Dark Intentions

Wow I think 4 is way harsh for this film. Yes, it is a made for TV film so it is going to have certain flaws that a big budgeted movie wouldn't have, but I have to say that this film really surprised me. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The storyline was original; I have never seen a story like this in another film and in my opinion, the plot deserves a 9 out of 10. However, I need to deduct a point for some of the actors, deduct a point for production, half a point for pace and half a point for the quickie climax at the end. So my overall mark is seven, but if they had changed the ending slightly, made the duration of the film more intense, had more money to cast better actors and incorporate better effects, then this would have been a nine, maybe ten.

Leighton and her director prove that you do not need tons of blood and gore to come up with a good scare. I won't give away any details on the plot, but I am a great fan of the genuine thriller genre, and this movie struck just the right tone with surprises, characters that you care about, and a few great effects. I think this would be appropriate for tweens and teens and they will enjoy it---finally a new scary movie that doesn't use chain saws. The plot and characters keep you guessing and move this story, and it is actually shot very beautifully. The acting is solid, especially Leighton is excellent, and nothing about this is overdone. Fun to watch! I will definitely keep this on my Halloween rotation.

THE HAUNTING OF SORORITY ROW/DEADLY PLEDGE (TV Movie 2007)

BASIC PLOT: Samantha Willows (Leighton Meester) is having a blast her freshman year at college. She's pledging the hottest sorority on campus, and has made lots of new friends. Her new roommate, Jane Horten (Kailin See), is a bit odd, but she's still nice to have around. The only problem? Jane never sleeps. She's always awake, and she never seems to eat either. There's something unusual about Jane, but Samantha chalks it up to freshman jitters, and tries to keep up with pledge week.

Samantha is also having problems with her high school boyfriend, Oliver (Adrian Petriw). He's always been a great guy, but lately, he's been a bit smothering. After Oliver makes a scene at a sorority party, Samantha decides to let him down gently. She wants to see other people, and Spencer (Carlo Marks) fits the bill.

After leaving a heartbroken Oliver, Samantha is approached by Collin, the boyfriend of a sorority sister who disappeared last semester. He tells her a strange story about his girlfriend Jenna Thorne (Lara Gilchrist). She disappeared during pledge week last year, a week after they got engaged. He knows she'd never run out on him, or college, and he tells Samantha to be on the lookout for her engagement ring.

Things get weirder and weirder for Sam, she knows the older sorority sisters are hiding something about Jenna Thorne. One by one, they either disappear or die, and the question becomes, does someone know what they did last summer? And is that someone human?

WHAT WORKS: *This movie uses actual music, AND gives credit to it at the end. It makes the all difference, and enhances the storytelling. In the scene where Samantha breaks up with Oliver, the haunting song, "Goodnight, Moonshine," by Dusty Rhodes & The River Band, sets the mood.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: *Why does Sam make fun of Spencer (Carlo Marks), when he tells her he likes theater, more than regular frat guy behavior? She's not a bobble head, so why? The whole scene doesn't work, it should give them something in common, but instead, it makes Sam look cruel.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION: *I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys light paranormal frights. It's not scary, but it is entertaining. Remember, this is a made-for-tv movie, not a big budget picture.

CLOSING NOTES: *This is a Made-For-TV movie, please keep that in mind before you watch\rate it. TV movies have a much lower budget, and so your expectations should be adjusted.

*I have no connection to the film, or production in ANY way. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews. Hope I helped you out.

I feel that the current rating of 4.x is not really indicative of how good this film is. Sure, it is not a masterpiece or anything and the CG is cringe-worthy in places, but overall it is an entertaining addition to the College Horror Sub-Genre. Especially for a Telefilm.

It is competently done and well presented, but it's not gonna win any Oscars (I don't think it did : ) Not terribly original but well put together; so, I give it a 7 to balance out the somewhat low 4.x that it now has. It probably falls around a 6 or so. If you are not expecting too much more than the genre normally delivers, than you should have a reasonable amount of fun watching it.

This is another of those teen-age sorority flicks where the girls are so stupid you wonder how they ever got to college in the first place. It starts out looking as though it might be a good thriller, but the events involving the revenge of a dead spirit are so mindlessly foolish that you wonder how the script managed to find someone willing to produce it.

The acting is better than the story deserves but that's no compensation for a Halloween type of thriller that lacks common sense in the telling. Production is well mounted with slick camera work and an appropriately tingling background score, but the story seems padded to fit a two-hour TV schedule and it becomes a by-the-numbers sort of thing where you just have to wait patiently for something to happen. They do happen on cue and that's the whole trouble with the silly story. Nothing seems real and none of the explanations ring true.

My advice: skip it.