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NINE LIVES (2002)
Rating: 
Tag-line: 'Some friendships last a lifetime. They won't last the night', 'Their number is up' (both UK). Death Toll: Despite the title, 10 people die here. Two of them, however, are fully offscreen. Cutting Remarks: While watching this British-made flick, you can't help but be conscious of the fact that its writer, director and producer Andrew Green was 21 years old when he made it. The movie is excellent in many ways, but under-developed in others. The story is classic horror fare: nine friends gather in a remote Scottish mansion to celebrate the 21st birthday - there's that reminder again - of one of their number, Tim. One of them seemingly goes mad and starts killing people. After a while, Laura figures out that an ancient Scottish spirit named Murray is possessing them, one by one. Nine Lives uses the body-hopping conceit, which is almost always a cool idea, as evinced by The Hidden, Fallen, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday and of course John Carpenter's The Thing. There are definitely some chilling moments here, and the first act promises much, overbrimming with witty dialogue and portended doom. Unfortunately, once Murray starts his evil work, the dialogue takes a left-turn into a corn field, and the violence is edited down to the bare minimum. It's also unbelievable that any of these people would suss out Murray's curse, let alone work out the rules of his body-hopping behaviour. Having said all this, there's a lot to like here, and the eyeless Murray remains a scary character, no matter which body he's inhabiting. While Paris Hilton fans will be disappointed by her lack of screen time, she isn't too bad an actress. The heiress would, of course, go on to star in 2005's House Of Wax, as well as that video... Most Memorable Demise: You don't actually see very many, but the biggest jump accompanies one in the cellar. Look Out For: An interview with writer, director and producer Andrew Green, on this very site, here. Killer Quote: "Do you think it was that skiing trip, when we cut the bobble off his bobble hat?" - Pete tries to work out why Tim has decided to kill them all. DVD Extras: Cast and crew interviews. Release Date: Out now on DVD. [Check it out at Amazon UK] [Reviews Menu] |