| Directed by: | Kimble Rendall |
| Written by: | Dave Warner |
| Starring: | Molly Ringwald, Kylie Minogue, Simon Bossell, Stephen Curry, Jessica Napier |
| Released: | March 2, 2000 |
| Grade: | B+ |
Hot Blooded was a B-grade slasher film that never quite made the big screen. It wasn’t the quality that stopped it but rather the director being murdered on the set by a masked assailant. Five years later, the film was dragged out of the can to be completed by a new director but yes, he too was murdered while watching the first screening.
This brings us to the current time frame where a group of school students plan on completing the infamous film. Bringing back American star Vanessa (Ringwold), new director Raffy (Napier) plans on making the film a cult hit and dispels any rumours that the film is “cursed”. Things start well enough until...
You’d think I was talking about another American teen horror flick but believe it or not, Cut is an Australian production. If there’s one thing rarer than an Australian horror film it’s a good Australian horror film and this film meets the “cut”.
It’s a sharp comedy that has all the wit of Scream with an Australian flavour. Casting Ringwold was a great move and she must have been a top sport to agree to star. All the characters are wonderful (although many don’t last too long) but I’ll single out the rising Stephen Curry who has all the best lines as the “sound man”.
You never quite know where this film is going - you know most of the cast is going to be knocked off but who is the killer and who’s going to survive? I found the climax a touch disappointing but I do confess, it’s certainly hard to predict and caught me by surprise.
Also in the film’s favour is its length which is a mere 78 minutes. It’s a silly genre and people don’t want to be stuck in a drawn out plot. It’s quick, concise and doesn’t waste time in getting to the key scenes.
Certainly a bold gamble and produced on a tight budget, director Kimble Randall and writer Dave Warner have come through with the goods. Let’s just hope it doesn’t spawn a whole new range of tacky teen thriller flicks down-under. Once is enough.