Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Tragedy Girls Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf February 11, 2018

There’s going to be a generational divide when it comes to the audience for “Tragedy Girls.” There will be those who understand, possibly even relate to the modern depiction of teenagedom, which is showcased here as a marathon of social media anxiety, bullying, and insincerity. Older audiences will likely spend the viewing experience being grateful they are no longer adolescents, forced to compete in a ferociously connected world. Thankfully, “Tragedy Girls” isn’t a documentary, but a horror comedy, offering satiric touches and exaggerated performances to help viewers ease into the challenges of juvenile life, which, for this endeavor, include murder. Co-writer/director Tyler MacIntyre pulls off a bit of a miracle here, finding ways to connect to unpleasant characters, while the rest of the movie speeds ahead with macabre twists and turns, and shares a love for bloody mischief.

McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) and Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand) are friends aching to become the best serial killers ever. They’re the Tragedy Girls, living to build up their social media standing with macabre postings, trying to impress their fellow high school students and achieve popularity. Helping them to refine their technique is Lowell (Kevin Durand), a hulking killer they’ve kidnapped, keeping him alive as they plan out their targets. Working to collect 100,000 new followers by prom, the pair set out to make a mess in their small town, keeping Sheriff Welch (Timothy V. Murphy) busy and bewildered, while his son, Jordan (Jack Quaid) tries to communicate his crush on Sadie, helping with the technical details of the Tragedy Girls postings in an effort to get close to a dangerous teen.

MacIntyre is clearly in love with “Heathers,” borrowing liberally from the 1989 cult classic, concocting a scenario where Sadie and McKayla are outsiders turning to murder to right perceived wrongs in their lives, also enjoying the secret notoriety of their deadly actions. There are pieces of “Mean Girls” and John Hughes in the mix as well, creating a stew of influences that allow for some vital familiarity when dealing with a modern teenage world, which is filled with phone usage, sarcasm, and social media obsession, with the Tragedy Girls defining their self-worth through their follower count. However, MacIntyre isn’t making a documentary, inflating “Tragedy Girls” with broad characterizations and extreme situations, keeping Sadie and McKayla cool kids at heart, with a love for Euro horror (“Martyrs” being a top recommendation to others) and quick with a quip, and their butchering skills aren’t bad either, setting out to create news to help with their feed, taking a hostage in Lowell, whom they lure out into the open with traditional teen sexuality, playing into horror movie cliché to attract a real-life monster.

“Tragedy Girls” is a dark comedy, and laughs emerge from strange encounters. Trying to find victims worthy of their time, the teen girls decide on Toby (Josh Hutcherson), an older guy who loves the female attention he receives on his motorcycle, with McKayla on his long list of exes. Hutcherson is uncharacteristically loose in the part, and provides some silliness to help balance out the effort’s substantial gore, which includes body disposal as Tragedy Girls chop up limbs for easier clean-up. They also take on blowhard firefighter Big Al (Craig Robinson), stalking and attacking the man inside a gym, creating chaos as they take out an opponent who’s determined to confront growing evil in the town. It’s the murder of rival Syl (Savannah Jayde) that causes the greatest commotion for the Tragedy Girls, who satisfy their bloodlust with the offing, but also revel in their hallway justice, clearing away someone they perceive as an overachieving brat. Again, MacIntyre creates a cartoon for the most part, keeping “Tragedy Girls” ghoulish but approachable, while the kills are mostly played for laughs, making the inherent evil of the plot digestible.

Tragedy Girls Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation retains the qualities of the feature's HD-shot look, with digital softness and sharpness maintaining position. Detail emerges with facial textures, preserving rough adolescent skin and age, while set decoration is available for study, keeping high school visits active with background information. Colors are satisfactory, managing more natural hues for greenery and costuming, while party particulars and killer mask designs deliver a bit more black-lit pop. Skintoes are adequate. Delineation isn't problematic, securing the feature's substantial evening activity. Mild stretches of banding are detected throughout the viewing experience.

Tragedy Girls Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix is, obviously, a bit of a letdown, lacking a sharp ferocity befitting a feature this mischievous. What's here is acceptable, delivering an enveloping listening event with some surround activity, best explored with directional car chases and atmospherics, finding high school life present. Dialogue exchanges are commanding, securing teen sarcasm and serial killer wit. Scoring offers synth-y crawl and depth, and soundtrack selections provide heavier low-end response, bringing a beat to the dance music mood.

Tragedy Girls Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features director Tyler MacIntyre and co-writer Chris Lee Hill.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Tragedy Girls Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

MacIntyre eventually slows down the exaggeration of "Tragedy Girls," trying to transform Sadie and McKayla into relatable human beings with typical teen problems, including romantic interest from Jordan, who's also the Sheriff's son, putting Sadie in a difficult position. There's a Big Dance finale that's on the tired side, forcing the material to fight cliché and still massage sociopathic behaviors. MacIntyre remains satiric (the movie has fun with media pantsing and political posing), but he's reaching by the end, as any softening of the characters only robs the picture of bite. Performances by Hildebrand and Shipp are bright, creating vivid depictions of self-absorption, and they keep the macabre details of "Tragedy Girls" alive, but a little of this film goes a long way, making any plan to give the effort a sense of honest emotion unwelcome. The feature is much more effective with unbearable teen behavior and candied ruthlessness.