Cover Art

Credits

Director: Jim Hemphill Starring: Angelique Hennessy, Jerad Anderson, Danielle Noble, Mark Kunzman Screenplay: Jim Hemphill Country: USA

Bad Reputation's biggest problem is that is doesn't know what it wants to be: is it a morality play, a slasher, a rape/revenge? It can't seem to make up its mind and therefore is an unfortunate mishmash of all. This film wasn't made by some ignorant director though. Writer/Director Jim Hemphill is a film critic and journalist who really seems to know his stuff, he has, after all, written for Film Critic and American Cinematographer!! His intentions with this film were valid. Obviously sick of the throw away cookie-cutter characters that most horror films give us, he has attempted to flesh out his characters, but sadly this makes it less of a horror film and more of an after school special about the dangers of drugs, rape and killing your friends. There is no doubt the cruel acts performed on the lead are soul-destroying and probably close to what high school girls are capable of doing, but the 'killing turn' of the lead almost seems to come as a surprise, except for the fact the DVD cover quite clearly shows our little vixen ready to annihilate. The dialogue is at times awkward and occasionally lifted from other films (Michelle's comment: 'I'm a Safety Girl' is clearly 'borrowed' from pro-prostitution morally corrupt romantic-comedy Pretty Woman).

The film also seems overlong. Some of the scenes seem to linger unnecessarily: for example, our victim/victor Michelle goes to the door of our jock/rapist's house after she's been raped and humiliated to get her handbag back. She knocks on the door, he answers, she asks for her bag, and we are treated to an extended scene of her waiting at the front door, with nothing happening, until the guy returns with her bag. Surely this scene could have been cut short, or out completely!

At the risk of sounding like a pervert, I also have to say that if I see a rape/revenge flick…I want nudity. All of the acts are performed under both the cover of darkness and/or the cover of clothing. Bummer! He has, however, replaced nudity with plenty of dirty talk, including the 'C' word that Grandma doesn't know, which occurs more as if to make this film seem adult, but comes across as infantile.