Here's the pitch – a Satanic rock band turns the most beautiful girl in school into a demon that eats boys, written by Oscar-winning JUNO scribe Diablo Cody. Directed by GIRLFIGHT director Karyn Kusama, this horror/comedy possesses Cody's signature dialogue style and an EVIL DEAD sense of gallows humor.
Jennifer (Megan Fox, TRANSFORMERS) is the prettiest girl in school. She has her BFF Needy (Amanda Seyfried, MAMMA MIA!) wrapped around her finger. Whatever Jennifer wants she gets. This irritates Needy's boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons, HOTEL FOR DOGS). Jennifer convinces Needy to attend the concert of Low Shoulder at a local dive bar. She thinks the lead singer Nikolai (Adam Brody, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING) is salty. But when the bar goes up in flames and the band kidnaps Jennifer, Needy knows some evil is afoot.
We know right from the start that things don't turn out so well for these characters. Needy tells the story from an insane asylum where she is known for kicking (it's in her file even). After the fire, Megan turns up at Needy's house bloody and beaten. She barfs what is described as a mix of road kill and needles. It's soon obvious that Jennifer has a taste for boys' blood, especially ones that Needy likes. Colin Gray (Kyle Gallner, THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT) is in Creative Writing class with Needy, who likes his EMO-infused writing. Jennifer wants to test how goth he really is.
One element of the story that I liked was how Cody uses the bar fire as a deeper element in the plot. The small town of Devil's Kettle feels the horror of the tragic event. The plot unfolds in a fairly standard way. Moreover, there are some awkward transitions between scenes that take quick turns, shaking the film's logic. But some of the satirical flourishes give the film something more and Cody hints at a much more complex relationship between Jennifer and Needy than simply friends.
While this isn't the JUNO of horror films, the film ends up being entertaining in a conventional way. While there is gore, but a surprisingly lack of nudity, Cody and Kusama are more focused on their characters. They understand that horror works when we have someone to care about. Needy is a great BFF, but Jennifer makes the B stand for something that rhymes with witch. And that's before she grows fangs and eats people even.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
