Cry Wolf Review Country : USA Year: 2005 Genre: Horror Format: Theater Running Time: tba Distributor: Rogue Pictures Winner of the 2002 Chrylser Million Dollar Film Competition for his short 'Living the Lie', Jeff Wadlow now looks set for the big time with upcoming flick... Credits Directed by Jeff Wadlow, written by Beau Bauman & Jeff Wadlow. Starring Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jared Padalecki, Jon Bon Jovi. Nobody believes a liar... even when he's telling the truth. In Cry_Wolf, the new slasher film from Jeff Wadlow and Beau Bauman, you won't know who to believe or what to believe. It seems too strange to be true, but films like Halloween and Friday the 13th were not always celebrated slasher films; in fact, before Scream, the slasher film was all but dead. Well, now Wadlow and Bauman are bringing something new and fresh to the slasher table for a change. By the end of Cry_Wolf I was saying to myself... "what the fu... did that just happen... huh?" and that is the point fiends. Much like the end of Saw, it all comes together and what you think you know is not true, and what you thought wasn't true isn't either. Did that make any sense? Like the bones of some animal captured in a fossil, the pattern is all there. When a young woman is found murdered, a group of local high school students decide to further scare their classmates by spreading online rumors that a serial killer called "The Wolf" is on the loose. By describing "The Wolf's" next victims, the students' game is to see how many people they can convince - and if anyone will uncover the lie. But when the described victims actually do start turning up dead, suddenly no one knows where the lies end and the truth begins. As someone or something begins hunting the students themselves, the game turns terrifyingly real.(plot summary from IMDB) In Cry_Wolf, it seems that Wadlow has created the latest stage in some curious evolutionary pattern; the slasher species that keeps proliferating and getting stronger at the same time. The writing is solid, the cast is excellent, and the direction really impressed me. I loved Wadlow's visuals. You can't help but see exactly who he is influenced by and why he is making these types of films. Most of the actors are talented unknowns... Lindy Booth (Dawn of the Dead 2004) puts on a great performance, Jared Padalecki (House of Wax, Gilmore Girls) is great as Texan jock Tom, but it's newcomer Julian Morris who truly stands out here as the mixed up teen Owen. Jon Bon Jovi brings star power to the mix as well as Gary Cole (who is not seen enough). The film also cleverly integrates instant messaging and cell phones in a way that brings the terror to a new level. The films most gripping scene is when Mercedes (Sandra McCoy) takes a picture of herself on her camera phone and as her boyfriend checks it out, he sees a 'shape' behind her. That scene really stood out for me, amongst a dozen other solid, thrilling sequences (and plenty of slick homages) that lead up to the shocking finale. It's a non-stop roller coaster ride from beginning to end and really puts a cool spin on the slasher genre. You think you know, and since the concept of the film is based on lies, you will feel it's effects two fold. Cry_Wolf opens September 16th in theatres nationwide and definitely earns a spot on the Pit of Horror required viewing list. OFFICIAL SITE JEFF WADLOW INTERVIEW Review by John Gray, for Pitofhorror.com