Horror and comedy often work together very well in movies. Whether mainstream or independent, finding that perfect blend of laughter and screams can create an amazing and enjoyable experience. Horny Teenagers Must Die! attempts to walk that line with a plot that is absolutely in line with its title. Unfortunately, in this case the film fails on many elements and never coalesces into being successful in any direction.

Written and directed by David Zagorski, Horny Teenagers Must Die! begins with the introduction of the best part of the film: the ensemble. While the characters are intentionally written to be as generic as they could possibly be, the cast plays into those stereotypes with zest. From Ravel Bueno’s major machismo as Roman to Alicia McNeill’s pure-as-white-snow innocence as the virgin Jenna, the cast clearly works well together. They take the flat characters given to them and transform them into believable individuals. The characters remain largely expendable–but then again, that is what the film clearly sets up as it attempts to create a “cult-classic” (as its marketing claims.) Expendable characters are also generally common for horror films, as well, and seeing actors infusing some life into them is great.

However, few other elements of the film work nearly as well. The plot twists in the film are meant to be clever, especially at the end, but are so similar to some larger budget horror films that its comes across as flat. Even worse, the choice for who the slasher is has unintentional echoes of older horror movies where anything not clearly “Christian values” was automatically labeled as deviant. While the slasher’s actual story is actually somewhat novel, its presentation is tarnished by those echoes and it hurts the finale of the film.

In addition, the film’s comedic moments sometimes feel forced. The best comedy comes from genuine character moments or deliberate parody. Horny Teenagers Must Die! sometimes accomplishes both elements. But it also sometimes creates moments that telegraph its intentions to the audience, pointing out that this moment is supposed to be funny–to the point where any humor in that moment is drained away.

But independent horror ultimately succeeds or fails on whether the film delivers on the scare factor. Horny Teenagers Must Die! sometimes hits and sometimes misses here, with some kills having real originality and some being thrown away, as though they were planned in the five minutes before shooting. It creates a real unevenness through the film, one that is jarring in how far apart such scenes can be.

On the plus side, however, the film has “horny teenagers” in its title and the film lives up to that aspect with gusto. With classic slasher-flick flair, nearly every character in the film ends up getting lucky before they are slaughtered. One can never fully reject a film that respects that tried and true horror film staple.

Horny Teenagers Must Die! is certainly a watchable film. It contains every element one can find in good horror movies. It contains a fantastic ensemble of actors who breathe life into the film from beginning to end. But ultimately, the film does not coalesce into a success. It wants to be a cult film, the kind of movie that people watch for being outrageous and funny and memorable. In the end, however, it just ends up being an okay slasher flick that is unlikely to be remembered for very long.

4 out of 10