I don't lean on reviews when choosing a movie, but I use IMDB as a gauge for what to expect. Interpreting 6 stars for good quality, I rented Extracurricular. How in the world did this movie get over 6 stars?! If I had received a heads-up as to what I was in for, I wouldn't have paid to rent it. The movie is ok. There are plenty of holes, acting is not too bad and writing is below average, but it's the kind of film I'd watch on Netflix or Prime. The characters remain as unfamiliar at the end as they are in the beginning. There's a clusterfumble of twists and sort of suspenseful moments. There are plenty of unanswered questions. But the movie is forgettable, so I actually don't want answers.
32 Reviews
Not bad
willcline-9104323 October 2019
I hate seeing false reviews on here and you can always tell when they give 9s n 10s but i gotta say the movie did remind me of the purge the kill game is on point i do believe with a better budget this coulda went far.
Extracurricular
Prismark107 March 2020
This is a low budget film horror thriller about a group of clever but bored students who get a taste for killing.
Miriam, Derek, Jenny and Ian are the clever kids who meticulous plan their murders. They even have a backup plan in case things go wrong.
Luke Goss plays the local cop and the father of two of the kids who is investigating the latest deaths.
The film is derivative of better films such as American Psycho, Scream and Compulsion even though this has a cynical twist in its ending.
By the end you think, why are some of the victims talking to their would be murderers and trying to get through to them. Just run.
Miriam, Derek, Jenny and Ian are the clever kids who meticulous plan their murders. They even have a backup plan in case things go wrong.
Luke Goss plays the local cop and the father of two of the kids who is investigating the latest deaths.
The film is derivative of better films such as American Psycho, Scream and Compulsion even though this has a cynical twist in its ending.
By the end you think, why are some of the victims talking to their would be murderers and trying to get through to them. Just run.
Why all of the low ratings? It was a hidden gem.
gyounce16 April 2021
The premise of the movie was not convoluted, it was pretty straight forward. A group of teens who like to kill. There was no hidden agenda, no revenge killings, no sad backstory. I appreciate that is was just some friends who liked to kill (because some sick people do irl).
I thought the movie was smart and reminded me of Murder by Numbers. They didn't care much for human life, but for the most part, cared for eachother. The relationship between the two sons and their father showed that even well loved children go astray in the most macabre ways.
Spencer MacPherson, as younger brother Ian, stole the show. I wanted so badly for him to be the last man standing. Even though I wasn't thrilled with the who, I was ok with the ending. I enjoyed the movie and felt it was a fresh slasher film, especially of late. Sometimes blood and gore doesn't make the movie, and while this one does have its moments, it also has a pretty good storyline.
I thought the movie was smart and reminded me of Murder by Numbers. They didn't care much for human life, but for the most part, cared for eachother. The relationship between the two sons and their father showed that even well loved children go astray in the most macabre ways.
Spencer MacPherson, as younger brother Ian, stole the show. I wanted so badly for him to be the last man standing. Even though I wasn't thrilled with the who, I was ok with the ending. I enjoyed the movie and felt it was a fresh slasher film, especially of late. Sometimes blood and gore doesn't make the movie, and while this one does have its moments, it also has a pretty good storyline.
low budget done right
natcalgary30 October 2020
Waste of time and money
WVfilmfem21 October 2019
....and a blueprint for impressionable youth who have a penchant for the macabre. No likable characters, just following a group of sociopaths planning murder. The resolution, ending, is totally unsatisfactory, leaving the viewer sorry they wasted the time to watch.
The kids are not alright.
ntj-film26 October 2019
Four highly intelligent, kill happy high-schoolers are getting ready for a spectacular Halloween bloodbath. unforseen circumstances however, throws their matriculas laid plan right out the window and turns the night of Samhain into a living hell for the murderers quartet.
This movie turned out to be a absolut blast. Excellent writing, topnotch directing and acted, I throughly enjoy this nasty little indie-horror.
Hope you enjoy it too.
This movie turned out to be a absolut blast. Excellent writing, topnotch directing and acted, I throughly enjoy this nasty little indie-horror.
Hope you enjoy it too.
"Assassination Club"
Kamurai2524 February 2021
Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend.
There really aren't enough movies where the villains are the protagonist.
These are all awful characters that are also killers so it's hard to root for them. I can't tell if it is poor performance from the actors or badly written characters, but this is clearly written by someone with a love of true crimes and tactical assessment.
