Fingerprints

Nifty little combination ghost story / teen slasher film. The storyline isn't unique, but it has enough twists, turns and odd angles to keep you watching.

The main characters are better fleshed out than in most films of this type while the supporting characters are functional and believable. Lou Diamond Phillips in a larger than cameo role lends some acting credence to an otherwise no name cast. Despite the lack of well known actors, the acting is a cut above the norm for the genre as is the overall writing.

The film has its highs and lows, but for the most part it delivers what fans of ghost stories are looking for, though it might not have quite enough gore for the hard core slasher fan, but it has a little too much for a pure ghost story.

Well worth the watch if you like the teen thriller, ghost story, bloody mystery genre. This film is an interesting mix that you don't often find.

Lou D. Phillip stars as a teacher who lives in a small town haunted by the memory of the sudden loss of a busload of children years before. A young woman (Leah Pipes) returns from rehab to her family home, only to encounter the ghost of a little girl who slowly leads her to the lost children and the reason for their disappearance. That part of the movie is OK, and follows modern ghost movie traditions. But some bright bulb apparently decided to also make this a slasher film, with big boobs on display and lots of blood-letting for the JASON and FREDDY crowd. Th slasher segments all tie into the missing children plot, but they were absolutely unnecessary and damn near ruined the movie. We know who the masked killer is way too early, too. Ignore the cheesy slasher scenes, some of which look like they were filmed and inserted as an afterthought, and focus on the ghost plot. You will be rewarded. The ending is a dilly.

A fifty year old urban legend, a masked killer, and a dark secret held by an entire town combine to form the story of FINGERPRINTS.

A recovering teen named Melanie (Leah Pipes) returns to her family after rehab, only to be plunged into the ghostly town mystery. Is the legend real? Are the restless spirits of long-dead children roaming the streets of Emerald? What, if anything, do they have to do with a string of murders?

While not overly terrifying, this movie does have a few suspenseful moments. Lou diamond Phillips plays the school guidance counselor. Geoffrey Lewis is the town drunk, who just may know more than people think. Also stars Kristin Cavallari as Melanie's sister, Crystal...

The teenager Melanie (Leah Pipes) arrives in Emerald after a period of rehabilitation on drugs. When she lived in California, she had an overdose of heroin with her boyfriend that died, but she was resurrected by the paramedics. Mel is welcomed by her older sister Crystal (Kristin Cavallari) that tells her about an accident between a school bus and a train in 1957 due to a problem in a railroad crossing gate where all the children died. In the present days, there is an urban legend telling that if you put the car in neutral in the same place, the children will push the car and their fingerprints will be printed in the car bumper. Melanie has a cold reception from her mother, and later Crystal invites her to go to a party. When they leave the party with two friends of Crystal, they drive to the spot where the accident happened and Melanie sees a little girl. Later Mel befriends her and finds that her name is Julie (Sydnee Harlan). When Melanie has visions and daydreams with the children and the accident, her mother believes she is on drugs while Melanie tries to discover the truth about the fatal accident.

"Fingerprints" has a promising beginning with a plot with huge potential and scenes that startle. However, the terrible and messy resolution of the mystery is frustrating, with many holes. The heroine, her sister and her boyfriend are nice and empathic characters; however the rest are totally unpleasant or uninteresting. What has triggered the insane killer after many years? How the killer has selected the victims? The attitudes of Melanie's abusive mother are not normal and irritate. What has happened to Penn's car that was parked side by side with Melanie's car when they arrive in the train station? The last scene with the police cars arriving is absurdly ridiculous and senseless since nobody called the police. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Almas Condenadas" ("Condemned Souls")

A horror movie must have many given aspects, before it captures the loyalty of it's audience. The initial ingredient of course is suspense. This must be followed by a solid story line which conjures up the dark side of imagination. Lastly, it must be held solidly by the actors which must convince the audience of their fear, terror and apprehension. In this movie which is called " Fingerprints " several key aspects are definitely present. The story is that in a small town, a dramatic and mysterious event took place which centered around the deaths of a dozen children. It seems a bus load of school children were killed when their vehicle was hit by a passing train. Years later Melanie (Leah Pipes) a returning resident arrives to finish high school, learns this may not be true. Her parents worry about her as she is also a recovering drug addict who suffers from residual delusions. From the moment she starts school, she becomes aware of her tenuous situation with her strict parents, her insincere counselor and the reoccurring apparition of one of the dead children. The movie has the surprising addition of two Hollywood veterans, Lou Diamond Phillips who plays Doug and Geoffrey Lewis playing old man Keeler. Unfortunately, the film also contains several repetitive themes borrowed from 'The Sixth Sense', 'Scream' and 'Holloween' and further does not resolve some very tense and dramatic moments. As a result, the movie is deemed acceptable, though it tries very hard to become the corner stone of an anticipated sequel. ****