If it weren't so determined to copy Scream at every turn, this German slasher flick could've actually been better than it is. A little more polish and care with the script would've made the difference. As it is, it is merely okay. Competent-but nothing special. But at least it's better than crap like I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER.
PLOT: A group of seniors graduating from the INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL in Prague decide to break into a lavish indoor water complex to stage an after-hours party before they part ways. Everything is okay for awhile until a masked killer shows up and starts to make mincemeat out of most of the principal cast.
GOOD THINGS ABOUT THIS MOVIE:
Great productions values. The film looks handsome.
Some appealing stars: Kristen Miller (Sarah)as the American heroine, John Hopkins (Frank) as the British party animal/misfit (a James Van Der Beek lookalike), Elena Uhlig (Carmen--the most interesting character) as the cool, icy, and sexy best friend, and Isla Fisher as a doomed Australian goody two-shoes (she also sounds and looks eerily like Nicole Kidman)
Some cool sequences: the death of Svenja on the water slide is already a classic--you'll think twice before going down one again; the silent stalking of Mel through the locker room and stalls will make you wish for stalls that go all the way to down to the floor and don't leave your calves exposed; the chase scene through the vents with the killer turning the vent into swiss cheese with his machete--with the teens trapped in the narrow space inside. The final battle in the pool, with Sarah overcoming her fear of water.
NOT SO GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Apart from those few cast members mentioned above, the rest of the actors are faceless and charmless. And annoying as hell. They do what they can, but they simply don't have much to do with their roles. The script should've been better developed. And the guy that plays Greg couldn't act his way out of a swimming pool. Hey, dude, it's not enought that you're good-looking...
Some truly lame lines. Sometimes it's glaringly obvious that this was not written by an American. A couple more rewrites should've been accomplished.
All the bald-faced references to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer are a turn-off. And some of the character's actions border on the idiotic, even for a slasher movie.
VERDICT: A decent and welcome addition to the post-modern slasher genre. Could've been much, much better. See it anyway, if nothing more than to see how a water slide can kill you. Ouch.
