Kids go to the Woods… Kids Get Dead

• Directed By: Michael Hall
• Written By: Michael Hall
• Country: USA
• Released: 2009
• Running Time: 85 minutes
• Links: Official Site
• Buy It: Film Baby
• Comedy, Horror, Reviews

When I started watching Kids Get Dead, I was expecting a nostalgia-laced parody of the late night horror films from the VHS era, and the film certainly delivers. Although the late night horror host is very much a North American tradition, we did have late night films in the UK and I have many memories of setting the timer on the video-recorder to catch the film for later viewing. Kids Get Dead captures this era brilliantly, right down fast forwarding through the adverts and even, occasionally, the boring bits to get you right back into the action. The film even has a wonderfully snarky hostess in the form of Candy Adams (Carly Goodspeed) who not only provides some very entertaining links but also very effectively sets the tone of the film and manages to poke fun at much of the audience for this type of film.

This film is a parody and it’s a very good one. There are far too many films these days passing themselves off as parodies but which amount to little more than a collection of sketches – many of which have very little to say about their chosen genre. In the case of this film, however, we have a plot – and a rather good one at that.

Of course, the title tells you pretty much what to expect and it’s no surprise that the film is populated with the usual slasher archetypes. If you can’t immediately spot which is which then you really haven’t been spending enough time with this genre. That said, the cast do all acquit themselves commendably and remain surprisingly believable. Their believability is due not only to their acting but also the script that, refreshingly, remains remarkably consistent and avoids any idiot plotting.

On the face of it, the film is pretty straightforward. It’s Casey’s (Leah Rudick) birthday and, to celebrate, she and her friends are headed to a cabin in the woods for a wild weekend of sex, drugs and partying. Well, her friends are expecting a wild weekend, but Casey, being the sensible one, is not about to let herself get too carried away. Also tagging along is Casey’s nerdy younger brother Scott (Andrew Waffenschmidt) who would really rather be reading his horror novel. Coincidentally, Scott’s novel happens to be called Kids go to the Woods… Kids Get Dead.

There is, of course, a crazed killer on the loose as well. Although we do get some kills early on – and the film opens with one that skewers pretty much every slasher stereotype in a single scene – the gore doesn’t really get going until the final third of the film. Instead, writer/director, Michael Hall spends a lot of time with the characters, establishing their personalities and attitudes and ensuring that they are believable enough for the inevitable violence to carry a real sense of horror.

What really sets the film apart, though, is Scott’s book. Clearly there is a connection between the novel and the events in the film, but this connection is kept vague until the violence gets going. By keeping both the audience and the characters in the dark for so long about what is really going on, the film manages to maintain a real sense of tension, even when it’s poking fun.

Kids Get Dead is a real rarity. Not only is it a superbly well-observed parody, it is also a very well made and rather smart slasher film. All of the usual stereotypes are present, but they are very effectively subverted by a smart plot and some strong acting.

If only all slasher films were made like this.

Tags: Kids go to the Woods… Kids Get Dead