Forgotten Films: Cherry Falls

In the years following the success of Scream, there was a resurgence in the teen slasher movie. Most were fairly derivative, following the standard formula and only marginally better than the fare offered up in the 80's slasher movie heyday. But there was one that was on my radar for a long time as it took the long and painful trip trying to get to the cineplex, only to be delayed not once, twice but five times in trying to get an R rating by the MPAA. In the end, it was quietly released on the USA network in a heavily edited form. This film was Cherry Falls and it may be the most subversive horror film to come out since the original Scream.

The main premise of this film is a killer is targeting the teens of the small town of Cherry Falls with a very distinctive M.O: they're targeting virgins. It's a clever reversal of the well worn slasher movie trope that if you have sex, you die. The Police Department figures it out fairly quickly and alerts the parents, despite objections of the principal, stating if the students find out they're going to have "one hell of a fuck fest on our hands!" Of course, the Principal is right.  

The main character, our final girl if you will, is Jody Marken (played by Brittany Murphy), daughter of the town sheriff (played by Michael Biehn). You know you're in uncharted territory when the stereotypical over-protective lawman father wakes his daughter up in the middle of the night to inquire about her sex life and if she can go further. 

Outside of it's unique trope reversal, the film follows the slasher film formula pretty much note by note. A small, peaceful town with hidden secrets that will be revealed as an old evil gets stirred up again, parents sins visited upon their children, etc. Still, it offers up each item with it's tongue firmly planted in it's cheek. I mean, the requisite climactic party at the end of the film takes place at a massive orgy as the entire high school gathers to try and take themselves off the endangered species list.

The film isn't perfect though. Aside from Jody and maybe her Dad, the film doesn't really give us a lot of characters to become endeared to for long, so when the bodies start piling up the audience is more indifferent. The other character I really liked was Jody's gay best friend, Timmy, but he leaves the film far too soon for me. 

Still, Brittany Murphy's turn as Jody more than makes up for it, showing her inner scream queen in all her glory and making Jody who can not only seriously haul ass when needed, but is also a more than competent fighter. It's a good performance by Brittany Murphy in a genre she may not have been well known for.

While, Cherry Falls is perhaps not the most original slasher film ever made, it gives enough satirical twists to the usual formula to make it a worthwhile viewing for fans of the genre, even in it's heavily edited form. Unfortunately, the film is downright impossible to find these days with the DVD out of print. I can only hope the relatively new horror imprint Scream Factory can get the rights to release this one, in it's uncut form if possible. It's a fun little horror flick that deserves to be seen more than it has, lost at the moment in obscurity due to unfair production problems.