Alas, another slasher movie, sadly, they seem to keep taking wrong turns and never making it to the final destination and that is what quality horror is something that keeps the audience engaged. Varsity Blood came out shortly after original movie All Cheerleaders Die [2013], however it never delivers in a relatively good manner, and pure trivial uses the same high school, which filmed Varsity Blues [1999]. Writer and director Jake Helgren starts strongly with a bloody killing, and quickly dissolves into a teen flick and worn out stereotypical depiction, missing all the clues and hints from all the intimidators from the countless years before his movie. Helgren does know and understand the horror genre, with Severed Lies [2006] and Blood Homecoming [2012], however it feels a tad rushed, as the level of inflicted punishment comes from a cheerleading accident just a mere year ago. A red herring tries to ring others, never works, a staple for many of these slasher 80s blueprint a stronger or crazier motive for killing, not a silly costume, a mascot outfit (bear costume had more worth than this getup) used before Girls Nite Out [1982]. Thankfully, Helgren got his movie distributed by Image Entertainment as he tries to capture the magic of Scream [1996], but misses the intended point.

It’s Halloween in a typical small town, where everyone basically refrains from talking about old events, of a cheerleading stunt resulting in the death, of Ginny and her boyfriend Ben in the hospital because of his shock state, but why the avoidance and why is this the reason or the killing. The girl who died, her father Principal Graves (Jeff Runnels) still serving in his job, unsure why, the boyfriend in a hospital and the father a-ok. Hence, at a Halloween party cheerleaders and jocks find themselves targets by a killer wearing the mascot outfit of their local football team. After her father is killed by a drunk driver Hannah (Lexi Giovagnali (Bloody Homecoming [2013]) and her mother Nancy (Debbie Rochon (Sick: Survive the Night [2012])) gives a brief cameo role to move to this tiny community. Nancy strides for her daughter to get a scholarship for her cheers and eventually become a judge on the cheerleader competition, such high career hopes. A few times the film drills down to nothing less of they play video games and bickering about who’s getting ready for the party, why, perhaps to pad the running time of 87-minutes. The movie begins introducing random characters, red herrings and miscellaneous people, over 15, trying to confuse the audience, though everyone knows too many will be a big body count, not necessary a massacre. At the party with nothing much happening, as everyone awaits the slaughter fest, attitudes and yelling commence, but it feels too rehearsed, nothing natural or believable.

First, a low budget is really not an excuse, so many filmmakers  creating high production values, with little finances therefore the market changed again, as it will and does constantly, making a horror movie is a wonderful benchmark for the aspiring crews and casts. However, this movie falters and wanes badly, the dialogue struggles, and gives the low energy in volumes, some of the killing looks dreadful, the planning of the scenes makes no sense. For example, [spoiler] the killer drives a pickup truck in a field a girl running aimless stands before a tree facing the killer, he plows straight-ahead crushing her why doesn’t she leap out of the way. These teens are either cheerleaders or athletes, hence very physically able to do the littlest things. They use a supposedly rundown location for the teenage Halloween, no costume, but they have some beer and cocaine too.

Readers heed my advice, while there is some T&A and good gore finds its way to the screen, it comes at a heavy price, while not the worst movie ever, it trudges for far too long, and feels as if everyone just goes through the motions. There’s even a moment the film crashes into an episode of the animated Scooby Doo with regard to the dreaded dialogue. Just avoid going to this high school drama.

TAGLINE:

• School’s out forever.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2363518/

IMDb Rating: 3.7/10

Baron’s Rating: 3.5/10