Urban Legend (film)
Encyclopedia
Urban Legend is a 1998 horror film
starring Alicia Witt
, Rebecca Gayheart
, Jared Leto
, Michael Rosenbaum
, Natasha Gregson Wagner
, Loretta Devine
, Robert Englund
, John Neville
, Joshua Jackson
, Regina King
, and Tara Reid
. The film is based on the premise that a killer is using the methods of death described in certain urban legend
s as a means to kill the victims.
The film was followed by Urban Legends: Final Cut
, which was released in theaters in 2000, and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
, which went direct-to-video
in 2005.
) fights off a supposed attack by the stuttering gas attendant (Brad Dourif
). However, the attendant was actually trying to warn her of an attacker in the back seat, and as Michelle drives off, the attacker in the back seat
decapitates
her with an axe. On campus, student Parker Riley (Michael Rosenbaum
) relates how one of the campus halls, Stanley Hall, had been the site of a massacre in 1973. The story is discredited by school journalist Paul Gardner (Jared Leto
).
As Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt
) is shaken by Michelle's death, Damon Brooks (Joshua Jackson
) offers to talk and the two drive into the woods. Damon is attacked by the killer, who hangs him from a tree
with the rope attached to the car. As the killer approaches Natalie, she attempts to run him over, strangling Damon in the process.
Realizing Damon's and Michelle's murder resemble urban legends, Natalie goes to the library to read up on urban legends. While she is away, her goth
roommate Tosh Guaneri (Danielle Harris
), is strangled by the killer. Thinking her roommate is merely engaging in rough sex
, the returning Natalie doesn't turn on the lights and goes to bed. In the morning, a shocked Natalie discovers her corpse and the words, "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" scrawled on the wall.
After trying to save Brenda (Rebecca Gayheart
) from a supposed attack in the swimming hall, Natalie reveals her past, one night Natalie and Michelle re-enact an urban legend; they were driving with their headlights turned off and pursued the first driver to flash them, causing him to run off the road and die in the crash.
Next, the dean (John Neville
) is attacked in the garage and run over by his car forcing the emergency spikes into his back. Later, security guard Reese Wilson (Loretta Devine
) finds Professor Wexler's (Robert Englund
) office empty and smeared in blood. Meanwhile, Paul has discovered the Stanley Hall massacre actually occurred and Wexler was the sole survivor.
Parker gets a phone call from the killer telling him that they have put his dog in the microwave to dry it. He is then lured into the toilet, where the killer forces him to chug bathroom chemicals, killing him. At the radio station, Sasha (Tara Reid
) is on air. In the background, her employee is being strangled to death. Sasha screams and runs out of the room; she is still on air and everyone can hear her cries for help. Natalie runs to save her. After a brief chase around the campus, Sasha goes back to the radio station to see Natalie enter the building. Natalie warns Sasha that the killer is behind her, but Sasha is killed.
Fleeing from the station, Natalie finds Brenda and Paul and they drive off to find help. Paul convinces the girls that the killer is Wexler. When Paul stops at a gas station, Natalie and Brenda discover Wexler's dead body in the car and bolt, thinking Paul to be the killer. Natalie loses Brenda but makes her way to a road, where the school's janitor (Julian Richings
) picks her up. When the janitor flashes a car with its lights out, it swerves around and pursues them. The janitor's car is forced off the road but Natalie survives and makes her way towards Stanley Hall. She hears Brenda screaming from inside. When Natalie breaks into the hall, she discovers Brenda lying on a bed. As Natalie starts crying, Brenda sits up and knocks her unconscious.
Waking up, Natalie finds herself tied to a bed. The killer comes in and unmasks herself as Brenda. She reveals that the young man Natalie and Michelle killed was Brenda's boyfriend and she is now exacting her revenge. She begins to cut Natalie's stomach in the fashion of the "Kidney Heist" legend, when Reese rushes in and forces Brenda to get away from Natalie. Reese frees Natalie, however, Brenda shoots her after she frees Natalie, who decided to untie the ropes on her hands and ankles all by herself. Paul then appears and tries to trick Brenda. As Brenda is deciding whether to shoot Paul or Natalie, the wounded Reese reaches up and shoots Brenda. Natalie grabs the gun and shoots Brenda, who falls through a window.
