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Member since:08.03.2001
Reviews:254
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It's a fine line between comedy and drama... and walking on that line we find Cherry Falls, a small American town. Much like any American town nowadays... there's a crazed woman on the loose murdering teenagers.
Unlike your Screams or your I Know What You Did Last Summers though, this slasher movie has a fairly decent motivation behind the killings, and doesn't rely solely on post-modern ideas to win you over. Except one...
...all the victims of the murder spree are virgins. Delightful!
This leads to the town’s youth planning a ‘Pop Your Cherry’ evening, where a big ol’ house full of kids gang together to bang together. Now I’m no expert, but if there were a killer slashing & gutting virgins – would you want to put them ALL IN THE SAME PLACE at one time? The answer must be yes, as the police keep guard on the house full of randy teens. The best laid plans of virgins rarely come to fruition though – and soon it’s time for the “killer chases lead heroine around” bit and senseless bit-part player deaths. Again.
Brittany
Murphy (Clueless – the movie, not her demeanour) plays a strange teenager (her performance ranges from happy to spaced-out scared... and that’s it) who uncovers a dark secret about the town. Oh, and she has to avoid the murderous intentions of the killer. Michael Biehn (Terminator, NAVY SEALS!) plays her father surprisingly well considering he's been in more turkeys than some sage & onion. The premise doesn’t really rely on too many twists – so the stage is left empty at times for some hysterical set pieces and nasty gore.
The sleeve reviews place Cherry Falls somewhere near American Pie and The Faculty. Well, there are no soiled pastry products here, and definitely no amphetamine sniffing high school aliens. This is a smart thriller, the only questionable moments arising from the strange mood that permeates the cast. Everyone seems to have been stunned in some way, unless there’s something in the water. Don’t get me wrong, everyone plays it well enough – but it’s a B movie at the end of the day. Hell, it’s a B movie ALL goddamn day, with no-one having to rise to Kubrickian levels of acting excellence. See knife. See girl. Girl see knife. Run girl run!
The movie also likes to plant its tongue slightly in cheek, and a surprising choice of director is tasked with this. It's Geoffrey Wright, the man who put Russell Crowe on the map in violent skinhead drama Romper Stomper. The moments of humour that bob in and out come to relieve the ‘scary’ parts quite well, with the revelation of the killer and their subsequent actions becoming an over the top nervous-giggle worthy delight. It is, after all, a completely ridiculous concept, bordering on parody but never spilling over into full-on Jerry Zucker level pastiche. Thank crivens!
As for the DVD itself, they may as well have not bothered transferring it. The extras are incredibly lame, featuring some interviews with the cast (who do very well not to reveal THE BIG TWIST), and a B-roll, which basically involves you watching a bit of ‘behind the scenes’ direction (the director points at stuff. Actors watch) and people running/throwing things/screaming/falling down. And the cherries are a nice touch as they appear next to the menu options, but look like they were drawn on an Etch-A-Sketch. By a moron. A drunk one.
Recommended for one of those cheesy night in with friends and alcohol. Otherwise catch it on Sky Moviemax and flick between it and The Simpsons. If only there were more to say about it, this could have been a lot better. As it is – typical recyclable Hollywood gubbins.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Rated 15 for many a sexual reference, mild gore (some quite wince-worthy) and “some language”.
Directed by Geoffrey Wright
Starring (thanks imdb.com!): Brittany Murphy - Jody Marken Michael Biehn - Sherrif Marken Gabriel Mann - Kenny Ascott Jesse Bradford - Rod Harper Jay Mohr - Leonard Marliston
www.cheryfallsmovie.com – official site. Hard on the eyes. Scant information. Much like the DVD!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Things I learned from watching this movie:
They don’t make men like they used to Axes are mighty sharp! Plastic sharks make neat weapons Casual sex is over-rated It’s never who you expect it to be. Or is it?
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Yes poor Michael Biehn has been in some rather unfortunate films...
MurkyDismal 22.07.2002 11:22
Great Op, I thought this film was so cheesy!
LostWitness 18.07.2002 19:54
Have seen this in the shop a few times, but always thought it looked a bit suspect. Liked the review (a worthy re-write) but I think I'll wait until it comes onto TV! :O)
Cherry Falls, the eponymous small town inCherry Falls, has some dirty secrets--secrets ... more
that come to light when a psychotic killer starts killing teenagers. But the killer has an unusual criterion: only virgins are marked for death.Cherry Fallsis a stri...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Cherry Falls, the eponymous small town inCherry Falls, has some dirty secrets--secrets ... more
that come to light when a psychotic killer starts killing teenagers. But the killer has an unusual criterion: only virgins are marked for death.Cherry Fallsis a stri...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon...
Cherry Falls is a quiet little town - until the night that a serial killer begins preying ... more
on its youth. After a third teen is found slain the killer's modus operandi emerges: the victims were all virgins. Sheriff Marken (Michael Biehn) is concerned f...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Cherry Falls is a quiet little town - until the night that a serial killer begins preying ... more
on its youth. After a third teen is found slain, the killer's modus operandi emerges: the victims were all virgins. Sheriff Marken (Michael Biehn), is concerned f...
Advantages: Quite amusing in places - unintentionally of course! Disadvantages: Takes itself too seriously, nothing to make it stand out from any other teen horror.
Pumpkin 05.05.2001 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Cherry Falls (DVD)
![Cherry Falls [DVD] [2000]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78549016.jpg "Cherry Falls [DVD] [2000]")
Mar 22nd, 2001
(Jul 18th, 2002)
very helpful by (100%):
