Central Park

If you have not seen any good teen horror movies in a while this one may quench that particular bloodthirst but in actuality it will probably only wet your whistle. “Central Park,” by Justin Reinsilber cuts deep at that 1980’s nostalgia nerve that corresponds to vintage murder and spontaneous mayhem. The story follows a circle of five friends each with their own issues and begins with a lot of promise and potential. All the characters at first are believable and likeable to the point that you almost wish it was only a teenage drama, almost. Spare the kiddies is merely a heartbreaking and fleeting thought because once the first killing pickaxe drops you’re almost relieved to escape the portrayals in the second and third acts.

Deema Aitken plays the part of Mikey, a troubled youth with a kind heart and though he is a minor character, his limited presence in the film is almost impossible to gloss over. Sadly the rest of the cast may most likely lose audience’s interest and empathy as the plot continues. Any originality that they were building falls victim to the ridiculousness of their actions as the carnage ensues in “Central Park.”

The five friends that are made up of two couples and a single friend (Mikey) decide to spend a day in the park hanging out. They also invite a sixth girl to partner up with Mikey as a pseudo-date for the night and she happily agrees unbeknownst to her all the terror awaiting in the trees. The film continues to be eerie with the pov from the killer as he stalks his teenage prepschool prey through the streets all the way into the park.

What follows from the collected group is nothing short of poor decisions that can easily be blamed on the fight or flight response which is not uncommon for a horror film. Yet the actions they decide to make, however rash are not justifiable in this modern day and age of smart devices in every single person’s back pocket. Besides the inability to run for more than fifty feet at a time without slipping and falling on the leafy terrain, maybe it’s because they don’t tie their shoelaces, or just a blast from the past homage to Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween) tripping up. Whatever the case may be it takes away from the character’s believability for the sake of easy kills.

The likelihood of how they arrive at their final curtains grows increasingly more ludicrous and will most likely pull you out of the experience. Unless you can completely suspend personal rationality of how to solve the problem of a serial killer in the woods who is trying to kill you and your friends than enjoyment will be troublesome. As each death occurs they are executed in catchy ways that are not truly trailblazing yet are still in a certain sense “fun” to watch.

Justin Reinsilber was headed in the right direction leading this group of friends into the woods of “Central Park” to rendezvous with an early demise but once they do arrive his narrative for the story falters. A lackluster addition to the genre that adores killing sprees has it’s moments early on and is carried the rest of the way by a fascinating and haunting score by Andre Fratto. Perhaps it was the development of how they would each be slaughtered off taking precedence over the story arc, or possibly there was a time constraint during filming, but nonetheless the characters diminishing credibility is the main downfall

Saw the 28th May (direct link)