Urban Legend, directed by Jamie Blanks and written by Silvio Horta, is a classic slasher film released in 1998. The film revolves around the story of a group of college students who face a series of gruesome murders on their campus. Urban Legend competes with other slasher movies of the 90s, such as I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream. Despite being underrated, the film still holds a special place in the hearts of horror movie enthusiasts. In this article, we will revisit the thrilling storyline of Urban Legend and delve deep into the reviews of the movie.
Synopsis
The story starts with Michelle Mancini, a university student, who is driving alone on a rainy night. She remains unaware of the fact that a serial killer is hiding in the back seat of her car. As she drives, the killer reveals himself and viciously kills her. Meanwhile, on the university campus, Parker, Natalie, and Brenda gather to discuss the heinous murder of Stanley Hall. Paul, a journalism student, joins them and states that the incident is nothing but an urban legend.
The following day, news of Michelle’s death spreads across the campus. Dean Adams requests the campus police, Reese, to keep the news under wraps to not alarm the students. Natalie, Michelle’s best friend from high school, is grief-stricken upon learning of her death. Damon, another university student, visits Natalie to console her and takes her on a trip to a secluded location in the woods. When Damon steps out of the car, the killer suddenly appears wearing a thick jacket and murders him. His body is found hanging from a tree.
Natalie manages to escape the killer and seeks help from Reese. Upon their return to the woods, Damon’s body is nowhere to be found, and the killer’s tracks disappear. Reese feels deceived by Natalie and does not believe her story. Parker and his girlfriend, Sasha, also do not believe that Damon has been killed as they convince Natalie that Damon is a mischievous student who often causes trouble. The next night, Natalie returns to her dorm room and finds her roommate, Tosh, in the midst of an intimate moment with her boyfriend. The next day, Natalie discovers Tosh’s bloodied body in her room, causing her to realize that the killer was in her room that night.
As a result of Michelle’s murder and Tosh’s death, Natalie’s life is disrupted, and the campus becomes more tense as the killer could be among the students. Additionally, Paul discovers that the Stanley Hall incident is not just an urban legend but a real-life event that has been covered up. He also finds out that Professor Wexler, an American Folklore professor at their university, is the only survivor of that incident. Paul and Natalie investigate Wexler’s workspace, where they find a bloody ax. At that moment, Dean Adams is killed in the parking lot by the serial killer.
Review
Urban Legend set out to give horror movie enthusiasts a nostalgic feeling of the classic 90s slasher movie era. The movie’s approach was similar to that of Scream, a popular slasher movie that was released two years earlier. The film’s aesthetics and the concept of a serial killer with a personal motive for revenge against their victims’ close friends were just some of the similarities between the two movies.
Urban Legend’s storyline was thrilling and entertaining, making it a decent horror movie to watch even today. The movie does not present the 90s slasher style in a tacky manner and provides nostalgic moments for viewers. The pacing of the movie was not too slow or too fast and kept the audience engaged in the storyline. However, when compared to the success of Scream, Urban Legend does fall short in many aspects. It did not garner the same level of popularity or critical acclaim.
Conclusion
Urban Legend is a classic slasher movie that had a place among the many slasher movies during the 90s. The plot was thrilling and kept the audience on the edge of their seats. Although the movie did not receive the same recognition as many of its counterparts, it still provides moments of nostalgia and is an enjoyable movie to watch even today. The film is the first installment in the Urban Legend trilogy, followed by Urban Legends: Final Cut in 2000 and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary in 2005.
