All Rise...

Judge Patrick Naugle prefers strawberry.

The Charge

Lose your innocence…or lose your life.

The Case

The sleepy town of Cherry Falls has just been awoken by a deranged serial killer that is slicing up teens left and right. The motive? The local sheriff (Michael Biehn, Aliens) thinks the killer is cherry picking virgins. Many of the teens—including the sheriff's daughter, Jodi (the late Brittany Murphy, Sin City)—get wind of this, it sets into motion a party that will allow the teens to lose their virginity before become gristle for the killer's mill. But is that really the motivation behind the killer's murder spree? Or is it something even more insidious?

I like to think of myself as a connoisseur of horror films, but even I hadn't heard of director Geoffrey Wright's Cherry Falls before it was sent to me for review. Actually, I'll amend that â€" I think I'd seen the DVD box a few times (the film's name is familiar), though I can't recall when or where. The fact that Scream Factory has released the film means someone thought highly of it enough to deem it worthy of high definition; then again, Species III was just released on Blu-ray, so maybe that's not the best litmus test.

In the included vintage interviews, actor Michael Biehn talks about how he read the screenplay and passed on it only fifteen pages in. His agent advised him to keep reading and he did, finding himself hooked on the story, noting that it had potential for some wonderful satire. This was sixteen years ago, which is a lifetime in horror movie years. What may have seemed fresh back then now seems rather tame by comparison with the 'satire' feeling more like 'light comedy' more than anything. I assume what Biehn meant was the "twist," which took an old horror cliche—teens who are sexually promiscuous die—and turned it on its ear. This time, the teens NEED to be sexually active or they'll die. It's an interesting concept that is only appealing for a few moments. Then, Cherry Falls tumbles right back into the old horror troupe of teens running, screaming, dying, wash, rinse and repeat.

The cast is all over the map, especially Brittany Murphy who gives the film's oddest performance. Murphy often seems rather disconnected from the story, her character sometimes looking like she's only half-lucid. I can't tell if it was an active choice of the actress was just having a bad…month? On the flipside of that coin, Michael Biehn as her father is almost TOO connected to the film, looking like he'll pop a vein at any moment. his intensity level is almost a bit out of place in the film. The rest of the cast is made up of the obvious teens, parents, and teachers (including Saturday Night Live alumni Jay Mohr) who can't seem to solve the riddle of the killer because adults in horror movies are stupid.

I'd mentioned that I hadn't heard of Cherry Falls before receiving it for review. This is because the film was never picked up for a theatrical release. Instead it was shown on cable television, then dumped onto DVD. Has it garnered a cult following? I asked a few friends who are also horror aficionados and they either a) hadn't heard of it, or b) weren't impressed with it when they saw it years ago. One complaint was the lack of gore (understandable, since the film's more gruesome moments are tame by comparison). Another was that it just didn't do enough to set itself apart from the pack. I have to agree with my fellow colleges—while this is a decent enough horror time filler, it's not all that notable once the end credits roll.

Cherry Falls (Blu-ray) is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen in 1080p high definition. Scream Factory offers up a very attractive video transfer with solid colors and black levels. The print used is clean and free of any major defects with only a fine layer of grain present. The soundtrack is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo in English. While the audio mix is rather lackluster and front heavy, It features well recorded dialogue, music, and effects. Also included on this disc are English subtitles.

Bonus features include a newly recorded audio commentary with director Geoffrey Wright, interviews with writer Ken Seldon, actress Amanda Anka, and producers Eli Seldon and Marshall Persinger, a vintage EPK interview piece with the late Brittany Murphy, Michael Biehn, Jay Mohr, and director Wright, some behind-the-scenes footage, the original script (BD-ROM), and a theatrical trailer for the film.

I have nothing against Cherry Falls as a horror movie. Generally speaking, the film does what is required of the genre but little else. The twist of taking virgins and making them the victims is different, but doesn't do enough with the idea to give it much originality. I've said this before, but it bears repeating: sometimes there's a reason a movie hasn't garnered a large following. It's not that great.

The Verdict

A mediocre horror slasher movie without much bite.

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