Cooties

"A line has been crossed. You can't eat the teachers man." Clint (Wood) is a struggling writer who takes a job substitute teaching at his former high school. What begins as a typical day takes a strange turn when one student attacks another. Soon the entire school is under attack by a group of infected students and the teachers must find a way to fight back and survive. This is just a flat out fun movie. A real horror/comedy that actually keeps you watching and makes you laugh throughout. The movie is gory but not over the top and this is the type of movie that makes you laugh at things you feel you really shouldn't be. There are some really funny lines in this and the movie is worth watching if for no other reason then to see Elijah Wood's reaction to someone calling him a Hobbit. This is not a movie that will win any awards and won't become a classic but it's just fun to watch and one you don't have to think about. Overall, if you like movies like Tucker and Dale vs Evil you will enjoy this one as well. Nothing but a fun time. I give it a solid B.

My quick rating - 5,9/10. Hard to call this horror, but the gore has to put it there. This movie is very original (with a slight homage to Tromas Beware! Children at Play) and is damn funny. Often there are some inside jokes that are dragged out but overall the performances are spot on spoof style. It also helps the movies cause watching a bunch of 8 year old kids running around like animals killing all the adults in sight. Heck, let's also not shy away from killing said children if need be. This movie skates very close to being over the top and if they would've put in just a bit more 'umpphhh' this would've been a classic. As it is, expect cult status out of this one. One "armchair quarterback" call by me when it comes to casting. The big OAF character played by Rainn Wilson really would've been perfect for either Will Ferrell or Brad Garrett. Another slight drawback is it drags a bit in the second act, but started strong and finished strong, so little quarrel with that. Definitely worth watching.

"Cooties" marks yet another rare exception of the "most horror-comedies suck" rule, joining the ranks of other such classics like "Shaun of the Dead" and "Zombieland." Why all three are zombie-themed is beyond me, but I suppose the natural tension of sneaking through and surviving a zombie infestation makes for some exasperated laughs.

Elijah Wood plays a 30-something elementary school teacher who we like because his character, apart from being a typical improbable hero, genuinely enjoys teaching and working with his students. He shares the screen with Rainn Wilson, who is surprisingly endearing, given how his character on the American version of The Office contributed to the awfulness of the show. Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, and Nasim Pedrad round out the cast of quirky, 30-something faculty members who… don't seem all that great at their jobs. But it's a comedy, so incompetence in the public school system is funny (I guess.) Here's a question: why are none of the teachers 40 plus, and why are they all so trim? That seemed odd to me, but this is showbiz after all, and an elementary school isn't the sexiest of settings.

I enjoyed this movie because of its novel twist on the zombie tale-- children are the zombies. It's refreshing seeing kids twisted into savage monsters, kill violently, and be dealt with accordingly. Hollywood and western pop culture depict children as angelic simpletons: in most media, children are nothing more than vacantly smiling plot devices. But it's untrue: children can be every bit as crafty, cunning, and ruthless as adults. Apart from Lord of the Flies, I can't think of any other media depicting children so savage and cruel.

It's nice to see.

I have a really tough time figuring out what people want from the Horror genre nowadays. I am really surprised to see this movie doesn't have a higher rating on here. This is a great Horror/Comedy movie, with an outstanding cast, and very good writing. It's just a really gory, really funny, really run movie. What you see in the trailer is what you get, which is nice for a change with the amount of misleading trailers nowadays. The only reason I don't give it an even higher rating is because I agree with other viewers that it does lag a bit around the middle of the film. It almost seems like they just shoved some filler in to meet a running time. But it manages to get back on track again. I rarely read reviews on here, but I laughed out loud and had a great time watching this movie.

A mysterious virus hits an elementary school, transforming the kids into a feral swarm of mass savages. An unlikely hero must lead a motley band of teachers in the fight of their lives.

The start of this film will make you never want to eat chicken again. The cast includes some of my favorite funny stars: Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Saw's own Leigh Whannell and Lost's Leigh Whannell; with a quick non speaking cameo by Mark Christopher Lawrence who played in chuck. Everyone worked really well together and you can tell they enjoyed doing this film.

The story feels familiar but unique. Cooties is a horror comedy but it's more comedy and less horror but that doesn't talk away from the film. I enjoyed the gore and the practical effects, although there isn't much of a soundtrack, mostly dark ominous tones. The humor is a bit dry and I wish there were more one lines.

The movie is forgettable but is fun and worth a watch. I would like to see a sequel, so don't let this indie film pass you by. Cheers and remember life won't suck as long as there is a good movie to watch.

6 out of 10

edited by Samantha Locke

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