"Urban legend" is nothing than an euphemism invented to hide a very embarrassing fact for Western civilisation - modern, educated and seemingly enlightened people are as likely to put someone's imagination over common sense as people who used to live in caves. This sad truth is the reason why horror films like Urban Legend, directed in 1998 by Jamie Blanks, still get made.
Protagonist of the film is Natalie Simon (played by Alicia Witt), student at Pendleton College in Maine. One of her favourite courses, taught by Professor Wexler (played by Robert Englund), is dedicated to urban legends. Few days ago Natalie's best friend has been brutally murdered in the way that resembled one of Wexler's urban legends. The college itself becomes a killing ground for masked psychopath, with victims - Natalie's friends and classmates – also being killed in a way that resemble urban legends. However, only Natalie seems to be aware that something is going on and she must act quickly in order to reveal horrible truth and unmask the thriller.
Urban Legend is another film that tries to exploit renaissance of teenage slasher flick. Screenwriter Silvio Horta and director Jamie Blanks do so by following all 1990s rules of the genre – cliched characters played by visually appealing but not particularly talented or inspired young actors, spectacular but not particularly gory killings that defy logic and common sense, the only implicit sexuality. Jamie Blanks doesn't seem to be able to create a tension and even those unfamiliar with the genre are going to guess identity of killer and the ending. What makes this film somewhat watchable (apart from characters being so dislikeable that audience roots for their brutal elimination) are few character actors in supporting roles – especially Brad Dourif as creepy petrol station attendant and Loretta Devine as security guard obsessed with 1970s blaxpoitation films. But they can't alter the general impression and anyone claiming that this film is good only retells another urban legend.
RATING: 3/10 (+)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on October 13th 2004)
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