I admit it. I have a massive soft spot for teen movies. Amplify that soft spot times ten if they are just off-center enough to develop a special kind of cult classic following. Films that we can all agree on and we don’t know why – Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, My Bloody Valentine, Tucker and Dale Vs Evil. Just a handful of movies that aren’t mainstream classics but are beloved by those who understand. While we can never predict what makes a film earn that special kind of love and longevity, I can imagine THE COLOR ROSE finding massive success in years to come, just like so many teen-driven horror films before it.

7 high schoolers from a religious town get into a lot more than they bargain for when they try dabbling in the occult. The girls parade around school like some kind of gang – calling themselves the Seven Deadly Sins. Only the trouble with that is, one of them, Aubrey (Brenna Llewellyn) is a snitch, and has been keeping incredibly detailed notes of all of the girls’ wrongdoings. To make matters even worse for the girls, Grace’s (Kaitlyn Bernard) father is the local pastor. Aubrey goes to confess her – and the other girls’- sins, and as can be expected things do NOT go well at home with Grace’s family. As you would expect from any teenager, this just makes her raise the stakes and push the limits of her little seven woman cult even further.

Suddenly these fun games and sexy attic rituals are dashed into a million pieces when they take it a bit too far and one of them ends up dead. From that point forward the cat and mouse games begin – who is killing off these girls and how will they ever get their perfectly “innocent” high school life back? Who can they trust, and who will help them find their way back to the light?

Without a doubt, THE COLOR ROSE hits every turn of this roller coaster story with all pistons firing – Guns blazing, no holds barred as subjects like sexuality, sex, religion, marriage, innocence, and evil are approached without subtlety or coyness. THE COLOR ROSE approaches each cliche with the same level of intensity and intention. While this may be a turn off for some, I found it charming and it definitely added to the cult classic vibes. I definitely felt the Heathers, Mean Girls energy coming off of these girls, with the added classic horror cliches – bumbling cops, creepy ex-boyfriends, shock-value kills. The twist ending isn’t necessarily a shock – but the way it’s hidden within another twist is satisfying and thrilling.

There isn’t a doubt in my mind that THE COLOR ROSE has a future in midnight screenings, unauthorized musical parodies, and interactive screenings. Just enough gore, just enough sex, just enough silly and out of place humor, just enough bad line readings – all the things that make us love a film in spite of itself. THE COLOR ROSE takes itself seriously, but not so seriously that we don’t see the inner charm behind the mask. All that’s missing is a cameo from a horror great (think of Tom Atkins in the remake of My Bloody Valentine, and you’ll instantly have an image of what I’m yearning for here.) Brilliantly modern and equally dated soundtrack, including an excellent cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Sofia Karlberg, provide the perfect … well… teen spirit for this film.

THE COLOR ROSE has a charm and quirky sensibility combined seamlessly with horror and gore to create an awesome, perfectly flawed film. Teen horror is alive and well WELL out of the 90s, and THE COLOR ROSE is a delicious example.

7/10 roses