The Final

2010's The Final was released as part of the After Dark Horrorfest, which, each year, presents audiences with the chance to see eight films which never made it to theaters.  The entries I've seen have been for the most part mediocre or just plain awful, so I usually steer clear of the series.  However, I came across The Final on Netflix and gave it a chance, and I have to say it's easily one of the better After Dark films.

Whereas most of the Horrorfest films probably couldn't find distribution because they suck, the issue here is most likely the subject matter.  A group of high school outcasts, sick of being bullied by the popular kids, decide to get revenge on their tormenters by drugging them, torturing them, and teaching them a lesson they'll never forget.  As ringleader Dane (Marc Donato) says, "Think of this as the final, and there's only one question:  What did I do to deserve this?"

It's a disturbing premise, one which writer Jason Kabolati and director Joey Stewart wisely treat with seriousness.  It's easy to sympathize with the outcasts early on, especially in one particularly effective scene where Emily (Lindsay Seidel) quietly tells the mean girls that she thinks they would really like her if they just gave her a chance.  However, once they put their plan into action, it's impossible to condone their actions, nor do I think the filmmakers want us to.  Even after one of the bullies has obviously learned her lesson, the outcasts continue to torture her, and they even turn against each other, with Dane killing one of his supposed friends for deviating from the plan.  They become even worse than those against whom they're seeking revenge.

The torture scenes are grim and effective, even though they're not especially graphic.  We don't actually need to see the knife severing one character's spinal cord to be affected by it.  The film is technically well-made, with interesting camera angles and lighting work helping to mask the film's low budget.

However, Donato's performance as the lead outcast is painfully over-the-top and threatens to pull the viewer out of the film.  In fact, during one of his preachy, interminable monologues, I actually fell asleep and had to rewind the film once I awoke.  Many of the characters are little more than stereotypes, so the actors don't have much to work with.  Seidel is the standout here, managing to be both sympathetic and chillingly sadistic.  His performance was a bit uneven, but I did like Jascha Washington as Kurtis, one of the popular kids who is probably the most decent person in the film.

There are also some odd scenes which I hope were included to convey just how insane the outcasts were.  One involves the crew asking God to show that he approves of their plan by not taking any action to tell them otherwise.  Unless these scenes were intended to illustrate insanity, they were really misguided.  It's definitely a flawed film, but The Final is well-made, unsettling, and surprisingly worth watching.