Cherry Falls
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Writer: Ken Seldon
Starring: Michael Beihn, Brittany Murphy, and Jay Mohr
Body Count: 8
Review: Given all of the turmoil that Cherry Falls has been through just to get to the screen (albeit the small TV screen, as the film was denied US theatrical distribution and shipped straight to the USA cable channel), and all of the hype surrounding it in slasher circles, that the actual film would be unable to deliver. Fortunately, this is not the case.
Cherry Falls is a quite, sleepy little town in Virginia (alright, the irony begins early!) where the kids, just like every place else in America, only seem to have one thing on their minds: sex. So when a killer shows up in town and starts offing people because they are virgins, word travells fast in this repressed little town, and it's not long before all the teens are doing anything they can to avoid being connected to the "V" word. At the middle of all of this is Jody (Birttany Murphy), the daughter of the town sherrif and the object of her boyfriends' constant sexual pleading. In fact, as we meet the two of them, their relationship is on the rocks because she won't have sex with him. Jody is soon to think twice about that decision, because the next day word hits school that there's a killer on the loose, and not long after that, she (along with all the other kids), find out that he's targeting virgins. In keeping in true postmodern spirit, the teens are all into this notion, as it gives them the chance to throw a "Pop Your Cherry" bash at a secluded mansion. Jody's decision to attend keeps bouncing back-and-forth, hinged on her gut instinct to be true to herself and her feelings, but also at odds with those raging teenage hormones.
To somewhat complicate matters, Jody finds out that she's not so sure she can trust her dad, as he seems to have some sort of dark, hidden past (much like the rest of the town). It is this sense of dark, hidden secrets that makes Cherry Falls so good. Everybody in this town has some sort of sexual fever to them, and they all seem to be frothing at the mouth to get into bed with someone, while at the same time repressing those feelings just like the town and all its inhabitants repressed a rather nasty incident that took place there 27 years prior. That incident, of course, is at the root of the killer's motive.
The killer's identity doesn't really come as much of a surprise, but that's not really the point. Cherry Falls isn't your typical slasher fare--a fact that could alienate some as much as it inspires others. The film isn't about secret identities and red herrings so much as it is about the seething underbelly of an outwardly docile and tame community--a town that is unwilling to accept its past, just as it is unwilling to accept the urges of its children.
The only version to see the light of day in the United States (and the version I saw) was, first of all, sent to the ratings board FIVE TIMES in order to garner an R. On top of that, the film was further trimmed because it was shown on network television, and therefore had to be clear of most of its gore and sex (whatever gore and sex remained after the MPAA had its say). Nevertheless, despite these subtractions, the film does have some brutality, a really refreshingly grim tone, and, of course, lots of sexual innuendos. Let's just hope that sooner or later someone gets around to releasing the uncut version.
Because even in its pan-and-scan, commercial-break-ridden, censored-to-bits debut, Cherry Falls proved one damn entertaining flick.
Check out the script!
