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What can you say about a director who states his
movie isn't explicitly violent, yet when it's submitted to the censorship board it has to
make 4 return more trips in order to get an R Rating (USA R Rating that is)? Such was the
case with Geoffrey Wrights Cherry Falls. Originally planned as a theatrical release,
the film ended up with Even MORE censoring for it's Cable TV airing in the USA, and did
the direct to video route in the land downunder.
The DVD release both HERE and in the USA is sadly only the USA R Rated version (classified
with the MA15+ rating here) and from watching the film the gore/violence restraint is
blatantly obvious..there's still a few juicy moments, but there's
no "followthru" on the many gore shots :(
Post-Scream, we've seen a gazillion horror/comedy hybrids
trying to follow in the Footsteps of the 90's landmark horror film, and Cherry Falls is
just one of them.
Though in the case of Cherry Falls, there's a reverse spin to the theory of off-ing teens
in gruesome fashion. NO longer are the promiscuous drugtaking degenerates the ones
who are our willing victims... it's the....gasp....virgins who are being slaughtered!!!!
Set in the small town of Cherry Falls, our
filmic heroine Jody Marken(Brittany Murphy) is your typical virginal daughter of the towns
sheriff (Michael Biehn). In the past few days 3 teenagers have been killed and when
it's discovered that all the teenagers were virgins, Britany's dad asks her to go
"all the way" with her boyfriend Kenny (Gabriel Mann) ....who she has sorta
kinda been dumped by for not putting out :)
Sheriff Marken arranges a town meeting at the local high
school to inform the parents of the situation and unbeknownst to the Sheriff, Jody and her
good friend Timmy (Keram Malicki-Sánchez) are spying from upstairs. Before you know
it the killer takes his 4th virginal victim and Then goes after Jody, to which she
narrowly escapes
When word gets out to the students that virgins are the
target they all arrange a "pop your cherry" sex romp at a big house out in the
woods. (the group orgy was apparently the main target of the censorship battle with an
"Evil Dead" type massacre thrown in.... not in this version though :(
As the film stands, it's not great, but a bit of fun for a
Friday night at home sorta movie. For me, the severe censoring of the film is my
biggest complaint, given the rather tongue in cheek approach this film talks. |
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