As a fan of slasher movies, I have to say that the direction in Drive Thru isn't too impressive, often being of the 'point and shoot' variety. In addition, most of the kills take place off-screen, and at first glance the story is also highly unimaginative - a teenage girl called Mackenzie Carpenter ('Mac' to her friends) discovers that pupils at her high school are being killed by a maniac who's dressed as Horny the Clown, the mascot of the Hellaburger fast-food restaurant chain (he looks like the secret love child of Ronald McDonald and Satan).
So far, so clichéd. But Drive-Thru's script then proceeds to overturn most of the conventional rules of the slasher movie genre.
For example, traditionally the heroine in these films is always a quiet, likable, well behaved and respectable young girl who is often bullied or victimised by the popular in-crowd. Not so in Drive-Thru. Here, the Final Girl is a foul mouthed, drug-taking teen who thinks her parents are morons, and - together with her emo friends - behaves appallingly to anyone she doesn't like. There's even a clever subplot in which we learn that she's decided not to sleep with her older boyfriend until she reaches the age of consent - but just as it seems that the movie is finally reverting to convention, she changes her mind and has underage sex with him anyway (!).
Another slasher cliché is the creepy janitor, who often acts as either a prime suspect or red herring, but again Drive-Thru acts as though it's playing the game, only to suddenly perform a bodyswerve and wrong-foot us. So yes, the creepy janitor is dutifully introduced, but he promptly gets killed in the very next scene.
The movie also skilfully satirizes current American youth culture: in addition to Mac's emo friends, Horny also takes his machete to handgun-flaunting wiggas, right-wing WASP preppies, goth wiccans, and stoner drop-outs. There's also a surprisingly political edge that's rare in the genre: Mac is described as a vegetarian left-wing liberal, and the dialogue contains quite a few barbs aimed at the Bush administration and Republicans in general. Mac also regards the police as incompetent fascists, and doesn't tell them anything she's discovered about the murders because she believes she's got a better chance of uncovering who the killer is. In fact, the female detective in charge of the case is actually highly efficient, but her investigation is being hampered by Mac's refusal to share information.
The cast all deliver solid performances, with Leighton Meester (who plays Mac) being a particular find. There's also a funny cameo from Supersize Me writer/director Morgan Spurlock as a Hellaburger manager.
But despite being a highly entertaining movie, Drive-Thru isn't particularly scary. Horny is a colourful and visually striking psycho-villain, but the climax of the movie is quite weak, and the only scene that delivers a genuine frisson is when the killer clown empties a gasoline can over Mac as she's tied to a chair (as a prelude to immolating her), and she starts screaming in complete, helpless terror.
So far, so clichéd. But Drive-Thru's script then proceeds to overturn most of the conventional rules of the slasher movie genre.
For example, traditionally the heroine in these films is always a quiet, likable, well behaved and respectable young girl who is often bullied or victimised by the popular in-crowd. Not so in Drive-Thru. Here, the Final Girl is a foul mouthed, drug-taking teen who thinks her parents are morons, and - together with her emo friends - behaves appallingly to anyone she doesn't like. There's even a clever subplot in which we learn that she's decided not to sleep with her older boyfriend until she reaches the age of consent - but just as it seems that the movie is finally reverting to convention, she changes her mind and has underage sex with him anyway (!).
Another slasher cliché is the creepy janitor, who often acts as either a prime suspect or red herring, but again Drive-Thru acts as though it's playing the game, only to suddenly perform a bodyswerve and wrong-foot us. So yes, the creepy janitor is dutifully introduced, but he promptly gets killed in the very next scene.
The movie also skilfully satirizes current American youth culture: in addition to Mac's emo friends, Horny also takes his machete to handgun-flaunting wiggas, right-wing WASP preppies, goth wiccans, and stoner drop-outs. There's also a surprisingly political edge that's rare in the genre: Mac is described as a vegetarian left-wing liberal, and the dialogue contains quite a few barbs aimed at the Bush administration and Republicans in general. Mac also regards the police as incompetent fascists, and doesn't tell them anything she's discovered about the murders because she believes she's got a better chance of uncovering who the killer is. In fact, the female detective in charge of the case is actually highly efficient, but her investigation is being hampered by Mac's refusal to share information.
The cast all deliver solid performances, with Leighton Meester (who plays Mac) being a particular find. There's also a funny cameo from Supersize Me writer/director Morgan Spurlock as a Hellaburger manager.
But despite being a highly entertaining movie, Drive-Thru isn't particularly scary. Horny is a colourful and visually striking psycho-villain, but the climax of the movie is quite weak, and the only scene that delivers a genuine frisson is when the killer clown empties a gasoline can over Mac as she's tied to a chair (as a prelude to immolating her), and she starts screaming in complete, helpless terror.