Horror
movies were way ahead of the mainstream media when it came to addressing the
issue of bullying. Perhaps only overbearing mothers created more serial killers
than bullies. Ever hear of a chick named Carrie? She and Moira would be kindred
spirits. Spirit really is the right term for the latter. She was bullied to
death, but now she is back to take care of business in Adam Egypt Mortimer’s Some Kind of Hate (trailer here), which opens
tomorrow in New York.
One
day, the high school bullies pushed Lincoln Taggert too far—and now he has to
serve time in Mind's Eye Academy, a Kumbaya reform camp. Naturally, the hippy dippy administrators
do not realize the exact same bullying is happening right under their noses. When
his new tormentors try to pick up where the high school bullies left off,
Taggert’s rage summons the spirit of Moira.
She
too was unjustly remanded to the camp and mercilessly targeted by the sadistic
popular clique. One day their harassment turned deadly, but they closed ranks
and covered it up. Conveniently, it seems like the worst offenders are still around
as counselors. Moira can’t wait to reconnect. She was once a cutter and now she
can do unto other by doing unto herself. It all rather alarms Taggert, but Kaitlin
the disgraced cheerleader will help facilitate her killing spree out of a sense
of guilt from her own fatal bullying. They also happen to be fellow cutters.
Some Kind of Hate, echoing the old
John Hughes title, pulls off some tricky balancing acts. It reflects an
up-to-the-minute sensibility regarding bullying without feeling overly didactic
or After School Special-ish. The
characters seem quite contemporary, but the look and vibe evokes early Wes
Craven. Moira’s killing technique is also pretty original and deeply unsettling
in a way genre fans will appreciate.
However,
Ronen Rubinstein just does not seem to fit the part of Taggert. It is not that
he is bad in the part, per se. In fact, he actually shows some skills. He just
does not look like a prime bullying target. Every time someone decides to mess
with him, you have to wonder why they picked the dude who looks like Danny
Zuko. On the other hand, Disney-starlet Grace Phipps brings the right Kevin
Williamson attitude as Kaitlin. It is also sort ironic to see Twin Falls Idaho and Big Sur director Michael Polish appear
as one of the administrators just as his Evangelical-themed film 90 Minutes in Heaven releases. He’s had
an interesting career.