Two out of
Five stars
Running time:
90 mins
Run of the mill, largely predictable slasher movie that unfortunately squanders the 3D gimmick that could have made it interesting.
What's it all about?
As a teenager, Joan Burrows (Britney Wilson) was terrorised by serial killer Ernie Bishop (Ben Cotton), an undertaker who tortured his victims in his morgue by carving them up and making them watch as he tortured and killed their friends. However, Joan managed to escape, killing Bishop and becoming a local hero, though still carrying the scars of her ordeal.
Sixteen years later, Joan (now played by Angela Bettis) returns to her hometown for the first time since the incident, in order to see her niece, Olympia (Kirby Bliss Blanton), crowned Homecoming Queen of the Fish. However, no sooner has she returned than someone starts abducting and killing Olympia's friends, leading Joan to question whether she's losing her mind or whether there's a copy cat killer on the loose.
The Good
3D movies are enjoying something of a resurgence of late and the idea of a 3D horror movie certainly has some curiosity value. Unfortunately, director Jed Weintrob fails to properly exploit the 3D gimmick, beyond some impressive crowd scenes and the obligatory moment where a girl takes her bra off and dangles it in the audience's faces.
To be fair, the acting isn't bad – Bettis makes a solid lead and Blanton has an appealing screen presence. However, Devon Graye is wildly over the top as Olympia's creepy boyfriend.
The Bad
The main problem with the film is that it's hideously predictable – you'll spot the killer the moment he appears and you know exactly who'll be left standing when the credits roll. In addition, the violence approaches torture-porn levels and is just plain nasty rather than scary.
Ultimately, you're left wondering what a more inventive director might have done with the 3D technology – surely the goal is to have audiences squirming in their seats and dodging knives and other flying objects, rather than just sighing and looking at their watches?
Worth seeing?
Scar is an average slasher movie that completely wastes its 3D gimmick. Disappointing.