The Final

It doesn't seem to be the case in secondary schools in the UK, but judging by every TV show and movie I've ever seen, American high schools are full of cliques that can be generally split into several easily identifiable categories: jocks, nerds, Goths, stoners, cheerleaders/'hot chicks' etc. The Final begins in a high school and shows you how the students separate out into different groups with just about everyone picking on several people because they are wearing the wrong clothes, have the wrong skin colour, take studying too seriously or, for whatever reason, just don't fit in. We also learn that there is some big costume party which they all plan to attend for various reasons, most frequently to get drunk, have sex and generally blow off steam.

On the way to the remote farmhouse, three of the jocks are pulled over by a local cop for speeding and, although he isn't a genius, he quickly notices the strong aroma of cannabis emanating from their vehicle. Rather than arrest the three and spend the evening supervising their bail and filling in a great deal of paperwork, he asks them to tell the truth, hand over the pot and drive carefully.

Whilst all of the popular kids are arriving, the bullied and downtrodden students are busy preparing their own costumes, each with a hideous mask. Once the party is in full flow, the punch is spiked and, slowly but surely, all of the partygoers fall asleep. When they come to, awoken by extremely loud feedback, they find themselves chained to one another and their ankles and wrists bound by heavy duty ironwork. Sitting on the floor in the middle of the barn with an old-fashioned dentist's chair at one end, they are confronted by some masked individuals, some carrying guns, and one of them, wearing a gas mask which amplifies and distorts his voice, informs them that they are there because of all the terrible things they have done in school and now the chickens have come home to roost.

Describing what is about to happen as the equivalent of 'the final' with only one question: 'what did I do to deserve this?', the masked master of ceremonies supervises a series of increasingly gruesome and hard hitting 'lessons', beginning with one outspoken bloke who has a bolt gun -- the instrument that is used for killing cattle -- applied to his shoulder and knee before being dragged out and placed in another room.

As tensions grow increasingly high and the violence escalates, so does friction within the main group, the hostage takers, also surface as one of them thinks that one individual who is there by accident and should be freed is dealt with rather harshly by Dane, the leader of the ragtag group.


The Final is basically Revenge of the Nerds with sadistic and extreme violence and begins with a credit sequence over a monochrome scene in which a girl wearing a hooded top goes into a diner, orders a burger and pays for it with a hand missing two digits. Her face is clearly horrendously scarred and, when the other customers won't stop staring, she flips the table and runs out. As you get well into the second act of The Final, you realise that the opening sequence was in the present day and the bulk of this film is a flashback sequence to show how she became the hooded outcast.

This is a horror film that could have easily been made as a reflexive and self-referential movie along the lines of Wes Craven's Scream trilogy but it stays well away from everything like that and, if it could have a joke, it doesn't. It is utterly serious and all of the characters are cowards, bullies or psychopaths, some with suicidal tendencies so this is a revenge movie without a hint of irony and a couple of scenes that may have you squirming in your seat. I thought it was a tremendously well written and directed film with fine performances by the predominately inexperienced cast, none of whom will be instantly recognisable.


THE DISC

Extra Features
The commentary with director Joey Stewart and writer/producer Jason Kabolati is a well delivered and informative track as they go through the locations, casting, costume decisions and explaining the plot point that may have escaped your attention on the first viewing.

Sadly, there aren't the deleted scenes and other features that made it to the Lionsgate US release so all that is included on this disc is the theatrical trailer and a trailer reel for other releases from Chelsea Films.


The Picture
For the most part, The Final takes place in the dark with varying degrees of light and I was surprised just how detailed the picture was without incredible amount of clarity for a moderately budgeted film on DVD and it just goes to show that if a film is shot well enough to standard definition is far from dead.

Although the film does not dwell on gore effects -- there are scenes involving a caustic compound on skin and other where someone has some of their fingers cut off -- the camera quite often stays at a distance and you never see the skin dissolving or a close-up of the severed digits. This is a psychological horror that stays well away from Saw or Hostel territory and is all the better for it.


The Sound
As is usually the case when presented with the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 stereo, I opted for the 5.1 surround track but, after only about 20 minutes, it was abundantly clear that the mix had gone badly wrong and the rear surrounds were far too prominent. When you see a campfire, you don't expect to hear the crackling fire behind you or, when a car drives into frame, you shouldn't be able to hear a loud crunching of gravel from the rear surrounds but that is the case here. When I switched to the stereo option, I found that to be perfectly good, presenting the dialogue and music extremely well and basically doing everything I wanted.

Speaking of music, the score is major feature of the film and is a tremendous job in escalating the tension, underscoring the more horrific elements and generally keeping the suspense high at complementing the visuals extremely well.


Final Thoughts
There are plenty of poor horror movies set in high school so it is pleasing when one comes along that bucks the trend and The Final is one such film. It is well acted, written and directed and really makes you think about the consequences of your actions and how the little things that you say can have major repercussions. Of course, you don't expect the odd comment here or there to turn someone into a knife wielding psychopath, but if the torment goes on for year after year then it is bound to have a cumulative effect.

Of all the films influenced by the Columbine High School massacre, this is one of the best and is highly recommended for all horror fans.