Themes: Fathers and Daughters, Small-Town Life, Serial Killers
Main Cast: Michael Biehn, Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr, Gabriel Mann, Joe Inscoe
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A serial killer with a difference is on the prowl in a small Virginia town in this darkly comic horror story. Brent Marken (Michael Biehn) is the sheriff of the city of Cherry Falls, a quiet community that suddenly has a big-city problem to contend with when Marken discovers a murderer is on the loose. The killer is targeting teenage girls who attend the local high school -- and his victims are all virgins. This causes no small amount of anxiety for Brent's teenage daughter Jody (Brittany Murphy), who is not as ready for intimacy as her boyfriend Kenny (Gabriel Mann). Brent has personal problems of his own to deal with; his relationship with his wife Marge (Candy Clark) has hit an impasse, and he shares a dark secret with Tom Sisler (Joe Inscoe), the principal of the high school. Cherry Falls marked the American directorial debut for Australian filmmaker Geoffrey Wright; the cast also includes Jay Mohr, Caroline Perreyclear, and Rick Forrester. Cherry Falls enjoyed its first theatrical engagements in the United Kingdom, several months after it was first slated to open in the United States, thanks in part to the difficulty the producers had with the MPAA in securing an R rating for the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Of all the teen slasher flicks that premiered after the wildly successful Scream series (Urban Legend, etc.), Cherry Falls will possibly go down as one of the most creative, but sadly unseen ones in the bunch. By switching the virginal roles to the victims (going against almost 20 years of horror history), Romper Stomper director Geoffrey Wright twists the conventions of the genre to an entirely fun new level. Leading the pack of horny teens is a young Brittany Murphy, playing up the cute goth girl angle (for all the dirty, old fright fans out there). She's wide-eyed enough to carry the story, but also shows some mean ferocity when the scream-queen side needs to come out (a pleasant surprise when the scene hits). Adding to the fun is James Cameron compadre Michael Biehn, in a multi-layered part that makes this performance not just some throw-away, straight-to-video role (which he'd been resigned to at this point). In fact, if you add up the smarts of the script with the quality cast and deft direction, it's amazing that the film skipped the big screen at all. While not exactly the Holy Grail of slasher releases of the time, it's a film that audiences would've eaten up, given the chance. With a few great scares, some brutal killings (it direly needs an uncut release), and one outrageous ending that can't be forgotten, Cherry Falls is an unsung horror gem that will unfortunately have to find its audience in time. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Keram Malicki-Sanchez - Timmy; Natalie Ramsey - Sandy; Candy Clark - Marge Marken; Amanda Anka - Mina; Clementine Ford - Annette; Jesse Bradford - Rod Harper; Keram Malicki Sanchez - Timmy; D.J. Qualls - Wally; Caroline Perreyclear - Jan
Credit
Nicole Koenigsberger - Art Director, Louise Frogley - Costume Designer, Lisa Campbell - First Assistant Director, Geoffrey Wright - Director, John F. Link - Editor, Julie Silverman - Executive Producer, Joyce Schweickert - Executive Producer, Scott Shiffman - Executive Producer, Ken Selden - Executive Producer, Walter Werzowa - Composer (Music Score), Marek Dobrowoiski - Production Designer, Anthony Richmond - Cinematographer, Marshall Persinger - Producer, Eli Selden - Producer, Jay Meagher - Sound/Sound Designer, Ken Selden - Screenwriter, Russell Denove - Additional Editing
In the woods outside the small affluent town of Cherry Falls, Virginia, a young teenage couple is getting romantic in a car when a female, black-haired killer appears and murders them both. Meanwhile, in town, teenager Jody Marken (Brittany Murphy) - the daughter of the local sheriff - is trying to deal with her boyfriend, Kenny (Gabriel Mann), who thinks it's time to go "all the way." Jody gently tells him 'no', then goes back home only to find her father, Brent (Michael Biehn), upset that she's out past curfew. Brent and his deputies begin to investigate the murders the next day. They see that that the killer carved the word "virgin" into both victims. At the high school, Brent runs into intelligent English teacher Mr. Marliston (Jay Mohr), who urges Brent to divulge more details of the murder to students and the town so as to eliminate the possibility of secrets.
Soon enough, the female killer murders another teen - again targeting a virgin. Concerned for the town's safety, Brent holds a meeting at the high school to tell parents the nature of the crimes. (No students are invited, but Jody sneaks in.) The female killer appears and strikes at Jody, but her father rescues her. Word gets out in Cherry Falls about how virgins are being targeted. The school's worst fears are confirmed when a large-scale orgy is planned outside of city limits. At the police station, Jody describes the killer to an officer, who draws a composite sketch. Brent confides with an old friend (the current high school principal) that the suspect looks like "Lora Lee Sherman." The two are both visibly nervous, and Jody listens in on their conversation.
Later, Jody learns from her mother about the tale of Lora Lee. 25 years ago, Lora Lee was a high school loner. She claimed that four popular boys at school - including Brent, and the high school principal - raped her one night. Her cries fell on deaf ears and she left the city for the rural outskirts, where she was rarely seen or heard from again.
The night the student orgy begins, Brent is abducted by the killer and dragged away. Jody is riding her bike that night, as she has refused to have sex with Kenny at the party. She bikes by Marliston's house as he is dragging a heavy trunk inside. When Jody opens the trunk and sees her bloody father inside, she is knocked unconscious. At the orgy, Kenny is there with a girl who he plans to have sex with, but after thinking, changes his mind and goes to find Jody. He drives to find her but strangely sees her bicycle outside of a house.
Downstairs in that house, Marliston puts on a wig and makeup to "become" Lora Lee Sherman. Marliston reveals that he is Lora Lee Sherman's illegitimate son, then asks Brent to retell the story of what happened that night 25 years ago. Brent reveals that the four boys - including himself when he was very intoxicated - did indeed rape Lora Lee. Marliston says his mother became an abusive "psycho" after the rape and gave birth to a son (himself) fathered by one of the rapists. With a close-up of both Brent and Marliston's (identical) eyes, it is strongly implied that Brent is in fact Marliston's biological father. By frightening virgins, Marliston anticipated a large high school orgy (which is happening at that very moment), which would thereby rob all the wealthy parents of their precious children's virginity (just like his mother lost her virginity under less than ideal circumstances).
Kenny enters the house and frees Jody. Brent battles with Marliston, losing his life in the battle. Jody and Kenny flee to the orgy. Marliston follows and kills a deputy. He heads inside with an axe and mass panic erupts. After stabbing panicking students and then trying to escape, Marliston is pushed to his death by Jody. The next day, Jody and her mother head away from the police station after submitting a distorted version of the truth but not before Jody sees a vision of someone resembling Lora Lee Sherman.
Stephen Lang was originally offered the role of Sheriff Marken, but scheduling conflicts prevented him from being in the film. Ted Levine was also considered for the role of the Sheriff as well. The role eventually went to Michael Biehn. Ironically, Biehn was an early favorite for a military role in James Cameron's Avatar, but Lang ended up getting the part.[1]
The script was originally set in Ohio.[2] It was later changed to Virginia, where it was filmed.
Release and reception
The film was troubled by censor disapproval. It had to be submitted to the MPAA a total of five times before censors finally approved a cut.
The film was not released in theaters and was met with mixed reviews. One of the more noteworthy positive reviews from Entertainment Weekly. Many reviews have described Cherry Falls as a cross between Scream & American Pie.[3]
