Good Stories, Bad Film (Urban Legend (DVD))

Member Name: Midrange

Product:	Urban Legend (DVD)
Date:	25/06/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some interesting urban legends are incorporated into the plot

Disadvantages: Flat characters, ludicrous motive and too much screaming

I was drawn to the film "Urban Legend" by recently hearing an Urban Legend from a friend mine (which I have included at the end of this review!) When I started to watch the film, I was struck by how very 1950s like the incidental music was. Big orchestra, classic "creepy" melodies in a minor key and it being altogether too loud. The film starts fairly promisingly but the first "big scare" really isn't that big.

In my opinion, the film heads steadily downhill. The last half hour or so are an all-too-familiar screaming contest, with crowds of unknowing college students standing by as the horrors unfold behind them. The basic plot of the film (and it is basic) is that a killer on a college camps has taken to killing innocent students in the style of various Urban Legends. So there's no real motive here.

The characters are entirely flat and I found I was not attached to any of them. I feel this is a critical flaw in any horror film - if the audience doesn't care when characters die (which happens a lot) then what is there left to enjoy? Well, I'll answer my own question. Even if you don't really feel for any of the totally 2-D college kids in the film you can possibly enjoy the bizarre ways they are dispatched. But with little suspense, gore or depth "Urban Legend" ultimately disappoints.


I was hoping that the following legend would be included in the film:
A woman decides to purchase a pet snake. After several days of owning the animal, she notices that it hasn't eaten anything. She takes it to the vet to ask what is wrong with it. The vet told her not to worry, as snakes can go for long periods without eating anything at all. Reassured, the woman takes the snake home again. Weeks go by and the snake still leaves no evidence of having eaten anything. She returns to the vet. This time, the vet is quite disturbed. He asks if the snake has exhibited any other unusual behaviour. The woman can't think of anything at first, except that, at night, the snake likes to lie next to her in bed. The vet turns pale and advises the woman to have the animal put down immediately.
The vet explains that the snake has chosen it's next meal and has been measuring itself up against its owner in preparation...

Summary: I'd advise reading the stories online, rather than wasting time with the movie