By: JWBM
To be young: cash strapped, looking for direction, and ready for the next adventure and opportunity at the drop of a hat. Up comes a chance to win $25,000 in a game held at a remote area of the Colorado mountains with a couple of lucky, hand-picked contestants. Nothing could go wrong there.
This combines reality TV contests with YouTube prank fads sweeping the web. The story follows four college age folks going about their everyday life before they get selected to take part. Once they make it to mountains, rumors spread of past deaths in the area. Then things start to get a little strange, making it too late to turn back.
This is a horror film on the low budget side with a share of upcoming talent, so some things aren't going to be dealt with by using a fine tooth comb. Think: local film festival quality over bombastic Hollywood theater experience. Some of the more elaborate setups are going to take some suspension of disbelief on your own part. Though what actually hurts the film is namely the script and direction.
The initial premise is not a terrible idea on paper, however the filmmakers spend too much time setting up everyday interactions with little worry about putting you on the edge of your seat for the horror/thriller portion. Having someone being jumpy from typical pranks—such as messing with a sleeping person, or water dumped on the head—doesn't count as nerve wracking. The tone has this light, friendly, carefree quality. It's like a bunch of people showed up for one gathering, turned it into a party and winged it on theme.
Once the game begins, even their cut and pasted motivations for wanting to compete don't give it solid reasoning or tension. The idea is to show that they're everyday people just like you or I, then—BAM!—they get struck by some terrifying, mind-boggling event. Yet, the director missed horror movie 101 by not setting up a consistent atmosphere to back it up, apart from a few out-of-nowhere scenes sprinkled in that are more head-scratching than intriguing.
The pacing is slow moving and stretched out at times; leading the audience on towards hopefully a bigger pay off for your patience. What makes the head shake so hard it spins, and both hands take turns slapping the forehead, is the horror turns into a "Saw" set up—except far enough distanced in quality to be a third cousin's neighbor's friend who seldom visits—with one ludicrous and coincidental motivation after the next. The weight of that nearly crumbles in on itself with too many ridiculous revelations at once and then an ambiguous ending that's more what?! than it is nightmare inducing.
If the direction went more drama/action-adventure it might have worked by using past family troubles and future outlooks, combined with the unique scenery and harsh landscapes of the mountains. Heck, "Deliverance" still holds up almost 50 years later for showing us how vulnerable we are in a naturistic setting. Yet, as a horror experience "College Pranks" falls flat.
Rating: 3/10
Director: Brian McCulley (Broken Cross)
Actors: Shannon McKinnon, Kevin Derkash
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: Youtube link
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