Crazy Bitches review

The first horror films I remember are the ones whose names I can barely recall. They were gory, filled with sex and defiantly inappropriate for a 12 year old. I'm not talking about The Shinning or The Exorcist, those were films that I could watch with my parents. The movies I'm talking about were dangerous, I wasn't allowed to watch them. I would go to the video store and find films based solely on the box art. These films rarely lived up to the images used to sell them but it didn't matter, the promise of might be was enough. I took films like; Sleepaway Camp, Sorority Babes at the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama, Class of Nuke Em High, and Chopping Mall seriously. I didn't watch them like some douche bag hipster with a detached sense of irony, nope Phantasm was my Citizen Kane. My taste has matured (slightly) but those films will always hold a special place in my heart.

I've seen tons of modern films that try to call back to the B-Movie masterpieces of my youth but most of those seem to be more inspired by Scream than Student Bodies. With that I'd like to tell you about a movie hitting VOD just in time for Valentines Day. Crazy Bitches. They nailed it. With a title like that, you have a pretty good idea of the type of film you're getting into.  Normally I'd give a disclaimer (this is not the type of film that will work for everyone) but when you name your film Crazy Bitches you've built in the disclaimer. If you are the type of person curious enough just to read a review of a movie called Crazy Bitches this movie is for you. Seriously, give this one a shot I think you'll like it.

That's all fine and good, but what's the movie about? Thanks for asking. The sisters of the Alpha Kappa Pi sorority have decided to have a little reunion to celebrate one of the sisters birthdays. Seven sexed up sorority girls in a remote cabin for the weekend, what could possibly go wrong? Sure we've seen this setup, or versions of it countless times before but writer/director Jane Clark has somehow mined this familiar territory and created something quite original. 

One of the biggest differences between the 12 year old version of me and the 38 year old version is how we view sex in film. The 12 year old didn't really care about context or execution as long as he was seeing some boobs. The 38 year old me is more uncomfortable with the misogyny and exploitation that permeates horror films. That's one of the areas where Clark has put her personal touch on the genre. All the females in her film are in control of their respective sexual identities and sexuality is frequently played for different effects. None of the female characters on display are one note, they're dynamic and thought out. If you're not familiar with the genre it might be easy to see the film as exploitative but I assure you its not. This is a film aware of the horror tropes of the late 70's and early 80's but not pigeon held to them. By no means is this a meditation on female sexuality in horror, but rather a fun movie I don't feel guilty for loving.