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STAY ALIVE

With Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong, Frankie Muniz, Jimmi Simpson, Milo Ventimiglia
Directed by William Brent Bell

Teen horror flicks are indeed a dime a dozen, and far too often cannibalize over-used narratives of torture. The latter theme does play a role here, but in a bit of a different capacity than expected. Here we get the fusion of an age old legend / myth / historic figure, and modern technology. A kid and his friends die in exactly the same way as they do in the pre-released video game they got their hands on. The game’s lead villain is that of countess Bathory, the woman who killed dozens of girls to bathe in their blood for eternal youth (a theme which also got a vivid scene in Eli Roth’s Hostel II). One of the dead kid’s best pal attends his fallen gamer buddy’s funeral and the guy’s sister gives him his games, with it Stay Alive, the Bathory game. With a huddle of avid gaming friends, they hook up a multi-player set-up to check out this underground delicacy. When one of them ends up dead and they realize that’s how he died in the game, they discover the first bunch of corpses also shared their game fates. They literally have to stay alive in the game to stay alive for real, while trying to get to the bottom of this sick joke – perhaps they shouldn’t have read the incantation as they were instructed at the game’s start! With several inventive deaths and a good film saving technique by using video graphic screen time, Stay Alive is a pretty entertaining little flick. Also features a good musical score by John Frizzell (Alien Resurrection), and Malcolm In The Middle star Frankie Muniz.

DVD extras: director’s commentary and visual effects montage.

3 / B
- PB


1 2 3 4 5 6
A - B - C


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6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temp.
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A: Multiple Viewing Potential
B: Deserves Another Look
C: Once Should Suffice

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