It is really impressive with the work put in to make the planned executions believable and how twisted the events get.
There really aren't enough movies where the villains are the protagonist.
These are all awful characters that are also killers so it's hard to root for them. I can't tell if it is poor performance from the actors or badly written characters, but this is clearly written by someone with a love of true crimes and tactical assessment.
It is really impressive with the work put in to make the planned executions believable and how twisted the events get.
Is there anyone in the shower?
picassovegas-912-72415012 November 2019
I need to know if there is any one using the shower because I need one after this film. Let me first say, I am a huge horror movie fan and have watched some pretty gross stuff. In other horror movies you get to suspend reality for an hour and half and take a joyride into horror. This film do not let you suspend those thoughts but drags me deeper in. Maybe this film was successful making it seem to be a plausible reality. Extracurricular made me question kids under 18 and how they view human life. I watched this movie to the end and thought. I wasn't ready for this. Maybe this would be rewarding to other horror fans but left me emotionally wrecked .
Privilege
japegwyn18 January 2021
Just like the know-nothing self-righteous who do nothing useful, merely complain about things, the 4 main characters are a perfect example of the self-entitlement those who decry such films as this.
They didn't like it because it held a mirror up to their mewling and puking, and they didn't like it.
A different take, both nothing new and refreshing. Ignore all other reviews, this one counts: see it. If you don't like it... Well, your tastes and mine are different.
They didn't like it because it held a mirror up to their mewling and puking, and they didn't like it.
A different take, both nothing new and refreshing. Ignore all other reviews, this one counts: see it. If you don't like it... Well, your tastes and mine are different.
Terrible
dana-kellish7 July 2020
Utterly pointless dreck. Four "brilliant" students go on a serial killing spree with no explanation, leading us to conclude that they're just a**holes. And for supposedly smart kids, they act pretty dumb, leaving obvious clues for the police and acting so silly during one of their crimes that there's no way they could pull it off. The idea was good, as are the performances, but the result is just, well, terrible.
An excellent little thriller.
Gothamite128 February 2020
It's a simple and straightforward script with some decent acting and enough red herrings to keep the story flowing to its inevitable conclusion with enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.
Trims the fat nicely by keeping away too many B plots and all strings tie up nicely towards the end.
An enjoyable thriller that, whilst not being an amazing game changer, is still an enjoyable watch.
Not quite Heathers
kosmasp27 October 2019
There can only be one (Heathers), now can there? Rhetorical question of course, but that does not make this a bad movie. Unless your expectations are differently to a degree where you might find things annoying that go on here. It's a straightforward movie that is quite predictable with characters you are not supposed to like.
Having said, it is quite nicely written and takes you on a weird ride with crude individuals. This could have gone wrong on many levels, but I think it succeeds in holding up your attention enough til the end ... there again you may feel that the movie has issues ... that will depend on your taste
Having said, it is quite nicely written and takes you on a weird ride with crude individuals. This could have gone wrong on many levels, but I think it succeeds in holding up your attention enough til the end ... there again you may feel that the movie has issues ... that will depend on your taste
SO SO
valipourmoj12 August 2022
Hammy
larryleigh15 March 2020
Showed promise
kathmummybear1 March 2020
To themoriartymethd
CharlotteMcCrea821 October 2019
Wow, an unexpectedly good.
kwihui25 December 2021
It was moving well, the film, so it kept my attention to the end.
I don't agree with the ending but it was different from the norm.
Is it worth watching? - I'd say yes. The thing is it could happen. However, I don't believe our society can have likeminded high schoolers who can stick to these kinds of murderous team work. Thankful for that. Even amongst the most monstrous humans without the team / the gang pressure humanity's right and wrong conscientious minds would eventually trump over the evil.
In final, I think you will find it interesting, and something to chew over.
I don't agree with the ending but it was different from the norm.
Is it worth watching? - I'd say yes. The thing is it could happen. However, I don't believe our society can have likeminded high schoolers who can stick to these kinds of murderous team work. Thankful for that. Even amongst the most monstrous humans without the team / the gang pressure humanity's right and wrong conscientious minds would eventually trump over the evil.
In final, I think you will find it interesting, and something to chew over.
