Cry_Wolf

And so the shepherd boy cried "Wolf!", but alas, because he had given one too many false alarms, this time round, there wasn't any help rendered at all.

It's a familiar fable that Cry_Wolf has based itself on loosely. A lone girl is found murdered in a woods, and a group of students take it upon themselves to spread some rumours about that incident over the internet through chain mail, and fictionally create a serial killer called The Wolf, and his modus operandus, linking that incident to a series of killings replicated from the past. Why do they do that? They're a bunch of bored frat kids, whose late night game of lies needed an innovative boost to prevent stagnation, hence the expansion set to include the entire student population's involvement.

But little do they know that the real killer had chanced upon their stories, and adapts them for his own sick pleasure, by executing what was told to the T.

Although most of the characters may seem fairly one dimensional, like the Scream Trilogy's, it's actually quite an interesting take into the facades one puts up in one's life, of masks and hidden intentions, of betrayals and telling of lies in order to survive, or convince. But what happens if your truth still gets misconstrued as an elaborate lie? The truth will set you free, but if it doesn't, then what?

The cast is varied with loads of unknowns, the familiar face being rocker Jon Bon Jovi who plays a teacher. But the leads in Owen (Julian MOrris) and Dodger (Lindy Booth) did relatively ok in their roles as the English boy with a dark past, and Ms Beautiful-Popular (oh yeah she is) with a touch of mystery. And probably with unknowns casted, your attention would be focused more on the events that transpire, along with the rocking soundtrack to boot.

This is no bloody gory slasher flick and it doesn't rely heavily on cheap thrills to excite. The camps will be divided into halves - those who love it for the cunning plot twists, or those who hate it for trying too hard and for being too contrived, with implausible situations played out. Me? I thought it was satisfying, a compact 80 odd minutes, without the sacrificing of pace.