Hell yes! As Urban Legend is my favorite post-Scream slasher by a mile, I couldn't be happier to not only see it again in glorious 35mm at the New Beverly, but to host it as well and hopefully play a part in introducing it to a few new fans.
In addition to some great direction and superb set-pieces courtesy of underrated director Jamie Blanks (this was his first film), what works about the film is that it borrows some stuff from Scream (the fresh-faced "WB-ready" cast, the whodunit mystery, the relatively high production value) but does its own thing with the humor. It's not about winking at the existence of horror films, but finding humor in the situation - best exemplified by a clueless victim singing "Turn around, bright eyes..." from "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", unaware of the killer behind her. And it's a bit cheesy (and will probably go over the heads of younger viewers*) but in 1998, Joshua "Pacey" Jackson yelping at the sound of the Dawson's Creek theme on the radio was pure bliss.
It also has some fun horror cameos from the likes of Brad Dourif and Robert Englund, from a time when this sort of thing was unusual. And speaking of horror heroes, Urban Legend was the first genre film to feature Danielle Harris in nearly a decade, which was a big deal for folks like me who had missed her presence in the genre since making such an impact in Halloween 4 and 5 (and were still pissed that she was replaced in Halloween 6). Oh, and Jared Leto from when he was known as the guy from My So-Called Life, not the douche singer of a rock band.
We're hoping to have a guest for Q&A (working on two possibilities!), but don't look for Ms. Harris - she's off in Louisiana kicking Victor Crowley's ass again in Hatchet 3 and won't be back in time. But I'll be there with my usual stack of HMAD-ified DVDs to give away, so it evens out. As always, the screening will be at the New Beverly Cinema at 7165 Beverly Blvd in Los Angeles (90036), and tickets will be 8 bucks cash at the door or online at BrownPaperTickets. It all goes down at 11:59 pm on Saturday, June 16th - see you there!
And check out that sweet poster! This is designed by Jacopo Tenani, who also designed the awesome "RIP HMAD" poster you can see to your right - if you'd like to own a beautiful silk-screen print of that one, please pre-order via Indiegogo! More details HERE. In the meantime, feel free to swipe the Urban Legend poster to pimp the screening on your blog/Facebook, and as always I welcome tweets and other ways of spreading the word about the screening! If it's a big enough draw I can convince the New Bev to show the awesome sequel later on down the road! Don't let me down!
*I understand the song has been replaced on most of the DVD/streaming versions of the show due to rights issues - making this joke even harder to "get" as the years go by.
This is a movie I was disappointed in. It seemed so flat and uninvolving when I saw it. Just a bland rip-off, and the worst part is, a bad guy in a parka is the outfit? Ugh, even in the realm of trying to have a realistic costume, that sucks.
ReplyDeleteAhhh I'm so depressed right now that I live in a different country. Urban Legend is one of my fave post-Scream slashers as well. Would love to see it on the big screen again!
ReplyDeleteIf I lived anywhere near the New Beverly, I would probably be a regular at your screenings. They always sound fun!
"*I understand the song has been replaced on most of the DVD/streaming versions of the show due to rights issues - making this joke even harder to "get" as the years go by."
ReplyDeleteHooray for old VHS copies!
I first saw this on TV years back and I liked it. I wold love to go see it in a theater, but I live nowhere near the New Beverly. Oh well.
UPDATE: The Dawson's Creek joke is unmodified on the DVD I now own.
DeleteI like this poster a lot!
ReplyDelete