Anthology-style movie. The wraparound story is of four teens (Christine Taylor, Chris Masterson, Kim Murphy, and Jay R. Ferguson) who are stranded in the woods after a car crash, and they’re telling each other stories to pass the time, as one does. “The Hook” concerns a pair of young folks (Amy Smart and James Marsden) menaced by a hook-handed maniac. “The Honeymoon” is about newlyweds Valerie (Jennifer MacDonald) and Rick (Ron Livingston) in an RV menaced by murderous creatures. “People Can Lick Too” tells the tale of Amanda (Alex McKenna), a young girl who is menaced (it’s a very menacing movie) by a lunatic while home alone. “The Locket” shows drifter Scott (Glenn Quinn), who meets a mysterious woman (Jacinda Barrett) with a haunted house.
The stories are based on urban legends, so to anyone familiar with the genre (I’m a big-time nerd for it) or who has seen either Urban Legend or Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, the first three segments might be predictable. Also, the stories the film is based on are short and punchy by nature, and the movie fairly creaks with the effort to stretch to a full 90-ish minutes. However, the legends are presented and retold in pretty original ways. “The Honeymoon” took me almost to the end to figure out its legend of origin.
It has its silly moments, like in “Honeymoon” when Rick struts around naked and yells, “I just had great sex!” I was curious about why Amanda’s parents were gone all night for a parent-teacher meeting. Also, the twist ending has a few issues—you’ll see when you get there. It does have some eerie moments, mostly in “Honeymoon,” as the villains are never explained.
I love late-90s movies (as long as they’re not about Jason or Michael Myers), and this one is packed with nostalgia and plenty of entertainment.
