Review by Eric Hillis
Directed by: Jeffrey Primm
Starring: Luna Fujimoto, Hunter Nance, Colin Egglesfield, Francesca Barker McCormick, Liam Woodrum
Whenever a horror movie is described as a throwback to an earlier era, I fear the worst. It's usually a sign of a cynical filmmaker attempting to mine some cheap '80s nostalgia with a second-rate synth score and some neon lighting. We rarely get '90s throwbacks because that decade doesn't have the same explicit cultural signifiers of its more garish predecessor. Technology aside, the world doesn't look a whole different today than four decades ago (Millennial parents will note how their teenage kids dress practically the same as they did at that age).
Writer/director Jeff Primm's debut 213 Bones is a throwback to the post-Scream slashers of the '90s, and it nails the vibe and aesthetic of those movies. Those slashers differentiated from their '80s counterparts by adopting whodunnit structures rather than having distinct Michael Myers/Jason Voorhees-type killers. When you watch such movies now they have the innocent cosiness of a Murder She Wrote episode, just with a lot more blood, and that's something Primm has latched onto. Watching his film, with its recognisable tropes and comforting autumnal haze, is like slipping into your cosiest plaid jacket on an October evening.
The plot plays out in a fictional Pacific NorthWest town that houses a sizeable college. We get the classic early scene of grunge music (half the film's budget appears to have been spent on licensing '90s alternative rock) playing over a crane shot of said establishment as our various protagonists arrive. Primm introduces his potential killers and victims as though they were boarding a doomed cruise liner in a '70s disaster movie.
Through some clever economical storytelling we feel like we know all these kids instantly. They loosely occupy the expected slasher movie stereotypes - a collection of nerds, stoners, jocks, bad boys and teacher's pets - but the cast makes them feel recognisably real. The smart characterisation also means that there is no standout final girl (or boy) among the group, and everyone is just edgy enough to be the potential villain.
That serves the plot well when the bodies start piling up and suspicion and paranoia spreads. Our young protagonists are the students of an anthropology class. Someone seems intent on messing with them in a very specific manner, leaving human bones around each time a new victim is claimed. Could it be their slightly sinister professor (Colin Egglesfield)? Or the decidedly odd medical examiner (Francesca Barker McCormick)? How about Bob (Dean Cameron), the class's reclusive mature student? Or the chainsaw-wielding college groundskeeper who seems to have escaped from the cult classic Pieces? Maybe it's one of the student body themselves?
213 Bones has its tongue firmly in its cheek, and as a parody of '90s slashers it's infinitely more successful than Scary Movie. There are some great sight gags that mock the era with loving affection, and the cast display expert comic timing when called upon. But it also functions as an engaging thriller. The main players are likeable enough for us to care about them, and there are a couple of deaths that will have you silently mouthing "awww, not her/him!"
Primm displays impressive directorial chops, both in how he subtly evokes the filmmaking style of the '90s and in his staging of the slashing sequences for maximum effect. The killer has a great look, sporting a distinctive wooden mask with long stands of bright red hair. Ram Khat's string-heavy score takes us right back to 1996. The production and costume design subtly captures the look of an era that isn't so easy to visually define. Andrew Russo's widescreen cinematography harks back to a time when even low budget slashers put more effort into their lighting than today's blockbusters.
213 Bones ends with a sequel-baiting coda, but that's sadly followed by a tribute to Primm, who passed away just after completing his debut. It feels like we've lost a potential horror cinema great, and we can only imagine how Primm might have applied his skills to other horror sub-genres.
