Terror nos Bastidores

Grieving the loss of her mother Amanda Cartwright (Malin Akerman), a one-time horror scream queen, young girl Max Cartwright (Taissa Farmiga) is thrown into the film that made her mother famous, the 80's slasher flick, "Camp Bloodbath". Very a-kin to "Friday the 13th", a slasher/serial kill is on the loose murdering the kids. Billy Murphy (Daniel Norris) was teased to death by the camp mates and wants his bloody revenge. Max and her friends (Alia Shawkat, Alexander Ludwig, Thomas Middleditch and Nina Dobrev) must work with the camp mates to try and survive.

I was dubious about this film when I read the summary. Not only was it littered with 'kids', it was also on a cable channel which is not known for quality films. I watched it all the same and was pleasantly surprised at it. It is a weird re-hash, parody, and homage all in one. It was like "Scream" (1996) the way it knew it's content, crossed with "The Last Action Hero" (1993) the way it poked fun at itself, and "Cabin in the Woods" (2011) the way it developed - but just a little cuter, colourful and fluffier. It does not take itself too seriously, nor the genre that it is working with, nor the era that the 'original' movie was set in. There are times where it is cheesy and camp, there are times where it looks cheap - but all in all it works. Plenty of clichés and standard slasher tropes but used well to get the plot across rather than thrown in just to use them. I would not necessarily say that this film is scary, more an adventure film set in a horror film. I imagine it's kind of like what would happen if the current MTV generation took a virtual tour of an 80's slasher/horror film. There is nothing too offensive, plenty of suggestion rather than action, a little bit of bad language, very mild drink and drugs use, nudity and some violence and gore (but used as much in comedy as in horror).

While this film was pleasantly surprising and nice, it's the kind of film I could most of the family in front of, whereas, personally, I prefer the kind of films you can't safely put family members in front of for fear of offending them. Give me "Friday the 13th" (1980), "The Burning" (1981), "Sleepaway Camp" (1983), or even "Cheerleader Camp" (1988). But still, this was a lighthearted way to reminisce, it was fun, and at 91 mins it was easy to sit through. Released in 2015 with a relatively low budget of $4.5 million, I am sure you will catch this film repeated on cable channels in the future, so I say, why not give it a go. 7 /10

The teenager Max Cartwright (Taissa Farmiga) misses her mother Amanda Cartwright (Malin Akerman), who died three years ago in a car accident. Amanda was a horror movies actress that has become famous because of her character Nancy in the cult slasher film "Camp Bloodbath 1 & 2". Max is invited by her friend Duncan (Thomas Middleditch), who is the brother of her best friend Gertie Michaels (Alia Shawkat), to participate in the lecture in the end of the session of "Camp Bloodbath 1 & 2" promoted by the fans in the movie theater. Max meets the handsome Chris Briggs (Alexander Ludwig), who has broken up with his girlfriend Vicki Summers (Nina Dobrev), and they stay together. Out of the blue, there is a fire in the theater and Max, Chris, Duncan, Gertie and Vicki try to escape through the screen. But soon they find that they are trapped in "Camp Bloodbath 1" with the characters Nancy, Kurt (Adam DeVine), Tina (Angela Trimbur) and Paula (Chloe Bridges) in the summer camp. Further, the serial-killer Billy Murphy (Dan B. Norris) is hunting them down.

"The Final Girls" is an entertaining parody to slasher films that has potential to become cult-movie. The story entwines "Friday the 13th" or any other slasher in a summer camp with the idea of "The Purple Rose of Cairo" (1985), repeated in "Last Action Hero" (1993) and "Pleasantville"(1998), where the viewer joins the characters in the film. There are many funny moments and Malin Akerman is so beautiful that convinces performing the role of the teenager Nancy. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Terror nos Bastidores" ("Terror in the Backstage")

When you have such a fascinating premise it is rather hard not to get interested and excited, but often times the execution of said premise proves to be abysmal and therefore ruin what could have been a fantastic opportunity. While I don't feel that's the case for The Final Girls, the effort is not met without flaws. The mixture of horror and comedy is an extremely difficult blend to successfully pull it off, and to not fall into a place of "is funny because of how bad it is" which tons of films have sadly come down to. The good thing about the Final Girls is how cleverly it tackles that notion by primarily being a satire, a spoof on 80s horror clichés, most notably those coming from the slasher subgenre.

