Review: URBAN LEGEND

EVER HEAR THE ‘URBAN LEGEND’ ABOUT THE BAD MOVIE?

 (reviewed on ppv, Friday, April 23rd, 1999)

    I was watching a ‘featurette’ on the slasher flick, “Urban Legend”. It was a five minute commercial for the film with clips and interviews of the primary cast and director. The main actress played by some nobody redhead was talking about the director and she made this suck up comment: “He knows what works and what doesn’t.” Maybe the director, Jamie Blanks, does know what he’s doing on the set, but my question is this: if he knows what works and what doesn’t, why the fuck did he film THIS script? Because, to put it bluntly, it doesn’t work. At all.
    “Scream” revolutionized the teen horror/slasher genre. We all know that. And we all know that a ton of crappy wannabe’s have come out ever since. “Urban Legend” could be the worst (I still haven’t seen “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer”).
    The somewhat clever premise involves an urban legend serial killer. He does the guy in the backseat of the car, he does the hanging boyfriend on the roof of the car, he does the dog in the microwave, etc.
    The only real reason I can gather as to why they even used the urban legend element was because they had to be different. You really can’t come out with a new slasher film if it doesn’t at least try to be different. “Urban Legend” probably tried to be clever with the first draft of the script, but what I witnessed on screen was absolute horror. Meaning I was shocked, terrified, apalled…that this film was green lit.
    The film starts with a group of college chums hearing about a fellow student who was beheaded in her car after the killer hid in the backseat with an ax. Eventually more murders occur, each one closer to the group of pals.
    Then of course the big climax when the killer is revealed to be…oh shut up I’m not going to spoil this bad film.
    All in all the film is watchable…but it really has no redeeming value whatsoever. After “Scream” hit, all of these wannabes showed up and failed…miserably. It’s because they all sucked. The only difference between “Urban Legend” and the crappy Friday the 13th sequels is a bigger budget and glossier 90’s feel.
    Even though the first film used every urban legend I’ve heard of, they green lit a sequel, “Urban Legend 2”. Let’s hope it’s something the first film wasn’t: a good movie. *1/2 (out of ****)