Cry_Wolf (2005)
Avoid suspicion. Manipulate your friends. Eliminate your enemies.
Starring: Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jared Padalecki, Jon Bon Jovi
Director: Jeff Wadlow
Written by: Jeff Wadlow, Beau Bauman
Released: September 16, 2005 (USA)
Budget: $1 million
Box office: $32.5 million
Distributed: Rogue Pictures
When it comes to the “aughts” decade within the horror genre. It’s such a blur to me. I have vague memories of this time in my life and how horror intersected with it.
I definitely remember the remake boom. For better or worse, those films introduced me to the original films that I (shamefully) had no prior knowledge of. Which I’m sure is the case for many millennials born in the 90’s. They were the next evolution from the teen horror revitalization and I at that time, was more clued up on young Hollywood. So seeing these stars in these films (often appearing in more than one property) I was always willing to rent it and check it out. DVD’s were the new form of physical media back then and I also remember the cool menu visuals that were present and watching the special bonus features for the behind-the-scenes process. Which was a nice added value to the experience.
Now, while we mostly look at this decade as the Michael Bay-ified era of horror, there were many other teen horror films which emerged as well that often get lost in the conversation.
Cry Wolf (or rather Cry_Wolf) is one of those I remember watching. I can’t quite remember whether I liked the movie or not. It’s possible my young 13 year old brain couldn’t conjure up any critical thought to begin with. But I know that it stuck with me over the years. So let’s enroll into boarding school and dive into this movie review before the wolf picks our bones clean.
As I was watching the film, the thought that was replaying in my mind was - this has so much potential to be something. Perhaps that’s why it stuck with me all these years, because I actually think that the plot and concept of this film is its biggest strength.
The idea that a group of students play a game on the student body by creating a false story, a copycat murderer picks off the group one by one, has a few whodunnit moments to incorporate suspicion and then the hero takes the fall for the antagonist’s own vengeful agenda. That’s got the makings of a great time right there. It’s within the traditional formulae, but has its own spin so you should get something decent right? Well…it kinda fell short and I think it needed a little more work and possible additions to the script so it could have maximized what it set out to achieve.
Usually something walks, so the next thing can run. In Cry_Wolf’s case, I’d argue that April Fools, Urban Legend and Cruel Intentions were the definitive films that did the walking, but sadly Cry_Wolf didn’t run…it limped. It failed at being an effective teen slasher/thriller in that there are not many stakes, not many slashings and importantly there aren’t many thrills.
That is in large part due to the direction and cinematography of the film. Not to sound harsh, but it looked and felt very uninspired. There were no particular shots or sequences that I felt were memorable or brought something new to my eye. While I loved the setting of the boarding school, I felt it was underutilized. There are so many set pieces that could have brought some life into the film’s scenes, but then again, because there weren’t that many thrilling sequences within the script, it didn’t quite call for it either. Certain beats were able to create some atmosphere, but it had no pay off. The quick cuts in some scenes showing the characters’ “deaths” as they were being discussed early on was a misstep. Why would you show that? That took away any suspense that could have been present by the time it actually happened.
I understand that this film had a limited budget, $1 million is not a lot to work with, so I can’t expect too much. But that’s where creativity works best I believe. Under the pressure of limited resources. So perhaps with more money behind it, the director would have been able to give us more than what we got.
Overall, it is a well paced film and kept me invested in the story as it was unfolding, so I was never bored. I was just slightly underwhelmed by the time the runtime had reached its end.
A very positive praise to note is that one character and actress felt like she could actually have been placed in the world of Urban Legend and Cruel Intentions. That of course is Lindy Booth’s Dodger. Firstly, as an actress, Lindy did exactly what she needed to do to carry this film and the character. Dodger is equal parts alluring, seductive, playful, cunning, calculated and vengeful. Utilizing the tools within her kit to play not only with minds of the teens, but the audience’s too. Her screen presence and delivery was definitely a cut above the rest from her peers and I liked that when she was on screen amongst her friends, she took center stage. In the chapel scene, she was even sitting higher than the rest of them on the chapel’s pew, and that already showed me visually that she is the HBIC.
I also liked that this cast had racial diversity, especially given the time. What was even greater is that none of them felt tokenized either (although I guess there was only one of each minority 🤷🏽♂️). I guess since they are all rich kids, that placed them on equal ground. No overt mention of racial or cultural stereotypes was stated for cringey humor purposes and I must say, I was pretty shocked. But not for too long though, because in typical aughts fashion the gay, ret@rded and slut shaming jokes started and I was like “there’s the 2000’s I’m aware of” 😅Are they the most interesting bunch? No. They aren’t given much to work with, but because they aren’t the center of the story, it didn’t bother me much. We get enough distinct personality traits and tropes for me to fill in the rest of the character gaps.
The best scene in the film was the creation of the Wolf killer 🐺. I think that was where the film shines and shows a lot of its own understanding and knowledge of the horror genre tropes in a way that isn’t overtly meta and referential. It actually felt like we were in the writers room for this film and they just lifted that experience from reality straight onto the pages of the script. The killer design with the orange neon mask and backstory about killing at different campuses on a full-mooned night🌕 was quite effective in creating a sense of ominous presence lurking over the school. I’m sure if I’d received that email, I’d be spooked as well.
While technology does date a film (it’s par for the course), I loved the use of tech in this film. Particularly the IM’s. It brought me back to a time where tech and the internet still felt very secretive and exclusive in a way. Definitely the opposite of today’s world where everything is so public and people willingly give out their privacy. I would have loved more tech-stalking, eeriness.
The killer reveal was also very satisfying, but not in the typical slasher monologue fashion. It actually is more akin to the Saw reveals where they cut back to certain scenes of dialogue which points out that throughout the film this person was the antagonist in plain sight. As the audience, I’d imagine the filmmakers wanted to pull the wool over our eyes until the final moment. Yes, pun intended. And for most audiences, I’m sure they succeeded.
Would I recommend Cry_Wolf? Yes I would. But maybe to a newbie who is looking to start out with gateway teen horror/thrillers. More hardcore horror fans will for sure find this movie a little lackluster and that’s fair. Having a PG-13 rating, is not exactly praised within the horror community. I also think 90’s kids and teens will appreciate this film for pure nostalgia reasons. The tech, language and style of the 2000’s are on full display and may bring back some lost and unwanted memories 🤭.
Cry_Wolf gets 2.5 out of 5 sheep 🐑
What did you think about Cry_Wolf? Share your thoughts below and perhaps a cringey username you’ve used in chat rooms.
