Back of Box:
Terror graduates when five delinquent classmates must perform community service at Sleepy Hollow Park Grounds, a place notorious
for vandalism...and many unsolved disappearances.
As the afternoon unfolds, the students begin to realize that someone is taking
the Legend of Sleepy Hollow too far, and that everyone is a suspect - from the teachers and counselors of Sleepy Hollow High,
to their fellow classmates and each other...even the possibility of the legendary headless horseman himself!
Plot: Okay. I thought
the film played well with the Sleepy Hollow legend. It made the legend a little more slasher and it didn't take
things too over-the-top (Minus the dialogue). The only thing that really threw it off was the weak ending.
Acting: I liked Shannon
(Megan Lopez). I bought the whole "rebel without a cause" persona. I think Kevin Summerfield did a great job as
"adult in charge," Mr. E. My favorite would have to be 'Z' (Ruben Brown). His attitude and quick wit were pretty
much the pinnacle of the whole film. The rest of the cast is there as body count boosters (Maria Cooper) and pretty
faces (Matt Evers)...most of them are unbearably annoying.
Gore: Body Count (6...technically
1) Let's see. A couple of severed heads, some severed hands, a sword impalement, and some blood splatter.
Decent enough. Well, except for the laughable CGI head split (Damn CGI).
Suspense: The final showdown,
oddly enough, manages quite nicely in this department. Even with the CGI it manages. It's a shame the film
had to end the way it did. Great build-up, no payoff. Nothing else to mention here.
Directing: At times, I
felt like I was watching a well polished horror film. At other times, I felt like I was watching The Blair Witch
Project again. Not a bad thing, mind you, but the two styles really don't mix well. Quite disorienting.
Tech: The sound was great,
but it might have been a little too good (My TV's volume was on 6 and it still got loud enough to be muffled).
The soundtrack was barely noticeable. The lighting looked like it was pretty natural. Sometimes it worked, sometimes
it didn't (Mostly nighttime stuff didn't).
Other: I loved the
killer's costume. Not so much the mask as it was the rest of the costume. Oh, and nice weapon of choice (Boardsword,
sweet). One more thing. If you noticed the Body Count says "...technically 1," this is
why I must rant. The ending was a complete cop out. They had the chance to deliver something genuinely good, and
they destroyed it. They tried to loop things together, but it still didn't work. So, if you're not a fan of films
like April Fool's Day, stay away from this one.
Final Word: I'm kind of torn on this one.
I mean, the film is fun to watch, true enough. There's just something about the ending that royally throws me off.
An average Independent effort, but a below average slasher film. Watch at your own risk.
