Taking the name of other films from before (including another slasher from 1987), Stage Fright (2014) is a recent obscure, independent horror film that brings back the slasher genre, added with a twist; that being it's a horror musical, with characters singing musical numbers and such. Now, when it comes to horror musicals, there are very few that have done it, but do turn out really good, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Sweeney Todd (the Johnny Depp film). So, as this movie is a throwback to old-school horror, can it live up to its expectations as a unique slasher, or is it just another disappointment that is worth forgetting?
Plot: 10 years ago, Kylie Swanson (Minnie Driver), a Broadway diva, is murdered by an unknown assailant wearing a mask, after the show is over. We skip to present day, and Kylie's children Camilla (Allie MacDonald) and Buddy (Douglas Smith) are now teenagers and have been raised by Roger McCall (Meat Loaf), a former lover for Kylie and the producer of a musical theater at a summer camp. When Camilla hears about the musical production that will be opening at the camp, she decides to audition, even if that isn't a choice for her. Soon, however, she does get the part as the lead role, Sofia, after sneaking in with Joel Hopton (Kent Nolan), a camper overseeing the auditions, and is now a lover for Camilla. Unknowingly, however, there is now a masked-killer (the same mask as worn from the death of Camilla's mother) who is picking off each cast and crew member, one by one. The reason? Well, he says, as in sings, that he's sick of Roger's musicals and is enraged by so.
On paper, this does sound like a well-thought-out plot. That is until we get to the killer and his motivations. As cool as he was, with the metal guitar playing and all (in contrast to the much softer musical tracks), it just feels out of place and is like if you take a musical-comedy-drama and just throw in a slasher villain to make it horror. I know I'm being hypocritical, since that's what it is, basically, but the killer just feels irrelevant to the main plot, besides the opening scene and the reveal at the end. I won't spoil who's behind the mask or what the explanation is, but it is pretty odd and just felt, again, out of place.
There are good things to say about this film, though. The acting from the cast isn't that bad, especially since we got notable stars in here like Meat Loaf and Minnie Driver (the latter only being seen in the beginning, making it feel more of a waste of potential). Also, the kills are pretty good, and the gore effects aren't bad, which is what makes many slasher films great. The characters are while some unlikable, others are fun to be had with, and I did feel sorrow for Camilla because of her mother's death, and her inspiration to be just like her. Thus, there are characters in which you have the good and the bad, no one that is really that boring.
Overall, as a musical, it is quite decent, but as a slasher, it should've had more execution. Stage Fright may be a lot of fun with nice blood, a relatable main protagonist, and a badass villain when disguised, but it isn't quite enough to make it a good horror movie because of its focus going more towards the musical side, than a great B-horror, along with a bland motive for our main antagonist. If you like the musical genre, you'll most likely enjoy it. If you're more into the slasher-horror genre, then you might like the killer, but will be disappointed as a whole. For me, I thought it was okay, and had a good watch, but didn't really care for the musical aspects or the twist. Therefore, I give this movie 6 knives out of 10.
Plot: 10 years ago, Kylie Swanson (Minnie Driver), a Broadway diva, is murdered by an unknown assailant wearing a mask, after the show is over. We skip to present day, and Kylie's children Camilla (Allie MacDonald) and Buddy (Douglas Smith) are now teenagers and have been raised by Roger McCall (Meat Loaf), a former lover for Kylie and the producer of a musical theater at a summer camp. When Camilla hears about the musical production that will be opening at the camp, she decides to audition, even if that isn't a choice for her. Soon, however, she does get the part as the lead role, Sofia, after sneaking in with Joel Hopton (Kent Nolan), a camper overseeing the auditions, and is now a lover for Camilla. Unknowingly, however, there is now a masked-killer (the same mask as worn from the death of Camilla's mother) who is picking off each cast and crew member, one by one. The reason? Well, he says, as in sings, that he's sick of Roger's musicals and is enraged by so.
On paper, this does sound like a well-thought-out plot. That is until we get to the killer and his motivations. As cool as he was, with the metal guitar playing and all (in contrast to the much softer musical tracks), it just feels out of place and is like if you take a musical-comedy-drama and just throw in a slasher villain to make it horror. I know I'm being hypocritical, since that's what it is, basically, but the killer just feels irrelevant to the main plot, besides the opening scene and the reveal at the end. I won't spoil who's behind the mask or what the explanation is, but it is pretty odd and just felt, again, out of place.
There are good things to say about this film, though. The acting from the cast isn't that bad, especially since we got notable stars in here like Meat Loaf and Minnie Driver (the latter only being seen in the beginning, making it feel more of a waste of potential). Also, the kills are pretty good, and the gore effects aren't bad, which is what makes many slasher films great. The characters are while some unlikable, others are fun to be had with, and I did feel sorrow for Camilla because of her mother's death, and her inspiration to be just like her. Thus, there are characters in which you have the good and the bad, no one that is really that boring.
Overall, as a musical, it is quite decent, but as a slasher, it should've had more execution. Stage Fright may be a lot of fun with nice blood, a relatable main protagonist, and a badass villain when disguised, but it isn't quite enough to make it a good horror movie because of its focus going more towards the musical side, than a great B-horror, along with a bland motive for our main antagonist. If you like the musical genre, you'll most likely enjoy it. If you're more into the slasher-horror genre, then you might like the killer, but will be disappointed as a whole. For me, I thought it was okay, and had a good watch, but didn't really care for the musical aspects or the twist. Therefore, I give this movie 6 knives out of 10.
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