And you thought Funny Games was pointless....
bob_meg27 April 2020
Ray Xue's Extracurricular has a very daring, almost Olympian-size challenge --- how to make a film about four brainy teen sociopaths who commit mass murders suspenseful, plausible, and above all interesting. Let's say for the moment, we don't even care if we like the villains or not. Plausible... but....
You'd have to really have some compelling characters, or actors who were very skilled in creating something out of nothing. But no, we get only vague hints at dysfunction and textbook Nietzschian flashcards in lieu of living, breathing human beings, so it fails fairly quickly on that score. The performances by all the teen actors are marginal, at best, but the empty-headed half-hearted script supplies nothing worth playing. It's really the culprit.
Now we're left with one alternative... make a good thriller with some decent twists.
Nope. Extracurricular flunks there, too. Without giving away the ending, what we are left with at the end is a conclusion that, while it checks off all logical boxes, would not hold up more than a few days in the real world. It's way too easy, something someone who was "book smart" --- as all the little psychos in the film purport to be --- would think to be airtight, but on further examination is revealed to be utterly ridiculous, borderline incoherent, somewhat akin to shooting someone in the street and then placing the weapon in the hands of a nearby 2 year old.
Why make a film like this? I'm guessing the answer is going to be something like "Well, it checks all the good horror movie boxes". This is what happens to films when scripts are constructed solely as plot points on a graph.
Even something as nihilistic as Funny Games *pretended* to be about something. Even something as shakily constructed as The Strangers had some tense moments.
Extracurricular fails not because of it's ineptitude --- technically it is competent. But it simply fails to try... at achieving anything with a pulse.
You'd have to really have some compelling characters, or actors who were very skilled in creating something out of nothing. But no, we get only vague hints at dysfunction and textbook Nietzschian flashcards in lieu of living, breathing human beings, so it fails fairly quickly on that score. The performances by all the teen actors are marginal, at best, but the empty-headed half-hearted script supplies nothing worth playing. It's really the culprit.
Now we're left with one alternative... make a good thriller with some decent twists.
Nope. Extracurricular flunks there, too. Without giving away the ending, what we are left with at the end is a conclusion that, while it checks off all logical boxes, would not hold up more than a few days in the real world. It's way too easy, something someone who was "book smart" --- as all the little psychos in the film purport to be --- would think to be airtight, but on further examination is revealed to be utterly ridiculous, borderline incoherent, somewhat akin to shooting someone in the street and then placing the weapon in the hands of a nearby 2 year old.
Why make a film like this? I'm guessing the answer is going to be something like "Well, it checks all the good horror movie boxes". This is what happens to films when scripts are constructed solely as plot points on a graph.
Even something as nihilistic as Funny Games *pretended* to be about something. Even something as shakily constructed as The Strangers had some tense moments.
Extracurricular fails not because of it's ineptitude --- technically it is competent. But it simply fails to try... at achieving anything with a pulse.
Susprising well shot with a strange unconvincing plot
KoolCatReviews5 May 2020
This movie trys to do things alittle differently and it has moderate success. It does suffer for some bad acting and poor writing at times. The plot is confusing and messy but I have to admit that the end was well done. It really is ashame some of the character was't developed better and stronger screen play produced as was desevering of the director. A sub in this movie seems completely defunct. The movie is really well shot for this type of movie. The ending was best part of the movie and although messy was entertaining.
extracurricular
chloeclarke-0101512 May 2020
I found this movie actually very enjoyable for me. as someone who is not a big horror movie fanatic i didnt mind this one. this movie is certainly not for everyone and some of the writing is very questionable but the actors are great. Brittany Raymond, the actor who played miriam randall stood out the most to me and you can tell that she is a very experienced actor, the rest of the actors were great but nothing special. i think this movie deserves a higher rating than 6.1 but i completely understand as the writing and plot of the movie can be very boring to some people. there were a couple of scenes that did make me confused like when the lady is about to get murdered and instead of running she decides to talk to the murderer which just ends in them both dying. i think the character miriam was a big part In this movie but i feel as if the rest of the characters were just kind of there. over all i would certainly watch this again but definitely on once or twice more as it is not a movie you can watch a number of times without getting bored. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!
Stupid movie
rockclimber-1079515 February 2021
None of the characters were believable killers
ryansullivan-734846 November 2021
I don't believe these kids could kill a spider much less grown ups capable of defending themselves. I just didn't buy it, and the whole sublot with the girl and her girlfriend sucked balls to. Wasted my night, This sucks.
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