{"id":78476,"date":"2024-01-18T17:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T17:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodintoto.com\/?p=2038939"},"modified":"2024-01-18T17:00:58","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T17:00:58","slug":"founders-day-murders-the-slasher-genre-not-a-compliment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2024\/01\/18\/founders-day-murders-the-slasher-genre-not-a-compliment\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Founders Day\u2019 Murders the Slasher Genre (Not a Compliment)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Erik Bloomquist\u2019s \u201cFounders Day\u201d is a terrible new teen slasher movie, the kind of junk Eli Roth\u2019s \u201cThanksgiving<\/a>” successfully lampooned just weeks ago.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feeling like a middling early-ought horror movie (like \u201cSoul Survivors\u201d or \u201cHalloween Resurrection\u201d) and featuring some of the worst dialog to be heard in a theatrical release, this stinker will be remembered at year’s end, if at all, as one of 2024’s lousiest films.<\/p>\n

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A series of murders shakes up close-knit town preparing for a local election. The presence of a serial killer elevates the desperation of the local politicians and the teens who just want to work at a local movie theater, graduate high school and make out atop their least favorite teacher\u2019s desk (you know, like all teenagers).<\/p>\n

Playing a high school English instructor (and, apparently, the only teacher in the entire school) is veteran character actor William Russ, who gives, by far, the best performance in this. The rest of the actors are unable to rise above the material, and no one is playing a character with any depth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not unusual for the audience to root for the killer in films like this. I just wanted the movie to get on with it – the big set pieces are separated by long bouts of melodrama, politicians discussing their campaigns, father\/daughter chats, classroom scenes and characters behaving suspiciously to throw off the audience.<\/p>\n

It feels like a Lifetime TV movie with violent murder scenes thrown in.<\/p>\n

RELATED: ‘TEENAGE SLASHER’ BRINGS THE GORE, NEEDS MORE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The production values are surprisingly strong, serving a screenplay that needed, for starters, a few more drafts before the start of filming. Many scenes just lay there, devoid of life, purpose or enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no political angle explored here: A town politician has a campaign slogan of \u201cconsistency,\u201d which amounts to nothing. The masked killer, sporting a Founding Father-style wig and a gavel as a weapon, is flavorless. Imagine \u201cUrban Legend\u201d minus the style, satire and energy and you have this movie.<\/p>\n

David Arquette\u2019s killer-in-a-President-Reagan-mask slasher, \u201cThe Tripper\u201d (2006), already has this covered.<\/p>\n

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Admittedly, there\u2019s a second-act murder that takes place in a movie theater that is nasty enough to merit a cocktail clap from Fangoria subscribers. Likewise, a scene where arguably the most irritating character is vividly sliced into ribbons deserves a mention.<\/p>\n

Otherwise, this barely leaves an impression. Even \u201cSleepaway Camp\u201d had more going for it.<\/p>\n

Come to think of it, the movie this resembles the most is Wes Craven\u2019s \u201cMy Soul to Take.\u201d Again, I\u2019m not being complimentary.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a campiness here that is odd when it’s unintentional, and later it’s irritating when its clearly on purpose. Characters that are intended to provide comic relief are especially unlikable, while the big dramatic moments feel like send ups of Oscar clips. It would help if this was so-bad-it’s-good, but it\u2019s not.<\/p>\n

There are dozens of examples to cite in which characters utter sentences that don\u2019t sound plausible, let alone human. If it turns out Tommy Wiseau<\/a> was an uncredited script doctor, please remember I was the first to suggest this as a possibility.<\/p>\n

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Don't look under the bed in our exclusive clip from the upcoming political slasher, 'Founders Day'. https:\/\/t.co\/swvaeqw3tN<\/a><\/p>\n

— Dread Central (@DreadCentral) January 17, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n