TriStar

Urban Legend is the latest in a line of teen thrillers that began with Scream. But where Scream had the novel concept of its chracters being aware of horror movies and their cliches and I Know What You Did Last Summer had an interesting revenge plot with a good deal of stalking scenes to build suspense, Urban Legend is built around the rather loose premise of a serial killer who models his murders after urban legends - the killer in the backseat, etc. Unfortunately this premise isn't enough to carry it past most of its flaws.

For a film like this to work the viewer needs to feel the suspense the characters are in. Too bad the characters in this film are generic, and show very little personality. There's the regular girl, the party guy, the prankster, the best friend, the brooding reporter, etc. And the only remotely interesting character is taken out in the first half hour. The film's major flaw, however, is the fact that it frequently sacrifices credibility for quick scares. There are several ludicrous moments that make no sense but build cheap suspense. For instance, the killer wears a winter coat with a fur-lined hood and, wouldn't you know it, everyone seems to own the same winter coat and many wear it despite the fact it looks pretty warm around the campus where the film is set.

Despite such flaws the film manages to be watchable if you take it for what it is. There are a few cool mean-spirited and creative kills. It is also a joy to see Danielle Harris (Jamie from Halloween 4 and 5) cast in a small role as the lead character's goth roommate. It's no classic, but it might be a fun excersion if you keep your hopes leveled. You've been warned.

C+