I’ve Been Waiting for You
Posted in: Disc Reviews by David Williams on September 9th, 2003
In 1998 NBC tried to cash in on the teen slasher flick craze that was “I know what you did last summer “ and “Scream.” So how do you do it? Well, make a movie out of some of the other stories written by the author of “I know what you did last summer” and throw in some TV sitcom stars from the “Where are they now file?” of 80’s TV sitcoms. This particular offering gives us Punk Brewster herself, Soleil Moon Fry, and Christine from Night Court, the always-perky Markie Post.
This movie opens with the burning …f a teenaged witch named Sarah during the Salem witch hunts in the 1600’s. As she’s burned at the stake she curses the townspeople, especially the 5 men who dragged her out of her home to a fiery demise. She curses them and their descendants.
The story then fast-forwards to the present, where Sarah (Sarah Chalke) and her mother Rosemary (Markie Post) have just moved to a picturesque New England town. Little do they know that the house that they are moving into has a very checkered past especially as it pertains to witch hunts. To add a little twist to the story Sarah is herself a novice Wicca.
Of course no teen slasher flick is complete without a subplot involving a teen’s desire to fit in. Well this is Sarah’s quest in her moving to a new school and a new life. However, when weird things start happening around the town and certain members of the student body get attacked, Sarah’s involvement in the occult lands her as a prime suspect.
We follow Sarah as she tries to unravel clues and weave through various challenges as she tries to identify the person responsible for engaging the town in widespread hysteria unseen since the days of the witch hunts. However, to do so she must stay alive…
Video
This is a transfer from a 1998 print for a “Made for TV movie” so one wouldn’t expect too much from the video, and it isn’t much to brag about. The picture is sharp enough although a little dark at times. As this is a “TV movie” it is presented in 1.33:1 format.
Audio
The 2.0 Dolby Digital mix is quite flat with a lack of any punch whatsoever. This is quite evident during party scenes where the music is barely discernable. The killer uses a Wolverine style retractable claw that he menaces people with by scraping it against cars, mirrors, etc. You can barely hear this effect when it should be used to full effect to creep out viewers.
Special Features
On the back of the disc the Special Features are listed as: Full Screen Version, 2.0 Digital Stereo, Digitally Mastered, Scene Access, Interactive Menus and Optional English Subtitles. What do you expect for a “Made for TV Movie?” Since when is “Full Screen Version” considered a special feature?
Final Thoughts
I actually liked the late 90’s teen slasher flicks – I thought that Scream was great because of the originality (unfortunately, Hollywood did to this what it too often does to good movies – ruins the health of the movie going public by giving them “Sequel-itis.”)
Well this is how the little brother of the silver screen reacts to hot movie trends of the time – The Made for TV Movie of the week. Now that being said this isn’t that bad of a movie. The story is decent (especially now watching in 2003 where good scary thrillers are few and far between) and the acting isn’t too bad. While the final act of the movie is disappointing, the build up is quite good. Because this was made for TV, the body count isn’t high (actually only one person dies and how she dies is pretty weak) and there isn’t any gore or serious scares at all. If you’re in the mood for a seriously creepy movie rent “The Ring”, or if you want to have a few laughs and get the occasional scare rent “Scream.” If you are a die-hard horror movie fan bypass this one, but if horror movies aren’t your thing and you want to try something a little different you may want to give this one a shot. You won’t be disappointed.
Special Features List
- None
July 14th, 2004 at 3:38 am
I agree with the fact that there wasn’t much to expect on this DVD! However, i think that the film wasn’t worth a DVD release! It was a weak and underdeveloped adaptation to an interesting novel! Again the journey to film destroys a great idea!