Cut
Australian Rating: MA15+ High level violence, Horror themes
Starring: Jessica Napier, Molly Ringwald, Simon Bossell, Sarah Kants and Kylie Minogue
Cut. Well where do I start? Ok here is how I ended up going to see this movie. As a student at Griffith University, I was offered a free double pass to attend the premiere of Cut in Brisbane, and then to a 'Meet the film maker session' at the Stuffed Duck afterwards. I was a little apprehensive. It was described to me as an Australian slash horror movie. And this is when I was flooded by preconceptions.
Horror. It isn't a terribly common occurrence that a cinema would be screening a horror movie made in Australia by Australians. So i was keen to see it, but was certain that it would only end up being a B-grade attempt at what Hollywood considers it has mastered (it hasn't really) - the slash horror genre.
The Plot. In 1984, the director (Kylie Minogue) of the Australian horror film Hot Blooded is murdered by the star who plays the killer. The film is abandoned and it is only 15 years later that some Uni students find the original copy of the film and decide to finish it. They bring the original star back from America and return to the house where it was originally shot. Of course the story goes that with each screening of the film, someone has died, so (as the poster reads) They just have to finish the film... before it finishes them.
The Surprise. Cut is excellent entertainment, with enough chills to satisfy the horror fan and just as much brilliant ironic jokes and one-liners splashed across the screen as there is blood. Cut has a very witty script behind it, and some deliciously (sorry. I couldn't help myself. Film Reviewers seem to love to use this word) witty and corny performances.
Scream tried its hardest to send up the genre at the same time as having fun, but in my opinion, Cut does it all much better. It IS a sendup of horror. You can recognise the script as a mongrel, bits of Nightmare on Elm Street, I know What You Did Last Summer, and the afforementioned Scream, are clearly evident in the makeup of the screenplay. The ridiculousness of the some horror films is clearly made fun of and in the meantime the actors deliver excellent, classically typical horror movie performances. Jessica Napier is a strong lead as the director of the film and Molly Ringwald is absolutely excellent. She plays the role of a spoilt, American B-grade movie actress perfectly.
Cut is a lot of fun. It is very funny, quite scary, wildly enjoyable and kicks the arse of all other horror movies I have seen in the past 10 years. It also makes a very good comedy, a hell of a lot better than many in cinemas at the moment.
Last updated: 15 July, 2000