Monday, July 22, 2013

Frightmare (2000)

aka Paranoid

When teens put on a haunted house to raise money for their senior class trip, the Conscience Killer comes to town.  This prompts  reporter Sara to write an article for her high school paper with tips about how to stay safe if confronted by a serial killer.  I guess high school papers have changed since I was in school.

Resident dork Razor decides to celebrate with a serial killer party aka a killer party.  Yeah, this gives you an idea of how clever the film is.  Haha oh Razor, you slay me. See what I did there?

While driving to the party, the teens car breaks down near an abandoned house.  They decide to go there to see if they can get some water for the radiator, (yeah I know).  The house has a tv, lit candles, and wanted posters for the Conscience Killer all over the walls. Oh and there's bloody clothing hanging in the closet.

When the killer shows up, the gang pulls a Scooby Doo and runs away. When they get out of the house, they stop, look up at the killer on the roof waving a power tool, then scream and start running again.  The car magically starts and the group reports their scare to the policy who laugh and laugh and laugh. Oh those kids and their pranks.

Now the police may not believe them but hell, there's been a young girl murdered in town, so wouldn't you want to check it out?  At least go to the location and see if there are bloody clothes or anything to find.... which according to the footage would be the killer sitting watching a tv news report about the Conscience Killer which states the "... killer feels he's been wronged in life so he lacks a conscience..." Wait, so shouldn't his name be the opposite?

Sara is convinced the killer is in town, but everyone else thinks she's nuts. Even her boyfriend disses her.  When she insists the man they reported to the police was the killer (and the rising body count seems to bear her out), her boyfriend exasperatedly replies, "For all we know that man we saw in the woods was some freaked out deer hunter tripping on acid looking for a deer he killed earlier that day."  Yes, I'm sure he's right. Because hunters always wear silver masks, bad wigs and carry power tools.

Oddly enough, the kids are upset when the Principal decides that it would be in their best interest to not be killed and decides to shut down the haunted house.  Student Norman is then surprised at his suspension after telling the Principal to kiss his ass.  Oh Norman....

This is not a satisfying movie nor is there a satisfying ending.

Ridiculous dialogue that I still don't understand:

Sara:  Razor, you're going to be out of brain cells by the time you're 20.
Razor:  That's why they invented ebay.


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