Fatal Exam

Real cool movie. The actors made some pretty interesting characters, though the acting could be a bit better as evidenced by the nonchalant tone of voice many of them had, even during dire moments. This ironically worked well with the character of Jim (or at least I believe that was his name; names weren't particularly established well). For awhile, Jim is the only one that notices strange happenings around, but yet unlike the typical character who screams and tries to convince himself that what he saw was fake, Jim insists that he was right all along. He says this very casually and adamantly, even though the others refuse to believe him. This is the type of spin on slasher movies characters I love to see, and adds to the comic relief of the movie, even though it doesn't seem like it was intentional.

The plot seemed all over the place at first, but despite the chaos of it, all was explained at the ending and left no loose ends. I wouldn't consider Fatal Exam a supernatural film because while it does contain supernatural elements, they don't necessarily contribute to the main plot directly and instead build up the tension. The first half of the movie is a mystery film while the second is a slasher, so even though it's almost 2 hours long, you get the best of both worlds with two different genres. Score was well composed as well and it's a shame no soundtrack was released!

In a way it reminds me of those incredibly talky 1940's / 50's crime serials where conversation was just a vehicle to explain every last detail and consequence to the audience.

The real stunner to me is the total disregard for the 90-minute runtime that was so integral to the success of the cheap 80's horror genre. Two hours? You're insane!

I can't give it less than three stars, though. That's reserved for movies that proselytize without entertaining, that pursue b-movie charm synthetically and intentionally, or that engage in other bad faith movie-making behavior.

This is shot-on-video. There are no trained actors, models, or bodybuilders. Just a bunch of average kids trying to make a movie, and in that way, it's kind of endearing. There's cheap murder, not-too-terrifying glints of death and an honest attempt to make a movie the entire group would be proud of.

Above all, though, there's just too much damn talking, too much explaining, and too much runtime.

Three stars for effort. Watch if you have a really laissez-faire attitude about how your time is spent...and want to see a kid solve a demon problem with a handgun.

College students explore a haunted house as per their professor's wishes and many of them are killed one by one.

Fatal Exam's crime isn't the bad acting or amateurish filmmaking, but the plodding and uninteresting script that seems to go nowhere and, when a film with no point pushes the two hour mark, you know you're in trouble. I'm not sure if a shorter run time would have helped all that much, but it would have made it a lot more tolerable.

You have two hours. You may begin...

Q.1 (5 marks) Director Jack Snyder's total rejection of established film-making techniques renders Fatal Exam a dull and worthless experience. Discuss.

Q.2 (2 marks) Who do you think gives the most lifeless performance in Fatal Exam? Give the reasons for your choice.

Q.3 (3 marks) Examine three characters from the film and describe the personality traits that render them thoroughly obnoxious.

Q.4 (5 marks) How do Snyder's editing decisions affect the mood of the film? In your opinion, does his holding on seemingly irrelevant shots for longer than is necessary add to the atmosphere, or make the film as boring as hell?

Q.5 (1 mark each). Give an example of how each of the following adjectives are applicable to Fatal Exam: moronic, amateurish, soporific, illogical, laughable

Q.6 (5 marks) You are given the task of reducing the film's unbearable 1h 54min runtime to a slightly more palatable 84 minutes. Which scenes would be first to go? Give reasons for your decisions.

Q.7 (4 marks) Explain the symbolism of the doll's house. Please!

Q.8 (5 marks) The painting in the film looks like it was done by a six-year-old. Discuss how a particularly awful prop can render a scene unintentionally funny. Give suggestions of how a far better painting might have been acquired while still keeping within budgetary constraints?

Q.9 (2 marks) The Pepsi cans: a really bad decision by the soft drink's marketing department, or simply a case of free advertising? Discuss.

Q.10 (4 marks) Some films are regarded as being 'so bad, they're good'. Do you think that Fatal Exam is one such film, and if so, what is wrong with you?

Please leave your paper face down on the table in front of you when you have finished.

Awful ADR, boring, and should never be watched by anyone. There is no "so bad it's good" here. It's so boring it's painful. Stay away from this movie. I have had more fun in a hospital waiting room.