3 out of 5

Directed by: Mike Gan

You just be you, Into the Dark.  Don’t listen to your detractors, who claim that the more socially relevant entries are where it’s at; though some of those have been good, I’m pleased as punch when you’re just continuing with how you kicked things off: with B-sprinkled horror flicks.  And School Spirit, your ‘start of school’ “holiday” themed episode, is a prime example of that, sticking to tried and true slasher fashion and delivering an entry that stands alongside the entertainingly average bests you’ve offered.  I know, I know, that’s low praise, but standard slashers are fine; we horror fans watch ’em by the handful, and often it’s just the little bits and pieces that make it worthwhile.

Such as: age appropriate casting!  Such a wonder in any genre, any day and age, to have actual high school (looking, at least) kids in a movie about high school kids!  And while School Spirit is pretty light on kills, the ones that are there are well done and fun, and the movie / episode kicks right off showing us that our slasher – with whom the detention-bound kids are locked in the their school on a Saturday – is real, meaning we don’t have to waste time on are they dead / are they alive fakeouts.  Filling this time instead is some actually pretty engaging, spot-on character work, darting in and out of Breakfast Club stereotypes – the preppie, the burnout, the toughguy, etc. – and making them sound like real people, bickering and then moderately bonding via pretty believable dialogue and interactions.  The time between kills is thus not the usual grating of just waiting for character X to die, because our actors make their roles worth watching.

Director Mike Gan (and his co-writers, Patrick Casey & Josh Miller) is also aware enough to not push much nonsense on us: there are some light nods to the genre without waving them in our face, and there’s thankfully no obnoxious bait and switch with guessing the killer.  Plus: a cool costume and accompanying creepy sound effect (that cape dragging!) for our ‘School Spirit’ slasher.

Absolutely average, but wearing that badge very proudly.