The slasher genre may be a staple in the horror cinematic world, but it would not be talking out of terms to say that the more specific college slasher film has not always had its day under the knife. The irony of this being that it was 1974’s “Black Christmas” that many claim to be one of the first slashers if not the one to put the genre on the map. Films such as “Final Exam” and “The House on Sorority Row,” and of course “Scream 2” have certainly filled in the gaps, but it would take you until 2019’s “Happy Death Day” to really see the college campus being fully utilized once again. So it is exciting when a film arrives that not only tries to fill a void that has been lacking in the horror world but also wants to bring things back to a time where slashers dominated not because of world building or reboots, but rather just a cold killing whodunnit to entertain the dorm room sickos. 213 BONES directed by the late Jeffrey Primm feels familiar in some of its execution but that is because it wants to bask in the times of mid 90’s appreciation without losing itself to the manipulation of nostalgia. Instead of diving into every 90’s reference and slang (something you would never do if actually living in the time period) it instead becomes a film about something everyone fears far beyond knife wielding murders, and that is the terrifying group project. A film that knows college is a time where many young people are still finding themselves, but even more so learning to work with others for the first time outside of the forced confines of their parents’ rule. Instead 213 BONES is all about learning to work together better with friends and even more so your enemies because it just may be the only thing to save your life.
With no phone to distract you, college in the 90’s truly meant having to pay attention to pass the time. And this could be helpful for a group of Anthropology students at a local university. But like any college class there is an assortment of bodies to pay attention or else. You have sweetheart couple Eric and Joanna (Liam Woodrum and Simone Lockhart respectively), burn out drug dealer Clyde (Mason Kennerly), good student Lisa (Luna Fujimoto) and too good for himself Brent (Hunter Nance). Students who seem to be taking the class more to pass than become forensic anthropologists themselves. But their professor who prefers to be just called Kelly (Colin Egglesfield) really seems to enjoy his profession trying to get the rest of the class excited about studying bones by throwing enough corny but lighthearted gimmicks there way. That is until Kelly gives them their big group project which is to inspect a series of bones and find out who and what happened to this particular person. It is all in good fun even if it is already a lot of work for overworked waitress student Patty (Allegra Sweeney) and her friend still stuck in the 80’s Candice (Toni Weiss). Primm’s script (with a story from Dominic Arcelin) throws a large cast at us but their dynamics are clear from the start making this could be Scooby Doo Mystery Gang feel fresh avoiding just being mere caricatures. Sure there is an inkling of who may get gutted first or who may be our final girl or guy, but none of that matters when each performer is charming.
That charm may not be too useful though once it is learned that there is a killer on the loose. After several people in the town and college have been murdered the project of fake bones is less enticing and instead our ragtag team has to do their best to uncover an actual mystery. What makes this work best is that the gang never falls into a trapping of just going along with things for the sake of a good story. While Primm’s script may not dive too deep into each character there is more than enough tension between some members and of course some blossoming potential romance that keeps this gang together even if it is a murderer being the real glue. But this is a slasher after all and the kills while patiently waited are a grisly time that keeps 213 BONES VFX and props department busy from blood splatter to flying gutted eyeballs. But 213 BONES also seems to want to give itself its own unique facelift in the form of its killer’s mask. A mask that is part tribal part weird ska band look. Intentional or not Primm seems to be having a blast with his killer’s mask that can go from terrifying one moment to hysterical the next. To best describe its balance is you could imagine someone in a Wes Craven movie donning it just as much as you can see Seth Green running around with it on in “Can’t Hardly Wait.” And that is where some of the biggest joy comes from out of 213 BONES. It doesn’t want to ridicule the 90’s but with pure 90’s self-awareness it also knows how fun and absurd the time period can be. It brings you right back with a stellar soundtrack that could match Cameron Crowe’s “Singles” because every movie deserves more Veruca Salt songs in them.
213 BONES may run quick (most slashers do) and while that does not always give enough time with the town’s creepy diner patrons including an extremely rude janitor, it still feels like it has enough up its sleeve for an exciting mystery. You may like every young performer but there is very little reason to believe none of them could be the killer. The rare slasher were everyone truly feels like a suspect. They don’t need to deliver a creepy or foreboding line to make you think this but rather Primm’s script holds enough back while allowing his performers to run free with their characters. Allegra Sweeney and Toni Weiss in particular both create a great dynamic of best friends that while sweet still harbor a frustration whether it be work overload or just annoyance with everyone else that you can see either one of them wanting to put a knife into their fellow classmates.
213 BONES is impressive on its smaller scale but that doesn’t mean it is limited in larger ways. It doesn’t need to overexplain itself and while some of its adult cast can feel more plot device than fully fleshed characters it still plays deviously delightful to have this genre back on fresher ground. It can come with a bittersweet taste that the late Jeffrey Primm will not be present to see where his film goes from here but 213 BONES like its predecessors has left its mark and it is exciting and believe it or not heartfelt to know Primm and crew had a bloody good time leaving their mark.
B
213 BONES PREMIERED AT SCREAMFEST LA.
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