Spoilers are present in this review.
Being a supernatural buff, and having a deeper understanding of the Bloody Mary legend than the average person, I have to say that I was pretty excited to see this movie come out. I've sifted through volumes of material on her alleged origins and couldn't wait to see what Mary Lambert (of Pet Sematary fame) had in store here.
The movie places Mary's death in the 1960's, at a high school in Utah. It doesn't explain why she appears in mirrors or address the larger issue that the legend itself existed long before the 1960's. It seemed less an attempt at being creative with the legend and more an excuse to make another UL movie. Granted, this won't bother the average movie-goer, who probably isn't even aware of the Bloody Mary-esquire legends that date back to colonial America and some loose tie-ins even before that. Still, it did detract a little from my enjoyment of the film.
That said, the film definitely sells the legend as it's portrayed... and unlike the first 2 UL movies, the big shock twist ending this time is that there really IS a ghost... and a human killer as well. Overall the plot, while fairly predictable, was enough to keep me interested throughout. There was of course the gratuitous reference to the other UL films, but short of that no other tie-ins. The characters are all teenage stereotypes with no depth, and there's plenty of gratuitous eye candy (like the 3 girl pillow fight at the beginning).
The direction of the film exceeds the capabilities of the script. The dialogue is wooden and contrived, as one would expect from a direct-to-video sequel. It's obvious that Mary Lambert had big plans for this one, but the script and the acting just couldn't come through for her. It's also clear the style is heavily influenced by recent supernatural thrillers such as The Grudge and The Ring... there are plenty of sharp cuts and audio tricks used throughout, and even Mary herself seems to borrow a little from Samara and a little from the creepy dead woman in "The Grudge". The scene where Mary crawls out from under a hotel bed in particular reminds me of the woman descending the staircase. There's even a slight touch of demon possessed Regan from the Exorcist in Mary's ghostly visage.
I enjoyed the film, was slightly grossed out at parts, but not really scared or even anxious after watching it. (It's tough to do that to me, though.) I think it's at least a semi-faithful portrayal of one of the modern variations of the legend, and it's rather satisfying to finally "see" Mary in some form. (And if I may say, she's quite a little hottie before her unfortunate... incident.) I think it's a better UL film than "Final Cut" was, and I was quite satisfied that Mary herself was a part of the film, and not revealed to be a psycho student dressing up in a silly costume (a la Scream and the prior two UL movies). The pacing is a little slow sometimes (but then, the first half hour of Pet Sematary is quite slow as well, and I love that film) and the dialogue is a little wooden... but overall, this is a decent film. If you're a big horror film fan, it's definitely worth buying. If you're curious about Mary or enjoy a casual spook flick, rent it or buy it used. So long as you aren't expecting the definitive movie about Bloody Mary, you probably won't be disappointed with it. If you are... well, you'll have to keep waiting.
Or you could turn off the lights, stand in front of the mirror, and give her a call to ask about it yourself...
Being a supernatural buff, and having a deeper understanding of the Bloody Mary legend than the average person, I have to say that I was pretty excited to see this movie come out. I've sifted through volumes of material on her alleged origins and couldn't wait to see what Mary Lambert (of Pet Sematary fame) had in store here.
The movie places Mary's death in the 1960's, at a high school in Utah. It doesn't explain why she appears in mirrors or address the larger issue that the legend itself existed long before the 1960's. It seemed less an attempt at being creative with the legend and more an excuse to make another UL movie. Granted, this won't bother the average movie-goer, who probably isn't even aware of the Bloody Mary-esquire legends that date back to colonial America and some loose tie-ins even before that. Still, it did detract a little from my enjoyment of the film.
That said, the film definitely sells the legend as it's portrayed... and unlike the first 2 UL movies, the big shock twist ending this time is that there really IS a ghost... and a human killer as well. Overall the plot, while fairly predictable, was enough to keep me interested throughout. There was of course the gratuitous reference to the other UL films, but short of that no other tie-ins. The characters are all teenage stereotypes with no depth, and there's plenty of gratuitous eye candy (like the 3 girl pillow fight at the beginning).
The direction of the film exceeds the capabilities of the script. The dialogue is wooden and contrived, as one would expect from a direct-to-video sequel. It's obvious that Mary Lambert had big plans for this one, but the script and the acting just couldn't come through for her. It's also clear the style is heavily influenced by recent supernatural thrillers such as The Grudge and The Ring... there are plenty of sharp cuts and audio tricks used throughout, and even Mary herself seems to borrow a little from Samara and a little from the creepy dead woman in "The Grudge". The scene where Mary crawls out from under a hotel bed in particular reminds me of the woman descending the staircase. There's even a slight touch of demon possessed Regan from the Exorcist in Mary's ghostly visage.
I enjoyed the film, was slightly grossed out at parts, but not really scared or even anxious after watching it. (It's tough to do that to me, though.) I think it's at least a semi-faithful portrayal of one of the modern variations of the legend, and it's rather satisfying to finally "see" Mary in some form. (And if I may say, she's quite a little hottie before her unfortunate... incident.) I think it's a better UL film than "Final Cut" was, and I was quite satisfied that Mary herself was a part of the film, and not revealed to be a psycho student dressing up in a silly costume (a la Scream and the prior two UL movies). The pacing is a little slow sometimes (but then, the first half hour of Pet Sematary is quite slow as well, and I love that film) and the dialogue is a little wooden... but overall, this is a decent film. If you're a big horror film fan, it's definitely worth buying. If you're curious about Mary or enjoy a casual spook flick, rent it or buy it used. So long as you aren't expecting the definitive movie about Bloody Mary, you probably won't be disappointed with it. If you are... well, you'll have to keep waiting.
Or you could turn off the lights, stand in front of the mirror, and give her a call to ask about it yourself...