The main characters find themselves in a movie theater where there is a homage to a very popular 80s horror flick, called Camp Bloodbath, which stars Max's (Taissa Farmiga) late mother (Malin Akerman), who was an actress mainly known for her role in that film. Having passed only three years since a car accident that tragically took her mom's life, Max is conflicted about watching her deceased mother in a film where she gets killed by a masked maniac. The emotional element is present to provide a bigger depth to the story, which works quite well in my opinion. After a weird incident in the movie theater, a fire starts spreading and amidst the chaos, she grabs a machete and opens her and her friends' way through the movie screen, and that is how they get sucked into the Camp Bloodbath film. Having in their group a guy who is a huge fan of the movie proves to be really helpful as he knows what needs to be done to get out of the film's universe.

The Final Girls manages to poke fun and pay homage at the same time, and does it with an adequate level of silliness, it doesn't feel over-the-top by any means. It's a well-balanced tone that makes this film all-around enjoyable although I believe that the PG-13 rating did hurt it quite a bit, if it had been rated R, it could have been explosive, so that's the only thing that's lacking in my opinion.

I highly recommend it, you'll definitely have fun!

I am fresh off of watching this and wow, this was a lot of fun. I was afraid that this was going to turn out like every other recent film with a young cast and be riddled with MTV type clichés but it wasn't at all. The cast was great and film as a whole was pretty funny and brutal (for a PG-13 Film).

The premise was great and original, they really came up with a clever way to spoof the 80's slasher genre. The sub plot was even well done and made for some fairly emotional scenes. The film worked on all levels and was blast to watch. I really enjoyed it

It's weird but when I really like a film I find it hard to say a whole lot about it. When I hate a film I can shoot out four or five paragraphs no problem, but I enjoyed this film so much that I am finding it hard to come up with much to say. Just watch it.

8/10

The combination of horror and comedy is always a volatile recipe, and the failure to mix those ingredients just right can often result in disaster. But every once in awhile, a film comes along that manages to stumble upon the secret formula for success, with Cabin in the Woods being the most recent example. Now, three years after that film blew the roof off the Paramount Theater at the SXSW Film Festival, we have another SXSW debut that premiered to a cacophonous ovation: director Todd Strauss-Schulson's The Final Girls.

Max Cartwright (Taissa Farmiga) is struggling with loss after the tragic death of her mother, 80s slasher flick icon Amanda Cartwright (Malin Akerman). When she attends an anniversary screening of her mom's landmark film, Camp Bloodbath, a freak accident transports Max and her friends (Alia Shawkat, Alexander Ludwig, Thomas Middleditch and Nina Dobrev) into the film itself, where they're forced to abide by the rules of the movie's narrative in an attempt to survive.

Of course, everyone knows that anyone who has sex in an 80s horror film is bound to be butchered shortly after, so Max finds herself in the awkward position of trying to convince her mother's character not to sleep with the cocky, swaggering Kurt (Adam Devine), whose dialogue is almost entirely made up of sexual innuendo. Meanwhile, the attractive but vapid Tina (Angela Trimbur) is constantly trying to disrobe, which is a big no-no in this film, since a pair of bare breasts will bring the masked killer and his machete running.

Fans of the Friday the 13th or Sleepaway Camp series will find plenty to love here as the film gleefully pokes fun at genre tropes, and much of the fun comes from the fact that Max and her friends aren't just living in the world of the film - they're living in the actual film, complete with voiceovers, on screen credits, and flashbacks. There are so many hilarious moments that the film practically begs for repeated viewings, as audiences are bound to be laughing so hard that they'll miss some of the rapid-fire humor.

There are a few times when The Final Girls gets a little too stylish, such as poorly rendered early scene that involves a bottle of vodka rolling across the floor of a crowded theater, and there are a few moments where the film seems to forsake its own rules in favor of an extra laugh. But these are minor complaints, and the audience at the Paramount Theater certainly didn't allow these nitpicks to detract from the overall experience. The Final Girls is an immensely fun experience that finds a great balance between being a spoof of the genre, and a love letter to its absurdity.