Director: Jerome Sable.
Cast: Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Meat Loaf, Kent Nolan, Brandon Uranowitz, Ephraim Ellis, Melanie Leishman, Thomas Alderson, James McGowan, Minnie Driver.
Certificate: 18.
Running Time: 89 minutes.
Synopsis: After the murder of their broadway star mother (Driver), two teens are left as cooks at a summer camp for performing arts. It turns out that the producer (Meat Loaf) intends to resurrect the show that was to be their mother’s last.
Certainly aiming for a unique angle at this year’s FrightFest is the enjoyably silly STAGE FRIGHT. Announcing your film as a cross between FRIDAY THE 13TH and Glee may not be the best way to draw in the crowds, but it is certainly an intriguing premise. Horror’s and musicals have joined forces before in the form of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, CANNIBAL THE MUSICAL, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, but STAGE FRIGHT offers a youthful charm that many viewers will find irritatingly infectious.
Balancing all its genres well, we follow a simple premise of a stage production haunted by a mysterious killer. The musical numbers are incessantly catchy with often clever and funny lyrics. If there’s one problem, it’s that the film could have used more numbers and even afforded to make them longer. That’s also a compliment for Jerome Sable and Eli Batalion whose compositions are hummed well after leaving the auditorium. The young cast can also belt out a tune or two, making this a highly pleasant affair for fans of musicals. It doesn’t talk down to the genre, or make easy potshots at the likes of Glee, but instead relishes in its genetic DNA.
As a slasher film, it may be predictable in its outcome, but there is enough development to warrant caring for the majority of the characters. The film is a bit too strict on who it’s willing to kill, although this may have been an obvious joke by having characters clearly older than their on screen ages. Perhaps there were issues in wrestling between song inclusion and kill scenes, as they they both seem to have long gaps between each one respectively. The film could have been enjoyable had it gone for shock factor, but perhaps it wanted to retain some amount of innocence.
MacDonald, who is crafting quite the name for herself in the world of horror, is an excellent lead who portrays her character with certain degrees of complexity. She longs for the fame and glamour, but still has certain principles that are challenged throughout. Meat Loaf is a great addition due to his history with the genre, and gives a restrained performance in both his acting and singing, never once intending to steal limelight away from the kids. Less impressive is the killer themselves, who is given the weakest songs (possibly due to their hate of musical theatre) and is heavily reliant on puns and a high pitched voice. It removes any tension from the film, awaiting to see what joke will be made, and once the motives are made clear you also have to question whether the character would have been so jolly about it all.
In a rare instance of needing a longer cut, STAGE FRIGHT does most things well but just doesn’t have enough time to truly take advantage of its unique approach. The supporting kids are wonderfully introduced in an unforgettable opening number, but are soon forced into the background. The film also rushes towards its climax, although the conclusion is satisfactory and ties things together nicely.
STAGE FRIGHT may have trouble finding its audience, and those who warm to its charm will probably demand more. It does however prove that such merges can be achieved successfully with passion and dedication without having to resort to making itself the joke. A deliciously dark entertaining treat destined for cult status and sing-alongs.
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