Fright Night: “The Ruins” / “Prom Night”
DOUBLE FEATURE
THE RUINS
Dir. by Carter Smith
Last week our local Destinta movie theater finally did something interesting, an all-you-can-eat horror double feature. A well-intentioned but ultimately weak attempt, Fright Night’s single largest flaw was completely out of Destinta’s control: the movies just didn’t have a heart.
The clock strikes midnight. I buy my ticket and get a seat for “The Ruins,” directed by newcomer Carter Smith. After years in the fashion photography industry, Smith came out swinging with the award-winning short “Bugcrush.” His first venture into the feature film medium offers a shiver-inducing but partially impotent effort.
“The Ruins” tells a simple story: four attractive twenty-somethings looking for good time in the heartland of South America. After meeting a mysterious stranger on the beach one night, they decide to accompany him to the archaeological dig site of a pyramid where his brother has disappeared. After finding the pyramid, the natives won’t let them leave. And of course the temple has a horrible secret…….that will kill everyone.
“The Ruins” is fairly well-acted, suitably gory and almost a little believable. However, in the end a surprisingly flat story and characters you just didn’t care enough about dragged this film down from its seeming potential. Admittedly, it was the best you could do if you were looking for mainstream horror that weekend, but that doesn’t mean much these days. Which brings me to—
PROM NIGHT
Dir. by Nelson McCormick
“Prom Night” is a bad slow dance of a movie. It gets you thinking, maybe even expecting something. Then the song ends and it’s over. Nothing. Not even mundane conversation by the punch bowl.
Here’s the story: berserk teacher gets infatuated with nubile cheerleader, there is some high school make-out party, followed by murder, murder, murder, prom night, murder. Credits. Okay! I’m all right with that. Such a premise could be (and perhaps already is) a decent slasher flick. But no! Recent television and first-time feature film director Nelson McCormick seems to have something against awesome horror.
Now I only say that because this film let me down. I’ll admit the beginning sequence is scary. Surprising shifts of tone and good old-fashioned scares made me think I had walked into an actual horror movie for the first few sequences. But no, an act later my assumptions were fulfilled and I was floating through another pointless PG-13 scare flick. It should have been R, there should have been sex instead of slo-mo club dancing shots and the audience should have seen some damn blood.
That said, I’m proud of Destinta. They did something a little original and probably made a little money for their effort. Keep it up. But as for the teenage horror movies of today? Get some heart. Ease off the CGI, use some expressive low-key lighting, turn up the gore and give me a damn scare.
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