Urban Legend

Following a series of strange murders, a group of students at a college campus set out to investigate the crimes and their seeming connection to the killer when they find out the killer is basing their crimes on urban legends and set out to stop the rampage.

This is far better than its reputation would have it. Among the better features here is the fact that back when this movie came out the gimmick of using the deaths based on urban legends allowed for some pretty inventive and original kills. The opening backseat driver decapitation is a great one to open a film on, the dead boyfriend suspended over a fleeing car in the woods offers some rather nice suspense with the killer appearing and continually trying to break into the car and the...

Urban Legend is a movie I watched during a long weekend marathon of older slasher movies that seem to have been forgotten, or at least aren't as heralded as the more well-known movies of the genre (Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, etc.). Among these lesser known movies, I would have to say that Urban Legend deserves to stand above, as it is more entertaining, more enjoyable, and more slick than you would expect.

The concept here is more important than the story. Whereas Scream created a slasher movie where the characters and the killers were horror movie obsessives, Urban Legend does the same for...well, urban legends. The concept is inherently clever, as urban legends are stories and bedtime tales that are ...

One of many lame slashers that sprouted in the late 90s thanks to the mega success of 'Scream'. Good cast utterly wasted with stilted dialogue and a nonsensical story, a half-assed motive and tame kills that weren't all that memorable.

Urban Legend (1998) Pure Slasher Fun

I revisited Urban Legend on a whim during a lazy weekend horror binge, expecting something disposable and forgettable. What I got instead was a sharp-looking, fast-moving slasher with a cool premise, a ridiculously attractive cast, and just the right mix of camp and sincerity. It's much better than most people give it credit for.

The concept is instantly fun: a series of campus murders modeled after classic urban legends. Its such a natural fit for the slasher genre, and the movie runs with it, committing to the bit fully. The kills are clever, the suspense is well-staged, and the movie has a clear sense of visual polish. The rain-slicked campus, the chilly lecture halls, and the gothic dorm...