In the wake of yet another click-bait article sounding the death knell of the slasher movie (which will not be linked here), let us take enormous solace in the fact that 2017 alone has given us surprise Hatchet sequel Victor Crowley (currently touring the country) and Tragedy Girls, the genre-destroying, female-fronted horror-comedy you didn’t realise you wanted.
Charting the rise and fall of two high schoolers (played by up-and-coming actors Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp, both of whom have already starred as Marvel superheroes and are on blindingly good form here) who are best friends but also not so secretly serial killers, this is quite simply unlike anything we’ve seen in a very, very long time.
Smart, funny and super gory, Tragedy Girls sees the titular ladies lay waste to a variety of irritating supporting characters (including scene-stealer Josh Hutcherson, in a part skewering his public persona, and Craig Robinson, who also has a producing credit) while simultaneously ensuring they look super cool online while doing it.
Sadie and McKayla are two social-media obsessed best friends who will stop at nothing to build their online following. The self-titled “Tragedy Girls” kidnap Lowell, an unambitious local serial killer, and force him to mentor them into modern horror legends by committing murders to blow up on the internet. As the bodies fall, the girls become national news and panic in their small town hits a fever pitch — just then, Lowell escapes! Now with the local Sheriff closing in and their relationship on the rocks, the girls must rethink their plan before they find themselves the latest victims of their own killing spree
Touted as a mixture of Scream and Heathers (drool), Tragedy Girls stars Shipp (Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse), Hildebrand (Negasonic Teenage Warhead in Deadpool), Hutcherson (Detention, to which this bears a striking resemblance), Robinson (needs no introduction) and Kevin Durand (The Strain) among others. It’s the fourth feature from MacIntyre, who also co-wrote the script, and destined to be not just one of the most well-received horror movies of the year, but a fan favourite too. Check out our review here.
Wicked Horror caught up with director Tyler MacIntyre, at Frightfest 2017, to discuss horror aimed at teenage girls, slasher movies and whether Tragedy Girls is feminist.
Interview conducted by: Joey Keogh
Camera: Richard Waters
Editing: Richard Waters
