Urban Legend

                                                                 

 

          Don't you want to be an urban legend, Nat? All your friends

                       are now.

 

The film begins on a dark rainy night. College student Michelle Mancini is out driving when she suddenly realizes she's driving with a near empty tank. She stops by a gas station where a creepy gas attendant fills her tank for her. Things get more unusual when the gas attendant tells her that her credit card company is on the phone, and that there's been some problem. Already nervous, Michelle goes with him but freaks out when she finds the phone dead and the gas attendant locking the door behind them. In a fit of fear she maces the gas attendant and runs to her car, driving away before the gas attendant can warn her that there is someone in the back seat of her car. As she drives away, a figure in a dark coat with a fur trim around the hood sits up in the back seat and, with a swift blow from its axe, decapitates Michelle.......

The next day, on campus, a group of friends listens to Parker Riley tell an old story about one of the campus halls. According to the story, in 1973 an abnormal psychology teacher went crazy and one night went around to all the doors in this hall, knocking on them one by one, and whoever answered the door was stabbed to death with a hunting knife. Supposedly, the college officials covered it up, not wanting the university's reputation damaged. The story is interrupted by Paul Gardner a school paper journalist who disregards the story as fantasy, just one of many college campus myths. However the story plays on the minds of Natalie and Brenda, who return to their room they share with Tosh.

The following day, Natalie finds out about the killing of Michelle Mancini from the front page of the campus paper, in an article written by Paul.  Natalie seems disturbed, and is clearly hiding something. The same day, Natalie and Brenda go to a literature class taught by Professor William Wexler. The subject transpires to be on urban legends.....Later on another classmate, Damon, takes Natalie out and she reveals that she knew Michelle, although the couple fall out when his apparent sympathy is underpinned by another agenda. However as he makes his way into the woods the sinister fur coated figure follows him.....and with Damon hanging from a tree the killer turns attentions to Natalie.....who runs into the woods screaming.

The next day, no one believes her story after Professor Wexler's class: Damon's murder closely resembles one of the infamous urban legends, and her friends assume it's just another prank. Suddenly, Natalie realizes something frightening: both Damon's death and Michelle's murder closely resemble famous urban legends: the "killer in the backseat" and the "missing boyfriend" tales. As Natalie investigates urban legends people around her begin to meet their makers

We also learn why Natalie had not spoken to Michelle in years....it seems that one night, they had been driving together when an old urban legend came up in their conversation: the one about gang members turning off their headlights and waiting for someone to flash them before they run them off the road. Michelle, who had been driving, decided to play with someone, turning off her lights until an innocent bystander flashed them, and they made a U-turn and followed him. The other driver panicked and ran his car off the road, killing him. The police assumed it had been an accident. It has haunted Natalie ever since, and in light of the recent events, she thinks someone is coming after her for what she did......

Ever the skeptic, Paul goes and does some research of his own, and begins looking into the old school legend about the hallway massacres. He finds that the official documents for the year 1973 are missing, but the janitor provides a newspaper clipping from that year, showing that the massacre really did happen, and that the only survivor was Professor Wexler. Paul comes to the conclusion that Wexler was the killer; the college must have tried to cover up the killings and gave Wexler a job for life in exchange for his silence, and now he's killing again......

Meanwhile the weekend is fast approaching, and the campus gears up for partying.....whilst at the same time this killer continues to stalk victims, killing them within the format of popular urban legends and myths. Natalie, Brenda and Paul witness a killing and attempt to find help....with Paul still convinced that the killer is Wexler....how wrong can he be!!! Will Natalie discover who is killing those close to her.....and is there any link between her past behaviours and what is occurring now....

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                    Copyright(C) 2007 - 2020. All rights reserved.

 

                     

                                

 

Directed by Jamie Blanks
Produced by Gina Matthews
Michael McDonnell
Neal H. Moritz
Written by Silvio Horta
Starring Jared Leto
Alicia Witt
Rebecca Gayheart
Michael Rosenbaum
Tara Reid
Joshua Jackson
Lorretta Devine
Danielle Harris
Music by  
Distributed by  
Release date(s) 1998
Running time 99 mins.
Language English
Budget Not stated

 

                          HORROR HOME