Directed by: Jamie Blanks
Writing credits: Silvio Horta
Synopsis: When a student is murdered on her way back to Pendleton University by a killer hiding in the back seat of her car, it triggers a snowball of events that plummet a group of student's lives into darkness. After student Natalie Simon herself is attacked, she realises that the apparent killer that is on the loose is re-enacting well-known urban myths in grisly real-life murders. More students are bumped off, and the madness continues until Natalie wonders if she is the one going insane. She is set on getting to the bottom of the whole thing, but can she convince her fellow students and the local police that she is right before she too becomes an urban legend?...
My Review: When I sat down to watch Urban Legend, I was ready to watch yet another Halloween imitator, trying to chip in on the success of Scream and make a quick dollar. I had heard many bad reviews from the main-stream critics, so I wasn't expecting much, despite my anticipation... But what I received was an original, scary, witty movie that was far more entertaining than any critics had made out. True, Urban Legend was undoubtedly inspired by Scream, but why should we see that as a bad thing?
The use of the urban legends was handled extremely well - the writer picked out the most scary and disturbing of them all - and they were well integrated into story. [Writer] Silvio Horta was clever to pick both well-known legends as well as basically unknown ones to keep the unpredictability up. Also, the legends fitted the characters he created better than I had expected. A scene that is particularly effective is when Natalie hears her roommate's (played by Danielle Harris) strangulated cries from her bed across the room but ignores them - thinking that they are cries of sexual ecstasy. To say she got a shock the next morning is a bit of an under-statement. Also cleverly handled is the idea that perhaps most of the murders are practical jokes or suicide cases (as Danielle Harris' character is accused). This also, once again, shows how well the writer chose the legends.
The acting is consistent and believable, particularly enjoyable performances come from Alicia Witt (a surprisingly unusual choice for a lead in a horror movie, but still an excellent choice), Joshua Jackson and Danielle Harris. The directing is probably the greatest aspect of the movie (apart from Danielle's participation, of course!), and Jamie Blanks creates a claustrophobic and unsettling atmosphere - even in murder or tension scenes that occur in daylight. Despite the movies flaws, the dazzling direction makes up nearly all mistakes in it's stylish-ness. Over all, Urban Legend is a clever, frightening horror movie that boasts not only a good plot and original idea, but a brilliant score from Christopher Young.
