It's Christmas in a sorority house and the girls haven't had the sense to leave yet for the holidays. A snowstorm is moving in, and a couple of girls seem to be missing. Then the strange phone calls start, and the house mother (Martin) decides they need to get out of there. But it might be too late. It all has something to do with a psychotic family that lived here years earlier--and their deeply disturbed son, who has a freaky obsession with eyeballs. As Christmas ornaments. Or snacks.

Before you can say, "Ewww!", this is played out as an over-the-top black comedy, full of running jokes and crazed overacting. The sorority sisters are fairly interchangeable; the actors try to give them distinct personalities, but it doesn't really stick. So there's not a lot of emotional resonance when they start dropping like flies. In this sense, it's rather a lot like the Final Destination films, as we wait for the next death with anticipation, rather than dread.

That said, the cast is good, in a disposable sort of way. Cassidy is the tenacious one in the bunch, and she's feisty enough to fight off almost anything. She's also smart enough not to venture into the basement or attic on her own. The other strong character is Cloke's manic former resident, arriving to pick up her sister (Harmon), who's now missing. Her short fuse keeps things very lively indeed through the chaos that follows.

The whole thing is filmed with style and skill, generating plenty of good jolts and playfully throwing red herrings at us right to the very end. The film is a collection of outrageous grossouts and freakouts that provide plenty of yuletide cheer for audiences tired of family-friendly holiday movies. But the broadly comical tone does undermine any real terror. And it doesn't come close to unseating Clark's original as the first and best slasher movie.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

6.Nov.06