the only thing worse than watching a bad movie is realizing that the film had a lot of potential and could've been effective . such is the case with _urban legend_ , the new horror film from first time director jamie blanks . the idea behind the movie is that the mad slasher of the film muders people according to various urban legends . examples include the killer in the backseat of the car and person getting calls from inside her house . the killer wears one of those l . l . bean parkas with the hood drawn completely up , so you can't see the face . i guess halloween masks are out of style for psychos these days . anyhow , the premise is certainly a nifty one and the opening scene is spooky and atmospheric . it's a very good setup that promises more chills to come . unfortunately , the film never takes off from there . the movie takes place on a peaceful new england college campus . like most slasher flicks , this one also centers around a young female main character whose friends are slowly killed off by a knife wielding maniac ( or in this case an axe wielding maniac ) . i've always wondered why these killers don't save themselves a lot of time and trouble and just go after the person they ultimately aim to kill . after the fine first scene , the movie degenerates into a monotonous series of those annoying you-thought-it-was-the-killer-but-was-just- someone-else scares . these are always accompanied by loud bursts of music . i guess sudden , sharp music chords are what passes for terror these days . the actual killer will attack at about every third music blast . the slasher appears , attacks , the victim is eviscerated , and the tedious cycle appears anew . false scares should always be used in moderation . someone needs to tell director blanks that things like this just aren't as scary as they used to be . this movie commits the biggest sin a horror film can commit -- it's not frightening . remember the horror movie cliches that were so mercilessly mocked in _scream_ and _scream 2_ ? this movie still adheres to them . tons of illogical moments about ; more than i really have the inclination to list . and i don't mean illogical in the summer popcorn movie sense . that type of illogical can be fun . this film insults your intelligence more times than i care to remember . the last 20 minutes especially degenerates into such lunacy that you'll be laughing more than you'll be screaming . actually , you won't be screaming at all . at its best , the acting can barely be called " adequate " and the script could've definitely used a rewrite or two . the film still manages to have some strong points . the killings are certainly inventive and plentiful enough to satistfy most gore fans . there are some intentionally funny moments . ( these were exceeded by the unintentional ones . ) the film is well made from a technical standpoint . besides the first part , there is also another good scene , a prolonged cat and mouse chase inside a radio station . if there had only been more sequences like this , that relied on tautness and suspense rather than loud bursts of music , _urban legend_ might've been worth your money .
