Urban Legends: Bloody Mary (2005) (V)

Director:

Mary Lambert

Writers (WGA):

Michael Dougherty (written by) &
Dan Harris (written by)

Release Date:

19 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Mary's Evil is Beyond Legend

Plot:

On a prom-night dare, a trio of high school friends chant an incantation, unleashing an evil spirit from the past with deadly consequences.

Plot Keywords:

Slasher | Macabre | Motel | Dog Killed | Ghost

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. May 15	10:00 PM	TMC
Sat. May 24	2:00 AM	TMC

Cast

Kate Mara	...	Samantha Owens
Robert Vito	...	David Owens
Tina Lifford	...	Grace Taylor
Ed Marinaro	...	Bill Owens
Michael Coe	...	Buck Jacoby
Lillith Fields	...	Young Mary Banner / 'Bloody Mary'
Nancy Everhard	...	Pam Owens
Audra Lea Keener	...	Heather Thompson
Don Shanks	...	Coach Jacoby
Jeff Olson	...	Sheriff McKenna
Nate Herd	...	Tom Higgins
Brandon Sacks	...	Roger Dalton
Hailey Smith	...	Martha - Samantha's Friend #1
Olesya Rulin	...	Mindy - Samantha's Friend #2
Haley McCormick	...	Young Gina Lotnick

Also Known As:

Urban Legends 3: Bloody Mary (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and gore, drug use and some language.

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor) | Color

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Iceland:16 | USA:R | UK:15 | Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA | Argentina:13 | Singapore:M18 | Canada:18A | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company:

NPP Productions Inc.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Roger is the tanning bed and the temperature goes from 12 to 10 when the blond goes and checks on him.

Movie Connections:

References Candyman (1992)

Soundtrack:

Voodoo

Nice Effort But Not Good Enough

The "Urban Legend" franchise returned with this straight-to-DVD installment but this time a supernatural spin was added to the series. While it's a decent idea, unfortunately, it didn't work. The main problem was that you never really got the sense that anything supernatural was going on to begin with. In the "Final Destination" films all the deaths were made to look like freak accidents yet you always knew that they weren't just accidents but that something supernatural was at work. It was the complete opposite in this movie. Despite constant reminders that the ghoulish Mary might be lurking about, most of the deaths still seemed like they really were just freak accidents. As if they weren't the result of something eerie but instead the result of extreme stupidity on the characters' part. It didn't help that the majority of the victims were thin stereotypes (dumb jocks and their air-headed girlfriends). Basically, I never felt like Mary was much of a threat.

Storywise, the film left a lot to be desired. For one, there's no relation between this film and the previous two UL films which was disappointing. Even "Final Cut", which had a new story and a new set of characters was still somehow connected to the original "Urban Legend". Also, the script for "Bloody Mary" felt disjointed at times. It's like they were more concerned with getting from Point A to Point B without much consideration to story. For example, a subplot early in the film where the jocks suspect a character of seeking revenge because of a prank just went nowhere and was forgotten after a few minutes. And then there are a bunch of seemingly important characters introduced during the first half of the film only to be forgotten during the second half, as if they never existed. On the acting side, the cast was barely okay. In the grand tradition of B-films, the heroine (Kate Mara) was the only one who showed any signs of promise with the rest of the cast displaying community theater performances. Especially Ed Marinaro who apparently never learned to act after his buff body and good looks faded away.

This movie was an obvious attempt at trying to revive the UL films by adding elements from such thrillers as "The Ring" and "The Grudge". But taking ideas from other films shouldn't come as a surprise for this series since the first two "Urban Legends" were ripoffs of "Scream" and "Scream 2" (what's next? An Urban Legend set in a hostel?). That wasn't entirely a bad thing since out of the dozens of "Scream" ripoffs, the UL films were the only good ones. They were fun and they added their own unique spin. Sadly, the same can't be said for "Bloody Mary" which does nothing fun or unique with the premise. And it certainly never comes close to being eerie or creepy like "The Ring" or "The Grudge" for the reasons mentioned above, the supernatural element wasn't established well enough and Mary is nowhere near as scary or even interesting as Samara or Kayako. She comes across more like a angry Goth girl with bad make-up. The film could have worked if they had a director who could have made Mary's scenes more chilling and atmospheric but instead they're just dull, uneventful and predictable.

One of the film's biggest offenses is that it completely betrays the title. The film has nothing to do with the actual legend of Bloody Mary or what she supposedly does when summoned. Rather than base the film on true Bloody Mary legends they come up with a lame story of their own involving a prom from 1969.

I didn't hate the movie like I thought I would but I also didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. I will say that "Bloody Mary" is at least worth checking out for the spider scene alone. That was the film's one true highlight.