Remaking TV shows as big-screen movies is one thing (what makes a TV show a less justifiable source of material than a book or play or something? That's snobbery for you - as Lily Tomlin said, when you read a lot you're well read, but when you watch a lot of TV you're not well viewed), but when you start to remake TV movies, it's hard not to wonder if someone's pushing it.
Not having seen the original I have no idea if it's an improvement over the new "Satan's School For Girls," but I wouldn't be surprised if it was - much-maligned though TV movies are, you can find some gems there like "The Jericho Mile," "Son of the Morning Star," "The Day After," "The Night Stalker," "The Executioner's Song," "Pursuit," "Brian's Song" (which was just redone for TV) and "Duel" (which as long as Steven Spielberg is around will probably never be). But this tale, which like the original was made by Aaron Spelling's company, is sadly a lot closer to tosh like "Amazons," "Manhunt," "Fer-de-Lance" and "Detour To Terror."
"Sleeping with your history professor is so cliched," one of Shannen Doherty's friends says of the Julie Benz character in a pot/kettle/black moment, since she herself is a loudmouthed African-American student at the college around which the "action" revolves. With writing one step up from "Scooby-Doo," a hole-filled plot, chintzy effects (like the red eyes symbolizing that the crows, dogs etc are from the devil), acting that won't give the cast of "The West Wing" any sleepless nights and the worst disguising of locations since "The Frighteners" failed to convincingly pass off New Zealand as California (the movie's supposed to be set in Washington State, but it's all too obvious well before the end credits that it was filmed in Canada - Montreal, to be exact), this movie is everything people who hate "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" think that fine show is - silly, cheesy, and laughable. In truth, barring cast member Benz the two have nothing in common, including quality.
Watch "The Craft" instead. Or "Charmed." Or "Bewitched." Or "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Or even a Winsome Witch cartoon. Or, even, the original movie.
Not having seen the original I have no idea if it's an improvement over the new "Satan's School For Girls," but I wouldn't be surprised if it was - much-maligned though TV movies are, you can find some gems there like "The Jericho Mile," "Son of the Morning Star," "The Day After," "The Night Stalker," "The Executioner's Song," "Pursuit," "Brian's Song" (which was just redone for TV) and "Duel" (which as long as Steven Spielberg is around will probably never be). But this tale, which like the original was made by Aaron Spelling's company, is sadly a lot closer to tosh like "Amazons," "Manhunt," "Fer-de-Lance" and "Detour To Terror."
"Sleeping with your history professor is so cliched," one of Shannen Doherty's friends says of the Julie Benz character in a pot/kettle/black moment, since she herself is a loudmouthed African-American student at the college around which the "action" revolves. With writing one step up from "Scooby-Doo," a hole-filled plot, chintzy effects (like the red eyes symbolizing that the crows, dogs etc are from the devil), acting that won't give the cast of "The West Wing" any sleepless nights and the worst disguising of locations since "The Frighteners" failed to convincingly pass off New Zealand as California (the movie's supposed to be set in Washington State, but it's all too obvious well before the end credits that it was filmed in Canada - Montreal, to be exact), this movie is everything people who hate "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" think that fine show is - silly, cheesy, and laughable. In truth, barring cast member Benz the two have nothing in common, including quality.
Watch "The Craft" instead. Or "Charmed." Or "Bewitched." Or "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Or even a Winsome Witch cartoon. Or, even, the original movie.