Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch to consider this movie “horror”. Maybe it’s more of a “thriller”, but whatever. I think this flick is relevant because of the underlying fear of a loss of individuality.
Most teens in high school are struggling to find themselves, and where they fit in the grand scheme of things. It doesn’t help that the student body gets easily divided into various cliques, and that’s true of the high school in this movie. There’s the motorheads, the skaters, the nerds, and the blue ribbons.
The blue ribbons are the goody goodies of the school, and they’re all under the thumb of the school counselor who has found a way to “reprogram” them into better teens and students. Unfortunately, the process isn’t foolproof, as you can see in the opening scene when a girl gets her neck snapped by the crazed jock she was blowing.
Katie Holmes is looking mighty fine in this movie.
Not only do the students have to fight the urge to conform in order to fit in, but they have to fight to fight against the conformity their parents and society at large would force upon them with this procedure. Nick Stahl’s character is a perfect example. He flips out when he discovers his parents have selected him as the blue ribbons next conquest. He sees no way out except by killing them all. Unfortunately for everyone, a still disbelieving James Marsden disarms him, forcing his friend to go home unarmed. I can only assume he regrets this when he next sees Stahl’s character prepped out and hanging with the ribbons in the cafeteria.
From that moment on, it’s up to Marsden and Katie Holmes to unravel the mystery and escape the horde of brainwashed zombie students.
Verdict: See it. I think it’s worth seeing at least once.
