Genre fans have been buzzing about The Final Girls ever since it premiered at this past SXSW Film Festival (including yours truly). The film -- about a group of contemporary teens who get trapped inside an '80s slasher movie -- is a silly deconstruction of the slasher movie then and now, and reminiscent of films like Scream or Cabin in the Woods -- though not as gory or as frightening. The Final Girls is a horror movie that's got more heart than legit scares.
And that's okay because it's inventive and funny, and it features a great ensemble of up-and-coming (but familiar) faces who elevate the material and truly make it worth your time, especially if Friday the 13th is your jam.
Watch the first trailer.
What's fun about The Final Girls is watching the ways the two sets of characters interact with each other. How would your typical smartphone-wielding teens get on with their dopey '80s counterparts? It's an amusing premise with a strong mother-daughter relationship at its heart.
The Final Girls hits theaters on October 9.
Here's a short video reaction from right after I watched the film at SXSW.