Natalie and Paul drive off to get help. Suddenly, Brenda appears in the backseat and attacks them with the axe. Paul crashes on a bridge, sending Brenda through the windshield into the river below. Some time later, the whole story is told among another group of students. The other students disbelieve the tale with the exception of one young woman, who is revealed to be Brenda. The film ends with Brenda telling the group "how the story really goes."
However, Alicia Witt
's performance earned her a nomination for a Saturn Award
for "Best Performance by a Younger Actor/Actress
" by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
With a $14 million budget, the film grossed $38,072,438 in the United States and $34,455,157 internationally, bringing its total box office revenue to $72,527,595.
The 2003 Tamil Film from India, Whistle
, was inspired from this film, though not all legends have been used
Composer Christopher Young
's Original Score and The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
starring Alicia Witt
Alicia Witt
Alicia Roanne Witt is an American film, stage, television actress and singer.-Early life:Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her mother, Diane , is a junior high school reading teacher, and her father, Robert Witt, is a science teacher and photographer. She has a brother, Ian...
, Rebecca Gayheart
Rebecca Gayheart
-Early life:Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva , who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal truck driver. She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent...
, Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
, Michael Rosenbaum
Michael Rosenbaum
Michael Owen Rosenbaum is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Lex Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville and Dutch on FOX's Breaking In, and for providing the voice for the Flash in the DC animated universe...
, Natasha Gregson Wagner
Natasha Gregson Wagner
Natasha Gregson Wagner is an American actress.Gregson Wagner was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Richard Gregson, a film producer, and the late actress Natalie Wood...
, Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
, Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
, John Neville
John Neville
John Neville, OBE, CM was an English theatre and film actor who moved to Canada in 1972. He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen .-Early life:Neville was born in Willesden, London, the...
, Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
, Regina King
Regina King
Regina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
, and Tara Reid
Tara Reid
Tara Donna Reid is an American actress. Reid has acted on television shows such as Saved By The Bell: The New Class, Days of our Lives, California Dreams, and Scrubs....
. The film is based on the premise that a killer is using the methods of death described in certain urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
s as a means to kill the victims.
The film was followed by Urban Legends: Final Cut
Urban Legends: Final Cut
Urban Legends: Final Cut is a 2000 slasher film and sequel to the 1998 film Urban Legend. It stars Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, Loretta Devine, Anthony Anderson, Hart Bochner, Rebecca Gayheart, Regina Hall, Yani Gellman, and Eva Mendes...
, which was released in theaters in 2000, and Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary
Urban Legends: Bloody Mary is a 2005 horror film starring Kate Mara, Robert Vito, Tina Lifford, Jeff Olson, Tamala Jones, Michael Gregory Coe, and Ed Marinaro....
, which went direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
in 2005.
Plot
The film opens at a gas station where Michelle Mancini (Natasha Gregson WagnerNatasha Gregson Wagner
Natasha Gregson Wagner is an American actress.Gregson Wagner was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Richard Gregson, a film producer, and the late actress Natalie Wood...
) fights off a supposed attack by the stuttering gas attendant (Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
). However, the attendant was actually trying to warn her of an attacker in the back seat, and as Michelle drives off, the attacker in the back seat
Killer in the backseat
Killer in the Backseat is a common, car-crime urban legend well known mostly in the United States and United Kingdom. It was first noted by folklorist Carlos Drake in 1968 in texts collected by Indiana University students.-Legend:...
decapitates
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
her with an axe. On campus, student Parker Riley (Michael Rosenbaum
Michael Rosenbaum
Michael Owen Rosenbaum is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Lex Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville and Dutch on FOX's Breaking In, and for providing the voice for the Flash in the DC animated universe...
) relates how one of the campus halls, Stanley Hall, had been the site of a massacre in 1973. The story is discredited by school journalist Paul Gardner (Jared Leto
Jared Leto
Jared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
).
As Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt
Alicia Witt
Alicia Roanne Witt is an American film, stage, television actress and singer.-Early life:Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her mother, Diane , is a junior high school reading teacher, and her father, Robert Witt, is a science teacher and photographer. She has a brother, Ian...
