Cry_Wolf Review

A serial killer is on the loose on a US college campus in this teen thriller which offers a few twists and turns but eventually plays out like an over-long Gap ad. The action takes place at Westlake Prep, a private school for the kids of America's posh and privileged. When Brit newcomer Owen (Julian Morris) arrives, he quickly falls in with the oddly named Dodger (Lindy Booth) and her friends, a gang who like to engage in a game where they try to uncover a liar in their midst. But, bored by their restricted arena, they decide to use a local murder to expand their game and soon they have the campus riddled with rumours and gossip about a serial killer on the loose called 'The Wolf. However things start to get weird when it looks like the 'Wolf' might be real after all.

Playing with echoes of 2000 thriller "Gossip", writer/director Jeff Wadlow really needed to decide what he wanted his movie to be before he started shooting. Is it an examination of mass gullibility or a "Halloween"-style chiller about a bunch of kids being stalked by a nutter in a ski mask? Wadlow tries to incorporate both but neither ever really takes off.

Perhaps the biggest problem "Cry_Wolf" faces is that, for a film that purports to have a psycho slasher on the loose, it's only rated 12A. This means there's little swearing, no nudity and only a smattering of blood - three things virtually vital to this genre if it's going to keep fans interested.

But perhaps we're being a touch unfair. Wadlow has bought this film to life on a virtually non-existent budget so credit must be given for his ability to make a little go a long way. Also he throws in a flash of intrigue right at the death which suggests "Cry_Wolf" could have been a better movie had he had more resources to play with.