Movie Review - Stage Fright

Stage Fright (2014)

Starring Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith, Brandon Uranowitz, Kent Nolan, Minnie Driver, and Meat Loaf

Directed by Jerome Sable

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

The world was asking for a horror-musical mash-up, right?  We've longed to see a serial killer sing as he (or she) slashes up victims, haven't we?  If you've been eagerly waiting for this new genre of film...Stage Fright won't help quench your desire.  I think it's possible that this weird conglomeration of genres might work in better hands, but writer-director Jerome Sable's not the guy to make it succeed.  Obviously, Stage Fright was completed on a low budget, but it's simply not very good, reeking of a recent film school student's attempt at making a movie.

The film opens following the Broadway debut of The Haunting of the Opera as Broadway diva Kylie Swanson (Minnie Driver) is murdered in her dressing room by a phantom-masked assailant.  Cut to ten years later and Kylie's daughter and son Camilla and Buddy (Allie MacDonald and Douglas Smith) are working in the kitchen at a camp for blossoming stage kids run by Roger McCall (Meat Loaf), the producer of their mom's musical that brought about her demise.  As the young kids arrive at the camp, someone doesn't want people to forget about the tenth anniversary of Kylie's death.

Not much about Stage Fright is good.  The musical numbers are poorly written and staged.  The acting is lukewarm at best.  The motive behind the killer's actions is much too obvious to be interesting.  The whole thing falls flat quite frankly, making me wonder if this mash-up could ever be a success.

The RyMickey Rating:  D-