Meadowoods (2010)

Meadowoods

Written by Anna Siri
Directed by Scott Phillips

Ryan...Michael Downey
Travis...Connor Thorp
Stephanie...Michelle Roe

Three supremely fucked-up teenagers (Ryan, Travis and Stephanie) are tired of growing up bored in a sheltered small-town community, and they decide that the best way to shake up the status-quo is through murder.  They plan to pick their victim, scout the location, plot their demise, and then carry it out, all of it being recorded on Ryan's handheld video camera for posterity's sake.  Kind of like a video yearbook for lunatics.  They even swear a solemn suicide pact, should something go south.  But with a plan like this, what could possibly go wrong?

They decide on a girl, because she will be easier to subdue.  They will choose one from school, because where else would they find one?  And, after seeking inspiration from the horror section of the local video store (a not-so-subtle nod of the head?  or not-so-subtle social commentary?), they decide to bury their victim alive, keeping her that way while they tease and torment her.  And, with the help of the video camera, watch her slowly die.

Damn, don't these kids have Bakugan or Pokemon or Digipets or whatever the hell kids are playing with these days?

This obviously low-budget feature is yet another entry in the "real footage" films that have steadily been picking up steam since The Blair Witch Project laid the golden egg.  I know that many horror fans have grown weary of the format, but I'm a bit of a sucker for them myself.  Big budget features should probably steer clear, but it works hella well for the indies.

The characters are villains, plain and simple, in the same way that the Trench Coat Mafia were villains--real teens with real problems that went unchecked and spiraled into horror.  You know that if you were to travel back in time before the atrocities were committed, you would find someone that you could pity, maybe even empathize with.  But it's far too late for that now.  By the time you even know who these kids are, all you can do is hate them, possibly fear them, and wait for them to self-destruct.

In all honesty, it's not that great of a movie.  It's not terribly exciting, nor is it terribly interesting.  But, in a world where school shootings and teen violence are no longer out of the ordinary, this dark film has a particular sort of power.  It can cause you genuine fear, and force you to lock your doors at night.  It is no escapist horror.  Because, unfortunately, this scenario seems all too plausible in this modern age.


View the trailer below!

2010
Not Rated
88 Minutes
Color
English
United States

--J/Metro