I am super excited to be writing about “Urban Legend” after finding out that there is a reboot in the making (seriously, I live for this stuff). It was by chance that I happened to come across it on Netflix recently, once again in need of some horror comfort, and I still can’t quite believe I missed this 1998 slasher growing up.
For those of you who don’t know, “Urban Legend” is based around a series of murders carried out on the campus of Pendleton College and seemingly focused on protagonist, Natalie (Alicia Witt). Whilst it begins in a somewhat uninspired manner—a series of killings taking place on campus—the film does have an interesting twist. Each gruesome murder is based on popular urban legends. It’s up to Natalie and her friends—including top cast members such as Jared Leto, Joshua Jackson, and Michael Rosenbaum, to figure out what’s going down. Two sequels would follow, “Urban Legends: Final Cut” and “Urban Legends: Bloody Mary,” neither of which had huge success.
Folklore’s Influence on 20th Century Horror
Though now accepted as a cult classic, the film was initially met with a fair bit of criticism, largely due to its unoriginality, with one critic dubbing it a “vapid Scream rip-off.” However, whilst it positions itself closely to ’90s popular slashers, it must have been tricky not to produce a horror movie at this time without following the fixation on folklore and urban myths. “Scream’s” opening scenes are highly reminiscent of the well-known ‘babysitter’ urban legend, where a series of phone calls harass a teenage babysitter, which appear to be coming from inside the house. And “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is based on the urban legend ‘the Hook’, which tells the story of a hook-wielding killer who attacks a couple in a parked car. Not to mention other cult classics of the time such as “The Blair Witch Project,” “Candyman,” and “Sleepy Hollow.”
Therefore, though undeniably reminiscent of other slashers, “Urban Legend” is more self-aware than given credit for. In my opinion, it serves as less an imitation and more a commentary on the saturation and impact of urban folklore on 20th century. Whilst other horror films of the time borrowed from or referenced urban folklore, “Urban Legend” is entirely forthcoming and upfront about its influences and goes so far as to point out their absurdity, and seemingly poking fun at the genre overall.
Having said that, whilst the concept may be fresh and unique, something about it doesn’t quite add up for me. What works so well for slashers such as “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is the ways in which they establish a genuine sense of place and community, with beloved characters whom viewers want to see return to the screen. After all, this is how you create a successful film franchise—creating a universe that instils within us a sense of both nostalgia and belonging and makes us want to re-watch and keep returning. And despite its attempts to establish itself as such, “Urban Legend” didn’t quite lay the foundations in the same way (though, don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be in first in the queue to watch the reboot).
The reboot – what do we know?
- The 1998 version was written by Sylvio Horta, with Jamie Blanks directing and production by Gina Matthews, Michael McDonnell, and Neal Moritz. The reboot has a strong production team, with Shanrah Wakefield (“Wrong Swipe,” “Kidnapped”) penning the script, whilst Gary Dauberman (“Annabelle,” “IT,” “Until Dawn,” “Salem’s Lot”) will produce. Colin Minihan (“Grave Encounters”) in the director’s seat. There are talks of Neal Moritz returning as producer (which is very exciting, as he produced the first two in the “I Know What You Did Last Summer” series and is producing the 2025 reboot). Safe to say it certainly stands a good chance with these guys behind it.
- There haven’t been any recent updates on the plot details but back in 2020. However, when the film was initially set for a reboot, it was to focus on college students dealing with ‘a series of bizarre deaths resembling urban legends linked to the darkest corners of social media’. The film never began production due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but it sounds like the script is mostly the same.
- Whilst there hasn’t yet been specific confirmation of any actors yet, Sydney Chandler (“Don’t Worry Darling,” “Pistol”) and Katherine McNamara (“Shadowhunters”) lead the rumour mill as leading cast members. Keith Powers (“Straight Outta Compton”) is also a potential contender.
It’s not a lot to go on for sure, but the ball is definitely rolling. I’m just loving all the horror reboots that are seemingly saturating our movie theatres at the moment, so keep them coming, I say.
*Article references from The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, and Digital Spy.
