It's Day 7 of Monster Mania and today we take a look at the first independent film on the list. That film is a 2011 underground gem named "Detention". The film went through film festivals throughout 2011 and 2012 and hit home video in late 2012. I remember seeing the film when it was first released and I was absolutely astounded at how unique and fresh the film felt. So let's get into why that is.
"Detention" was released in 2011 and stars Shanley Caswell, Josh Hutcherson, Dane Cook, Spencer Locke, and Aaron David Johnson, among many others. The film is about a series of murders that take place at a place called Grizzly Lake High School. The killer takes the form of a popular horror movie villain (in their universe) named Cinderhella. The film opens with the first victim being slayed. The film then begins following the high school kids dealing with the fallout of the murders. That's just one of the many plots strung throughout the film.
The film itself is a giant homage to the 1980's and 90's era of film. The cast consist of a group of kids, not too dissimilar from the group of kids in "The Breakfast Club". The main characters the film focuses on are Riley Jones (Caswell) the nerdy outcast girl, Clapton Davis (Hutcherson) as the cool hipster heart throb, Sander Sanderson (Johnson) as the nerdy guy who just wants to get laid, and Ione Foster (Locke) as the 90's obsessed beauty queen of the school. All of the characters seem to be trapped in the 90's right off the bat, which the film will explain through a series of time travel plot elements. That's right, this is a time travel movie. Not only is it a time travel movie, but it's a time travel horror comedy. You don't see that everyday. The characters use time travel and a series of detention periods in order to solve the mystery of the murders at Grizzly Lake.
Every character in the film has a story of their own, and each character's story seems to tie them to a grander scale of events. At first glance the film just seems like a series of hipster centric pop culture jokes, but you learn by the end of the film that all of it is part of a bigger story. Riley is the lead actress and her story revolves around her complicated love triangle with Clapton and Ione. She finds herself constantly fumbling her way through high school, often becoming the laughing stock of her classmates. She often finds herself confronted with bizarre situations and is the main target of the Cinderhella killer throughout the film. Clapton Davis is really the heart throb that every girl in the school wants to be with. He seems to be a parody of today's average hipster as he often boast about his underground taste in music and dresses in obnoxiously retro clothing. His girlfriend Ione is perhaps the most retro of them all. She dances to nothing but early 90's music and constantly makes pop culture references regarding things that happened in the early 90's. We find out later in the film that she is actually an old soul (literally) and there is a time paradox behind her existence. The other two characters that shine in the film are Principal Karl Verge (Cook) and Sander Sanderson (Johnson) who serve as comedy relief throughout the film, but end up having a bigger role in the long timeline that the film dives into.
The reasons why this film is so unique is because it plays with the audience. The film presents itself as a comedic satire of slasher films but then flips into a satire of all film in general. You have an absolutely nutty time travel storyline that results in some hilarious antics and story arcs. Added to that the style of the film is very similar to "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" where the characters seem to live in a hyper exaggerated world where people are capable of having powers, and breaking the fourth wall on a regular basis. This adds an extra layer of comedy and style to the film. If you can keep up with all that, you are bound to fall in love with this film. Also if you thought Family Guy had a lot of pop culture references, this movie is crammed with them. You get tributes to such classics as Road House, Dirty Dancing, Scream, Breakfast Club, Spider-man, Star Trek, Back to the Future, and several others.
Your brain will stay busy with this film, and it may be too much for some. If you're willing to open your mind and sit back, relax, and enjoy the chaos, you will dig it. It may take you multiple viewings to fully understand the plot, but it's so funny and so unique, you will find yourself wanting to re-watch it the second it's over. If you ever wondered what a horror film would be like in a Scott Pilgrim-esque universe, then this is the film for you. If you want a horror film that doesn't insult the viewers intelligence, you will appreciate this movie.
Overall I chose to discuss "Detention" because it is one of the most unique horror films I've ever seen. It combines elements of films like Scream, Cabin in The Woods, and The Breakfast club, and somehow makes it work. The cast works really well together and they seem to have no trouble keeping up with the fast beat of the film. Dane Cook even provides some quality laughs, which is rare these days. If you enjoy any of the things I've talked about it in this review, give it a shot. It's currently streaming on Netflix, and since it's a hard movie to track down, I would highly recommend watching it while it's still up. It's a fun horror flick, and it has a lot of heart.
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