Chain Letter DVD Movie Review
Chain Letter DVD Movie Review
Chain Letter horror movie review, directed by Deon Taylor. Starring Keith David, Nikki Reed, Brad Dourif, Cherilyn Wilson, Michael J. Pagan, Noah Segan, Matt Cohen
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One M1ssed Call meets Final Destination (any of them, take your pick) in this formulaic but fun gore-fest called Chain Letter. In case you are wondering, there are chains. And letters. Director (and co-scribe) Deon Taylor is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but it totally works in this mushy, gushy milieu.
The always-welcome Brad Dourif plays Luddite high school teacher Mr. Smirker (…really? Great name), who's got a classful of bored students that do nothing but play on their handhelds all day long. The prof is not amused. (But methinks he's a bit bemused… Dourif seems to be taking delight in a scene during which he gets a little too up close and personal with a well-endowed female student while warning her of the dangers of the interwebs.)
Chain letters have been around since at least the 1800s (check out this rather informative dissertation on the origin of the pesky mail) and we're seeing no sign of abatement in the Information Age. If anything, it's easier than ever to forward them to multiple recipients, plaguing them with the possible burdens of anything from a bad day to a violent death. Chain Letter the movie opts for the latter (as a viewer, you may opt for the former… but I've got to admit: I rather liked this flimsy flick).
It all begins when nebbish Neil (Cody Kasch, rocking the obligatory nerd specs) forwards a chain letter to his smokin' sister Rachael (Cherilyn Wilson, prancing around in undies and knee-high socks) and her equally hot friend Jesse (Nikki Reed, she being on the business end of Smirker's unwanted advances). Rachael and Jesse forward it on too, and before long it's like that old TV commercial for Faberge Shampoo — only with a lot more blood and gore.
As the dead teens start piling up, the local police force of Anywheresville, USA decide it might be a good idea to investigate. Looking like she just came off the set of a Busty Cops sequel is the beautiful and bountifully blessed Betsy Russell as Sargeant Hamill. Standing in her shade is Det. Jim Crenshaw, played with odd aplomb by the supercool Keith David (who can currently be seen working his magic on the TV series, The Cape). The filmmakers check in with the investigation periodically, but Chain Letter really is all about the eviscerations.
There are several grue-la-la death scenes in the movie, courtesy of the unmercifully maniacal Michael Bailey Smith as the cold hearted killer (but I'm still not convinced Mr. Smirker didn't yank a chain or two!). I'm not a fan of the mask chosen for Smith, but it's tough to find a scary demise-dispatchin' disguise these days — all the good ones were taken in the 80s (see: Behind the Mask). Aside from the covered countenance challenge, Smith is firing on all cylinders as the predatory executioner of those whippersnappers who love their electronic toys just a little too much… Each gum-chewing, slang-spewing teen meets his or her maker in the most wicked, wet way possible. (There's some nice full-circle bookending too, if you like the movie well enough to watch it from start to finish.)
Chain Letter isn't the second-coming of Saw 3D, but it'll the trick until Russell's next breakout role.
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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson