It doesn’t talk down to
the genre, or make easy potshots at the likes of Glee, but instead relishes in its genetic DNA.
As a slasher film, it may be predictable in its outcome, but there is
enough development to warrant caring for the majority of the
characters. The film is a bit too strict on who it’s willing to kill,
although this may have been an obvious joke by having characters clearly
older than their on screen ages. Perhaps there were issues in wrestling
between song inclusion and kill scenes, as they they both seem to have
long gaps between each one respectively. The film could have been
enjoyable had it gone for shock factor, but perhaps it wanted to retain
some amount of innocence.
MacDonald, who is crafting quite the name for herself in the world of
horror, is an excellent lead who portrays her character with certain
degrees of complexity. She longs for the fame and glamour, but still has
certain principles that are challenged throughout. Meat Loaf is a great
addition due to his history with the genre, and gives a restrained
performance in both his acting and singing, never once intending to
steal limelight away from the kids. Less impressive is the killer
themselves, who is given the weakest songs (possibly due to their hate
of musical theatre) and is heavily reliant on puns and a high pitched
voice. It removes any tension from the film, awaiting to see what joke
will be made, and once the motives are made clear you also have to
question whether the character would have been so jolly about it all.
In a rare instance of needing a longer cut, STAGE FRIGHT does most
things well but just doesn’t have enough time to truly take advantage of
its unique approach. The supporting kids are wonderfully introduced in
an unforgettable opening number, but are soon forced into the
background. The film also rushes towards its climax, although the
conclusion is satisfactory and ties things together nicely.
STAGE FRIGHT may have trouble finding its audience, and those who
warm to its charm will probably demand more. It does however prove that
such merges can be achieved successfully with passion and dedication
without having to resort to making itself the joke. A deliciously dark
entertaining treat destined for cult status and sing-alongs.
(3 / 5)
No comments:
Post a Comment