Murder University (2012)
Starring: Samantha Acampora, Jamie Dufault, Michael Thurber
Writer: Lenny Schwartz
Director: Richard Griffin
Synopsis:
A small New England college is plagued
by a series of brutal, cult-like murders that share a similar pattern
of killings some twenty years earlier. The lone survivor of a recent
attack must team up with a veteran police detective and his daughter
in order to uncover the secret behind the killings, revealing a
legacy of murder and the occult that has been kept buried for decades
on campus.
Review:
The word on the street is that Murder
University pays tribute to 80s slashers, and that just happens to
be the truth. I think it comes every bit as close to the correct
atmosphere as The Sleeper. It draws inspiration from Pieces,
Halloween, Slaughter High, and gives visual nods to the work of Dario
Argento. Hell, even the music has a style that fits into Italian
horror. AND, there's a lot of nakedness. Unfortunately, if you take away the slasher aspect and cool
look of the film, there are some things that disappoint.
The use of color lighting in Murder
University immediately put films like Suspiria and Inferno in mind;
lots of blues and reds. Chase scenes fit over this color gimmick perfectly, as
does the look of who's behind the killings. And when the movie is
trying to thread itself into the look of 80s slashers, it succeeds.
So, no complaints there. Lastly, the intro of the movie- excellent
title font that really just makes Murder University look like it
should for what it's trying to be.
My loss of interest came with some of
the characters. There's a serious amount of over-the-top goofiness
going on. I realize that's intended in order to make the movie even more realistic to what it's emulating, but it was
just a too much for me. It's a shame, really, as things get
totally serious in the last act and I really got on with the change.
Just wish it had been that way throughout.
The pair up of Michael Thurber and
Jamie Dufault as Detective Forresster and Josh are admittedly pretty
great together. Samantha Acampora as Meg, Detective Forresster's
daughter, is also really good. These three were the most fun to watch
for the first half of the film, for sure.
The SFX are a super high point; they're the type of low-budget gore gags you'd expect to see
out of an 80s horror film. Ton of decapitations, and the bloodletting
itself is another instrument that calls out to the glory days of
Italian horror.
In addition to the music producing the
right vibe for the film, there's also a theme song titled after the
movie, with lyrics that go hand-in-hand with it all. I miss stuff
like that. It's cheesy as all hell, just like it should be.
Final Word:
I've spoken about so many positives that it
kinda bums me out that the silliness took the overall enjoyment away for me. That's
kind of rare, if I'm being honest. Usually, that's something right up
my alley. It just felt off. However, I give Murder University credit
for feeling somewhat authentic, and there were many things I enjoyed.
I can still give it a recommendation to fans of the slasher genre,
and I hope if you give it a shot that you'll be able to either look past what I couldn't, or appreciate it.
The DVD is released through Wild Eye Releasing, and you get 2 different commentaries- one with the director and writer and the other with producers and actors. Available through Amazon HERE.
- Eric (Brobocop)
