Check out that poster, the one that says "she's not killing people, she's killing boys." I feel like this movie was a huge victim of mis-marketing that kept the movie from finding it's TRUE audience. it was marketed like any other killer teenager movie and, as one studio exec allegedly put it, "that poster says Jennifer hot, Jennifer take your man!" I know I'm the most humorless feminist in all the land, but I think this movie is deeper than that, and I watch enough horror movies that I think I'm qualified to make that assessment. Now that people seem to be in the mood to rethink this movie and its potentially feminist messages, let's see how it holds up years after I first blind bought it in hopes that it would be the movie i dreamed it would be.
This movie is about two high school girls, Needy and Jennifer, who are best friends. they are inseparable and they do everything together, until one fateful night when Jennifer has an encounter that changes their lives forever. Suddenly, Jennifer is acting downright murderous and truly evil. Will Needy be able to save her friend before something evil takes her very soul? or is it already too late?
I used to accidentally call this movie "Megan's Body" all the time, and that's a freudian slip if ever I heard one, because Megan's Body really is spectacular in this movie. She's the epitome of everything a horny teenage boy could want, and her beauty contrasted with the horrible transformation that takes place as she slowly turns evil is really impactful and Megan Fox really digs her teeth into the role. There's a scene early on in the movie where Jennifer and Needy share a kind of psychic link that allows Needy to see and feel firsthand Jennifer's murderous ways, and Needy is having sex with her boyfriend when this link happens, and he sees her groaning and expressions of horror as evidence that he's good in bed. it's funny, but it's also a little sad, and I'm reminded that this movie's laughs leave bruises.
The sad fact of this movie is that Jennifer is a monster, but she's also a victim of a horrible crime that goes terribly wrong and robs her of her regular teenage existence. when we finally get to see this violent act it doesn't pull any punches and we get to see Jennifer bound and gagged and begging for her life while sobbing. A couple years ago there was footage released of Kim Kardashian being robbed in her hotel room, and she's crying and begging for her life, and people were mocking her and saying it was funny and that she deserved it, and that made my blood run cold. I don't care what you think of someone, nobody deserves that kind of treatment, and no matter how much torture I witness on film, scenes like this will always get under my skin, and I'm glad for those chills, because they prove I'm alive and still capable of caring about people. I haven't been desensitized yet, yay me.
You've probably heard that there's a scene where Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox make out in this movie, and it's true (and oh so hot) but the scene is more than just Queer-bait, it's about the connection between Jennifer and Needy and how nothing, even death and demons, can break the bond between them. The penultimate scene takes place on the night of the prom, and it's sad seeing the teens get ready for this dance that probably would have been the biggest night of their lives to date, and it's overshadowed by evil and death. The violence of these scenes is overshadowed because of how sad it is that their innocence was torn apart and taken from them, and that makes the conclusion of the film hit even harder for me. I'm happy to report that this movie has lost none of its impact over the years, and now it has an even bigger audience as a cult film, which is what it always deserved. All hail Jennifer! She hot, she take your man, she grind him into a bloody pulp, she take his soul. Any questions?
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