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Detention: UK DVD Release
Other | Monday 24th September 2012 | Osh
Murder! Time-travel! Prom!
Premiering here last year at London’s Frightfest horror film festival, Detention is a long awaited treat for horror and comedy fans alike, most of whom will have missed what was until now the only chance to see the film in the UK.
As you may have guessed from the emboldened words at the head of this page, Detention is not an easy film to review. Part teen movie, part slasher flick with hints of sci-fi it’s impossible to label. While blending such a cacophony of genres into such an endlessly self-aware mix, it would be very easy for the piece to become bogged down in knowing pop-culture references.
Not in the hands of this director, Joseph Kahn whose extensive experience as a music video director clearly works in his favour here. With an eye for a good shot, but without the sentimentality to dwell on one, he guides the film along at a break-neck pace instinctively knowing where to delve into a character’s backstory, or gloss over the finer details.
This speed can make for slightly uncomfortable viewing for the first few minutes as you get acclimatised. Detention is a film that you either keep up with or get left behind. Those of you who can handle the pace will be rewarded with a full force cinematic experience.
An excellent ensemble cast round off the package led by Shanley Caswell who gives a sense of cohesion, spanning the sometimes schizophrenic plot. Caswell and her co-star, Josh Hutcherson expertly tread the line between wholehearted performance and wry self-parody.
Rarely is a film so unashamedly entertaining at the same time as being so boldly original. Detention is a film that will stay with you for days, if only for the mental image of a woman performing a sex act on a time travelling bear.
Catch the trailer here.