) is shaken by Michelle's death, Damon Brooks (Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
) offers to talk and the two drive into the woods. Damon is attacked by the killer, who hangs him from a tree
The Hook
The Hook is a classic example of an urban legend. The basic premise involves a young couple parked at a dark lovers' lane. The radio plays music as the couple make out. The music is interrupted by an announcer who reports that a serial killer has just escaped an institution which is nearby. The...
with the rope attached to the car. As the killer approaches Natalie, she attempts to run him over, strangling Damon in the process.
Realizing Damon's and Michelle's murder resemble urban legends, Natalie goes to the library to read up on urban legends. While she is away, her goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
roommate Tosh Guaneri (Danielle Harris
Danielle Harris
Danielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
), is strangled by the killer. Thinking her roommate is merely engaging in rough sex
Rough Sex
Rough Sex is a single by Lords Of Acid, and was released in 1992. Remixes of "Rough Sex" were done by Joey Beltram, and the CD includes "Take Control" as a B-side...
, the returning Natalie doesn't turn on the lights and goes to bed. In the morning, a shocked Natalie discovers her corpse and the words, "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" scrawled on the wall.
After trying to save Brenda (Rebecca Gayheart
Rebecca Gayheart
-Early life:Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva , who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal truck driver. She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent...
) from a supposed attack in the swimming hall, Natalie reveals her past, one night Natalie and Michelle re-enact an urban legend; they were driving with their headlights turned off and pursued the first driver to flash them, causing him to run off the road and die in the crash.
Next, the dean (John Neville
John Neville
John Neville, OBE, CM was an English theatre and film actor who moved to Canada in 1972. He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen .-Early life:Neville was born in Willesden, London, the...
) is attacked in the garage and run over by his car forcing the emergency spikes into his back. Later, security guard Reese Wilson (Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine
Loretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
) finds Professor Wexler's (Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
) office empty and smeared in blood. Meanwhile, Paul has discovered the Stanley Hall massacre actually occurred and Wexler was the sole survivor.
Parker gets a phone call from the killer telling him that they have put his dog in the microwave to dry it. He is then lured into the toilet, where the killer forces him to chug bathroom chemicals, killing him. At the radio station, Sasha (Tara Reid
Tara Reid
Tara Donna Reid is an American actress. Reid has acted on television shows such as Saved By The Bell: The New Class, Days of our Lives, California Dreams, and Scrubs....
) is on air. In the background, her employee is being strangled to death. Sasha screams and runs out of the room; she is still on air and everyone can hear her cries for help. Natalie runs to save her. After a brief chase around the campus, Sasha goes back to the radio station to see Natalie enter the building. Natalie warns Sasha that the killer is behind her, but Sasha is killed.
Fleeing from the station, Natalie finds Brenda and Paul and they drive off to find help. Paul convinces the girls that the killer is Wexler. When Paul stops at a gas station, Natalie and Brenda discover Wexler's dead body in the car and bolt, thinking Paul to be the killer. Natalie loses Brenda but makes her way to a road, where the school's janitor (Julian Richings
Julian Richings
Julian Richings is an English-born Canadian actor. He appeared in over 50 Canadian films and 20 separate television series.-Life and career:...
) picks her up. When the janitor flashes a car with its lights out, it swerves around and pursues them. The janitor's car is forced off the road but Natalie survives and makes her way towards Stanley Hall. She hears Brenda screaming from inside. When Natalie breaks into the hall, she discovers Brenda lying on a bed. As Natalie starts crying, Brenda sits up and knocks her unconscious.
Waking up, Natalie finds herself tied to a bed. The killer comes in and unmasks herself as Brenda. She reveals that the young man Natalie and Michelle killed was Brenda's boyfriend and she is now exacting her revenge. She begins to cut Natalie's stomach in the fashion of the "Kidney Heist" legend, when Reese rushes in and forces Brenda to get away from Natalie. Reese frees Natalie, however, Brenda shoots her after she frees Natalie, who decided to untie the ropes on her hands and ankles all by herself. Paul then appears and tries to trick Brenda. As Brenda is deciding whether to shoot Paul or Natalie, the wounded Reese reaches up and shoots Brenda. Natalie grabs the gun and shoots Brenda, who falls through a window.
