By Geno McGahee
The 1980s was the time of the slasher and what a good time it was. There have been a lot of films in the last few years attempting to recapture the magic of that time and very few have been able to get the formula right. When I saw the poster for MOST LIKELY TO DIE, I got excited. Was this the next GRADUATION DAY? Could this be the beginning of a new series of films with an exciting and memorable killer? I sat back and watched MOST LIKELY TO DIE and what a letdown it was.
We begin with a 10 year class reunion. When one of the classmates shows up early, she runs into a killer in a scary mask with a cap and gown. He chases her down and kills her with his cap, which is razor sharp. I know most weapons have been used in horror films but this was the first thing I didn’t like. It was small potatoes compared to this movie’s other problems.
After the murder, the killer puts a big red X through the picture of the deceased, which is a throwback to the films of this ilk. The rest of the group arrives and they begin to mess around like old times, although the dialogue is so unnatural and meaningless, it’s difficult to get into. The character development just isn’t here and the backstories are so scattered and strange. Some of the actors did the best they could with what they had. Jake Busey played “Tarkin,” a groundskeeper or something like that. He is grimy and sleazy and spends most of his time drinking and being a peeping Tom. They kill him off quickly. They must have had him for a day, but Busey did his best.
Another actor that I was ready to hate was Perez Hilton, who plays “Freddie.” I assumed that he would be put there for comedic relief and that it would be painful to watch, but to my surprise, Hilton played the role seriously and gave it a very good effort. Once again though, there wasn’t much to work with here.
Gaby (Heather Morris) is an expert gambler and proves it as the group plays poker at the table. She knows when to hold them and knows when to fold them. Her ex-boyfriend, Brad (Ryan Doom), arrives with a girl at his side. Brad and Gaby have a history that we learn later in the film. Others including DJ (Chad Addison), Jade (Tess Christiansen), Simone (Marci Miller), Lamont (Johnny Ramey) and Bella (Tatum Miranda) make up the rest of group. The killer goes around and systematically kills people as the others run, but there is no emotion. At one point, after two dead bodies are verified, Gaby laughingly discusses her relationship with Brad, as if nothing is going on. Another one of the group convinces everyone to stay in the house because she did not want to walk in high heels. This is after there were two confirmed murders and a killer on the loose, looking to take them all out.
To the credit of the filmmakers, the death scenes and gore were done rather well. When the victims were taken out, the gore effects were very good, but a cool killer and good gore does not make a good film. The remaining group congregates and begins to fall apart. The past demons are exposed and soon the killer reveals himself and his reasoning, but, by this time, you don’t care anymore.
MOST LIKELY TO DIE was written by Laura Brennan and directed by Anthony DiBlasi. It is the shell of an 80’s slasher. I just don’t think that Brennan understood why these films were good and was able to write something to capture it. I’m not sure if this is a reflection of her as a writer or if she just isn’t able to write a good horror film, but the character development in this film was non-existent. Everything was just explained at the end. The film had a great-looking killer and there were some nice visuals, but the film lives and dies through the story and if you don’t believe the characters or know who they are, how are you going to care if they live or die?
This film got a lot of hype before its release and it quickly died when it was released and that’s because it’s not good. This is just a paint by numbers slasher that missed the mark at every turn and ran out of ideas rather quickly. What a disappointment this was. As much as I want to recommend this film, I cannot. Props to Perez Hilton and Gary Busey for doing their best, but there was only so much that they could do.
Rating: 2/10
