Jennifer's Body

Director: Karyn Kusama

Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons

Synopsis:

Devil’s Kettle, in the deep woods. Smalltown High School best friends Needy (Amanda Seyfried) and Jennifer (Megan Fox) inseperable since early childhood are busy negotiating the dramas and passions of adolescence, and doing pretty good too. Although it has to be said Jennifer is kind of hard work as friends go. She’s the confident gorgeous head cheerleader who everybody wants to be seen with and she knows it, while the dowdy nervous and shy ‘Needy’ follows her adoringly, and sort of worships her.

One night at the local roadhouse an aspiring indie rock band catch Jennifer’s eye and in a bid for some exotic thrills and a taste of sophistication she leaves with them. That night she turns up at Needy’s house but it is very clear that something terrible has happened to her, something… sinister and arcane. Pretty soon bodies begin appearing and Needy is convinced Jennifer knows why, but Jennifer isn’t saying.

Review:

Teen horrors along these lines, as we all know, are often pretty throw away, only rarely producing anything that has real originality and class. Often it’s the performances and wit of the script which makes a movie like this memorable, over the actual horror.

Jennifer’s Body is pretty pleasing on all counts though! The plot concept is an interesting direction (based as we find out later on an absolutely hilarious premise) and the characters are very funny likeable and smart. Diabolo Cody is clearly the queen of sharp smart alecky dialogue and the increasingly vicious sniping between the girls is priceless.

The direction is slickly executed and the timing of the shock moments is perfect. It’s not a film going for meticulously built suspense but one which launches into shlock and gore pretty swiftly. The CGI effects are mostly understated and as a result work to surprise the viewer every time. Jennifer’s first appearance after her disappearance is a prime example.

In fact a lot of the increasing creepiness of Jennifer immediately post abduction is brought about by Megan Fox’s acting. That and some amazing but simple make up effects.

The actors are all watchable, talented, and let’s face it pretty darn hot too. Amanda Seyfried and Johnny Simmons as her first time boyfriend are touchingly sweet together and have a really convincing chemistry. Megan Fox just kicks ass, enjoying herself thoroughly as a very bad girl indeed. Swinging between small town bitchy teenager and terrifying sociopath (or worse!)

The locations that the more graphic or spectacular scenes are played out against are visually intriguing, often reworks of standard high school horror locations. For example the overgrown derelict high school pool. The odd waterfall which gave the town it’s name.

It’s an exciting pleasing to watch, shocking and sometimes funny sharply produced teen horror flick which works because the characters work extremely well together and the dialogue is compelling.

And the final explanation for why things happened in the first place is so wickedly wickedly funny.

Verdict:

Enjoyable, gross, cynical and jump inducing.

7 out of 10 (Sulaco)