Cherry Falls
(Review by WhiteTrash2000)
In the small town of Cherry Falls someone is killing teenage virgins it a horrific manner. Someone who knows what they are doing and does not seem to be killing just at random. Caught up in the horror is Jody(Brittany Murphey)who broke up with her boyfriend the same night the first two teens were killed. He was pressuring her to go all the way and she resisted. Her father(Michael Biehn)is the local sheriff who does not let Jody get away with much. "Most sixth graders can stay out later than I can!" she yells. "Their not the sheriff's daughter" he replies.
When Jody is attacked by the killer and just manages to escape she learns one piece of interesting information, that the killer may be a woman who used to live in their town. This opens up an even darker part of the story as Jody realizes that a terrible crime that was committed in their town 27 years ago may be coming back to haunt them. By the time the news is leaked to the students their is the same thought going through all of their minds, if we have sex then we are safe. This opens up a very comic touch to the movie in which the entire teenage population of Cherry Falls has to decide whether to lose their innocence, or lose their lives. The film-makers use this idea as the base of third act of the film as the students organize a giant orgy where it doesn't matter who you are as long as you are having sex.
The fate of this film has been in limbo for a long time and it has finally made it's appearance on television skipping it's theatrical release. However sometime next year the film is reportedly going to be released uncut on video and DVD filled with extra's. It may have taken a long time but here it is and it was worth the wait. The writing and directing are top notch and the acting is not that bad either. Ken Selden's writing just makes you believe the characters and situations without throwing misleading boring sub-plots at the viewer. He knows the story line and that is what he gives us. Geoffrey Wright's direction is very clear and he doesn't bother us with boring images and unclear pictures. He instead gives us fun colors and and tones. He shows what he is supposed to and still manages to do it with his own brand of unique style and flare.
Brittany Murphey(who co-starred in Clueless) and Michael Biehn (who starred in The Terminator) are great in the leads and once again show that they are great actors who can come off as believable characters with still helping us buy into the story-line that is occurring around them.
I was pretty shocked by Cherry Falls. I was able to buy into the story and characters without straining my brain. And I also had fun watching it. I had fears knowing that this movie was not even given a chance at the theaters but I was proven wrong. It was a stylish, fun and without a doubt scary ride, along the lines of Scream or When A Stranger Calls. This proves that even the most under-rated movies can surprise you. When Jody is first attacked in the school all I could think was "I can't remember the last time I was so thrilled during a chase scene." These scenes and more breath some life into the nearly dead genre. I started watching this film expecting the worst and ended up getting something much better. A fun comedy/horror that can stand on its own. You don't see that much anymore do you?
