Tragedy Girls (5 Stars)

This is the 35th film in the Stuttgart Fantasy Film Festival.

I've complained a few times that there have been no first class teen slasher films this century. The Scream trilogy and the two "I know what you did last summer" films were works of genius, and since then nothing has come close. All attempts to revive the genre have fallen flat.

Until now.

"Tragedy Girls" has succeeded in breathing new life into the genre. While keeping within the parameters of teen slasher films, including a high school environment, it has new ideas that turn the genre upside down.

A serial killer has been stalking the small town of Rosedale in the American mid west, killing teenagers with a machete. The two schoolgirls Sadie and McKayla write a blog documenting the killer's attacks, but they don't want to remain passive observers. They use Sadie's boyfriend as bait to capture the killer. They keep him tied up in a shed and ask him to teach them how to kill, so that they can create their own news stories about which they can report exclusively. The killer isn't very cooperative, but the girls still manage to kill people, especially those who in any way criticise their blog.

The film has more comedy than "Scream", with many laugh out loud moments, but it's wrong to refer to "Tragedy Girls" as a comedy. The film oscillates between humour and pure terror.

This is a brilliant film, and it ends with a hook to promise a sequel. I can hardly wait!