Natalie and Paul drive off to get help. Suddenly, Brenda appears in the backseat and attacks them with the axe. Paul crashes on a bridge, sending Brenda through the windshield into the river below. Some time later, the whole story is told among another group of students. The other students disbelieve the tale with the exception of one young woman, who is revealed to be Brenda. The film ends with Brenda telling the group "how the story really goes."
Cast
- Alicia WittAlicia WittAlicia Roanne Witt is an American film, stage, television actress and singer.-Early life:Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her mother, Diane , is a junior high school reading teacher, and her father, Robert Witt, is a science teacher and photographer. She has a brother, Ian...
as Natalie Simon - Rebecca GayheartRebecca Gayheart-Early life:Gayheart was born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in Pine Top, Kentucky, the daughter of Floneva , who worked as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, and Curtis Gayheart, a miner and coal truck driver. She is of Irish, Italian, and German descent...
as Brenda Bates - Jared LetoJared LetoJared Joseph Leto is an American actor, director, producer, occasional model and musician. Leto has appeared in both big budget Hollywood films and smaller projects from independent producers and art houses. He rose to prominence for playing Jordan Catalano in the teenage drama My So-Called Life...
as Paul Gardner - Michael RosenbaumMichael RosenbaumMichael Owen Rosenbaum is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Lex Luthor on the Superman-inspired television series Smallville and Dutch on FOX's Breaking In, and for providing the voice for the Flash in the DC animated universe...
as Parker Riley - Tara ReidTara ReidTara Donna Reid is an American actress. Reid has acted on television shows such as Saved By The Bell: The New Class, Days of our Lives, California Dreams, and Scrubs....
as Sasha Thomas - Loretta DevineLoretta DevineLoretta Devine is an American stage, film and television actress known for her roles on Boston Public, Grey's Anatomy, and Eli Stone. She also provided her voice for the stop motion animated television series The PJs. Devine is a NAACP Image Award and Emmy award winning actress.-Early life:Devine...
as Reese Wilson - Joshua JacksonJoshua JacksonJoshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
as Damon Brooks - John NevilleJohn NevilleJohn Neville, OBE, CM was an English theatre and film actor who moved to Canada in 1972. He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen .-Early life:Neville was born in Willesden, London, the...
as Dean Adams - Robert EnglundRobert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
as Professor Wexler - Danielle HarrisDanielle HarrisDanielle Andrea Harris is an American film and television actress, best known as a scream queen for her roles in several horror films, four of them in the Halloween series: in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers as Jamie Lloyd and in Halloween and...
as Tosh Guaneri - Natasha Gregson WagnerNatasha Gregson WagnerNatasha Gregson Wagner is an American actress.Gregson Wagner was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Richard Gregson, a film producer, and the late actress Natalie Wood...
as Michelle Mancini - Brad DourifBrad DourifBradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
as Gas Station Attendant
Urban legends used in the film
The following urban legends are mentioned or depicted in the film:- A caller to Sasha's radio show states that she replaced her room mate's birth control pills with baby aspirinAspirinAspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
. - A caller to Sasha's radio show thinks about having her stomach pumped after performing oral sexOral sexOral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
on the school team. - A couple suffering from Penis captivusPenis captivusPenis captivus describes a supposed event that occurs in rare instances during heterosexual intercourse when the muscles in the vagina clamp down on the penis much more firmly than usual , making it impossible for the penis to withdraw from the vagina...
call in to Sasha's radio show. - Michelle is killed by the killer in the backseatKiller in the backseatKiller in the Backseat is a common, car-crime urban legend well known mostly in the United States and United Kingdom. It was first noted by folklorist Carlos Drake in 1968 in texts collected by Indiana University students.-Legend:...
. This legend is also referenced by various people looking at the back seat or talking about it. - Brenda and Natalie try to conjure up Bloody MaryBloody Mary (folklore)Bloody Mary is a ghost or witch featured in English folklore. She is said to appear in a mirror when her name is called three times or sometimes more while in a dark room, depending upon the version of the story, often as part of a game or dare.-Overview:...
