Search - Horror 101: The Final Exam is a Killer on DVD

Neither Scary, Nor Funny: Still I Enjoyed It Somewhat

10/07/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Actually, I think the students in the film are college students of some sort, since their teacher (Bo Derek) is a professor, but anyway none of the details in this movie matter much since the writer or director couldn't be bothered with establishing much verisimilitude. I mean that few people would be convinced that situation, the students or the settings are particulary realistic. What we are given is basically a standard teen horror movie without the sex, harsh language, or graphic violence. All of the students are stereotypes: the rebel, the jock, the jock's girlfriend, the nerd, etc. The cast, in my opinion, is the best part of this mediocre flick mostly because I found all the girls to be very cute, the bully almost menacing and the nerd not wimpy.However, they're all done in by a ho-hum situation: "trapped" in a school at night with the electricity off (temporarily) and someone stalking them, making them disappear one by one. The problem is that all along the details aren't there to make us believe. We start off with a class that has only about 8 students (we are told half the students had dropped the course), presumably because we wouldn't want 30 victims in the halls 'cause you'd need an army of psychos to stalk them. No one really cares about the class anyway, despite it being near the end of the class (I think the subject is "The Psychology of Fear," though again, that's not important.) and course projects and final exams are coming due. In fact, one project, by a cute redhead named Tiffany, is entitled "10 Reasons Why Girls Kill Less Often Than Boys" and is a sort of lame David Letterman list. Really, that's her project, and Bo Derek, as The Professor, seems to expect nothing deeper than that.I'm wandering, but my point is there's very little sense of real people trapped in circumstances beyond their control. No sense of being obligated to deal with horror because there's no other choice. Trapped by dogs in a large, deserted building? Get real! Wandering off alone when you think someone's stalking people? Get real! They must've seen some movies.There's all the little details: when three students are down in the basement looking for the switch to turn the lights back on, a light is already clearly visible over the corner of guy's shoulder and casts a shadow, or when one student runs back into the building because he can't drive his car past a parking garage gate (your life's at risk, dude, ram it!), or when one of the girls knocks over terrarium with a - gasp! - iguana in it (the horror!), or that stupid bleeding bag which doesn't really amount to...but you know...I know they were on a budget and yet, come on guys, this didn't need a lot of special effects to get it right...(Plus, you already have a good idea who the killer is (are) from some very broad hints before the night of "terror" begins.)The ending really wasn't in keeping with the spirit of a low-budget, fairly harmless and nonviolent movie. My girlfriend and I thought it was unnecessary to end the movie in such a fashion.Again, not a bad movie unless you were looking for horror, terror, or some scantily clad women. (Bo Derek has few scenes,if you were wondering, once the hunt begins.)"

Horror 101

Sam | Seattle, WA USA | 04/07/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Horror 101 is definately a classic independent film with a good plot, good acting, a good mystery, and an overall good job.
The film takes place with eight students taking a course on fear. They come for the final exam but the teacher never shows up. Then the lights go out. As the eight peers walk down the dark halls of the building they begin to mysteriously dissapear. The film is a classic because there is barely any gore and it's not a slasher film. It's all purely suspense."

A Simple Horror Movie

K. Lovasz | Norman, OK United States | 10/25/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was just a simple movie-barely any gore-which I love and it is suspenseful. But it is mostly predictable. I only caught it on the Sci-Fi channel once but seemed pulled in to watch just how it would end. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes to be a little scared but doesn't like gore."

Made for TV?

Emily K. Nelson | Grand Forks, ND | 05/26/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I caught this on TV one day, don't remember when or on what channel, but I remember it still. The bleeding bag bit was the only reason I remember it. Seriously, how could you not notice?I remember how mediocre the acting was, and how rediculous the plot was. The characters were all self-centered, whiny brats. I would rather have watched "Session 9" than this.Bottom line: not worth the money"