Detention DVD Review

Director: Joseph Kahn

Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke, Dane Cook

Certificate: 15

Running time: 85 Minutes

Synopsis: The students of Grizzly Lake find themselves hunted by slasher movie-type killer Cinderhella, and as the clock ticks and bodies pile up, the likely suspects are embroiled in a race against time to stop Cinderhella and ultimately save the world… if only they can get out of DETENTION.

It’s always brave for any director to pose many questions in their film and leave the audience to find the answers for themselves. Braver still, if those answers lead to even more fascinating questions, and sometimes not even lead to answers (rational or not). That’s not always a bad thing, and it’s something out of which the great David Lynch and (the sometimes great) Richard Kelly have made a genre of their own. However, Joseph Kahn’s new teen horror/comedy DETENTION attempts to go one step further and totally perplex the viewer by putting so much into its plot, and literally onto the screen (text speech and such), that I swear steam began pouring from my head.

DETENTION is really one head-fuck of a film. It opens with a scene inspired by (or rather ripped straight from) a John Hughes film before we see the copycat film killer Cinderhella take her first victim: cheerleader ‘bitch’ Taylor Fisher’s throat is slit wide open before falling from her bedroom window. And just before leaving for school as well. Such bad luck. The point of whether this scene is integral to the plot, or just a knowing wink, really sets the uneven tone of what’s to come – lots of confusion. We’re then introduced to a number potential victims, including Shanley Caswell’s Riley Jones, whose life as a (lazy stereotypical) feminist outcast has her at rock bottom (and suicidal). Her crush on Josh Hutcherson (who also exec produced) as Clapton Davis has her depressed after seeing her former best friend Ione (Spencer Loke) winning his affections.

Co-written by Kahn with Mark Palermo, DETENTION thinks that it’s smarter than it actually is. It clearly wants the emulate Wes Craven’s awesome self-referential SCREAM, a film that made the horror genre take a serious look at itself before his sequels went on to undo all the original’s good work. DETENTION attempts to do exactly the same, throwing into the mix a number of pop culture references which feel corny rather than amusing. There’s a smugness as the movie tries to hit home comedic cliches from the teen comedy genre, along with the obvious horror, science-fiction and romance nods, and it feels as if there is never enough time for anything to breathe. Some characters feel shoehorned in, and the main plot involving killer Cinderhella feels sidelined for the majority of the film, as we’re shown these pointless sub-plots of minor individuals that further complicate things.

SCREAM is not the only film that clearly inspires Kahn. He nicks a mishmash of details from a number of classics from over the years – including BACK TO THE FUTURE, THE FLY, DONNIE DARKO, THE BREAKFAST CLUB and FREAKY FRIDAY – none of which come together to make any kind of logic. The old saying of ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ would be apt, but I’d say the film does indeed throw that kitchen sink in, as well as the dirty dishes that come with it. The word ‘nonsense’ comes to mind, and the finale is just plain drawn-out, bordering on eye-rolling.

Not everything about the film is bad, however. There are some stunning tracking shots, and a lush dream-like sheen to the film, all aided by beautiful cinematography even during scenes set in classrooms. Also, Shanley Caswell seems like an actress who could go far and gives easily the best performance in the film. She has sass and passion, and outshines the number of other, more experienced faces like THE HUNGER GAMES’ Hutcherson and Dane Cook. (Caswell’s set to feature in James Wan’s upcoming supernatural-thriller THE CONJURING). On the plus side, everyone looks as if they’re trying, even if some aren’t able to pull it off.

A baffling bunch of scenes thrown together that never feel like they belong in the same film in order to make any coherent plotting, in turn leaving us with a tedious mess.

 DETENTION is available on DVD 27th August.