Cherry Falls (Film Review)

1999 USA Films
Directed by: Geoffrey Wright; Written by: Ken Selden
Starring: Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr, Gabriel Mann, and Michael Biehn
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 91 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

There's a serial killer in Cherry Falls, and after several teenagers have fallen under the murderer's knife, a pattern emerges: the victims are all virgins. Unfortunately for Jody Marken, she's never engaged in the act of love...nor have many of her classmates. Jody's father, the town sheriff, wants to make sure that Jody can defend herself, but also that she isn't planning on going to her classmates' upcoming orgy party, where they plan to lose their virginities to keep themselves safe from the killer. Of course, Jody doesn't have to go to the party to lose her virginity...her boyfriend of over a year is quite horny...
It's not surprising that a film in which a serial killer bursts into a high school orgy and starts stabbing teenagers indiscriminately was deemed unreleasable in a Columbine-stained 1999. The callously dumped to basic cable Cherry Falls, in its edited down form, is not nearly as offensive as it sounds, though. The film is actually a fairly smart and quite effective slasher, and likely the best horror film in that subgenre from 1999 (unless Sleepy Hollow counts as a slasher). 

As Jody, Brittany Murphy brings her expected charisma, portraying quite a psychologically complex and conflicted character. Jody's parents, particularly her father, have subtly done a number on her, causing her to react to certain situations in unexpected, but true-to-character ways. Murphy brings a lot of nuance to the role beyond just running and screaming. I'll also single out Gabriel Mann here, who brings heart and likeability to a horny boyfriend role that would be handled far more slimily in another film; in Cherry Falls Mann's character convincingly evolves into a noble hero. 

Cherry Falls' central "who is the killer" mystery also brings a fun late 90s energy, reminiscent of Scream, though, like generally all other slashers from the decade, the film can't touch Wes Craven's 1996 masterpiece. The killer here is unique and fun, though...well, fun for someone who stabs people to death. The film's atmosphere is also excellent. 

Cherry Falls might not be a great film, and the studio hacking definitely shows, but it's an enjoyable entry in slasher canon, and will hopefully one day emerge from the cultural mothballing it received 25 years ago.