I’m not a big horror fan, so this was an unusual choice for me to see in the cinema. However, I really liked Juno, particularly for the strong voice of the screenwriter Diablo Cody being retained in the film – something that makes a film more individual, a stamp of authorship, certainly makes it stand out. I thought the combination of a female writer, a female director (Karyn Kusama, who previously directed Aeon Flux and Girlfight) and a script with fun dialogue would be interesting.
I was wrong.
The film didn’t feel particularly scary, something I would think is important in a horror story, and the dialogue didn’t have the same punch as Juno, with only a few lines managing to capture the voice of Cody. Also, I didn’t see any emphasis on the female empowerment that had been suggested by the creators, although that could be my fault. And, because I haven’t watched many horror films, I missed out on any references to previous horror classics (something that Mark Kermode enjoyed). An unsatisfying experience.
The two leads seem to work – Megan Fox is not bad as Jennifer, the high schooler who is possessed by a demon and must feed it flesh to survive, showing some indication of acting ability; Amanda Seyfried does a good job as the nerdy best friend (she’s nerdy because she wears glasses, obviously) despite being very pretty – it was good to see her in a lead role after the enjoyable turn in Veronica Mars as the dead Lily Kane (and I must get round to talking about how much I loved the first season of that programme); interestingly, there is another Veronica Mars alumni in Kyle Gallner, who played Cassidy ‘Beaver’ Casablancas (well, it’s interesting to me).
Avoid this film unless you’re a horror film buff or if you simply must see Megan Fox kiss a girl.
Rating: DA