- Professor Wexler mentioned the legend of the babysitter getting phone calls from an upstairs roomThe Babysitter and the Man UpstairsThe Babysitter and the Man Upstairs is an urban legend that dates back to at least the 1960s about a teenage girl babysitting children while being telephoned by a mysterious man who continually asks her to "check the children"...
. This legend is later referred to by Parker moments before his death. - Professor Wexler suggests eating Pop RocksPop RocksPop Rocks is a carbonated candy with ingredients including sugar, lactose , corn syrup, and flavoring. It differs from typical hard candy in that it creates a fizzy reaction when it dissolves in one's mouth.-Background and history:...
and drinking sodaSoft drinkA soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...
at the same time. The death of Little MikeyLittle MikeyLittle Mikey was a character of a young boy played by John Gilchrist in an American television commercial created by art director Bob Gage and copywriter Edie Mann of the Doyle Dane Bernbach agency for Quaker Oats to promote their breakfast cereal, Life.First airing in 1972, the popular commercial...
from this is mentioned by Brenda. The killer later re-enacts this legend on Parker, substituting soda with bathroom chemicals. - Damon is hung from a treeThe HookThe Hook is a classic example of an urban legend. The basic premise involves a young couple parked at a dark lovers' lane. The radio plays music as the couple make out. The music is interrupted by an announcer who reports that a serial killer has just escaped an institution which is nearby. The...
while Natalie is waiting in the car below. - Parker suggests placing spiderSpiderSpiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
eggs in Bubble YumBubble YumBubble Yum is a brand of bubble gum marketed by The Hershey Company.Introduced in 1975 by LifeSavers, the bubble gum was the first soft bubble gum created....
and gerbillingGerbillingGerbilling, also known as gerbil stuffing or gerbil shooting, is an urban legend that describes a supposed sexual practice of inserting small live animals into the human rectum to obtain stimulation.Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand records that the urban legend began in 1984, and initially involved a...
as the killer's next move. - Gangs driving with their headlights turned off, pursuing the first driver to flash them and running him off the road, is mentioned by Sasha in the library. It is later revealed that Natalie and Michelle did this, killing a young man, subsequently re-enacted by the killer on Natalie and the Janitor and finally revealed as central to the killer's motive.
- Natalie finds her roommate strangled to death next to her with the note "Aren't You Glad You Didn't Turn on the Lights"
- The legend of an attacker hiding under a car and slashing his victim's ankles is re-enacted on Dean Adams.
- A guest at the party claims that the song "Love Rollercoaster" contains a real murder scream.
- Parker finds the remains of his dog in the microwave, resembling the "Old Lady dries wet dog in microwave" legend.
- Brenda tries to re-enact the Kidney Heist on Natalie.
Reception
The film was not well received by critics, attaining a rating of 21% on RottenTomatoes.com.However, Alicia Witt
Alicia Witt
Alicia Roanne Witt is an American film, stage, television actress and singer.-Early life:Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her mother, Diane , is a junior high school reading teacher, and her father, Robert Witt, is a science teacher and photographer. She has a brother, Ian...
's performance earned her a nomination for a Saturn Award
Saturn Award
The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed in 1972, who felt that films within...
for "Best Performance by a Younger Actor/Actress
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor
The following are a list of Saturn Award winners for Best Performance by a Younger Actor:- References :* , Saturn Awards...
" by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
With a $14 million budget, the film grossed $38,072,438 in the United States and $34,455,157 internationally, bringing its total box office revenue to $72,527,595.
The 2003 Tamil Film from India, Whistle
Whistle (film)
Whistle is a 2003 South Indian Tamil film which is a verbatim remake of the English horror film Urban Legend. Although an average grosser, the film was a musical super hit. It is noted for vivek's rib tickling comedy. It is one of the most remarkable horror movies. The film marked the debut of...
, was inspired from this film, though not all legends have been used
Soundtrack
There were two soundtracks released on behalf of this filmComposer Christopher Young
Christopher Young
Christopher Young is an American music composer for both film and television.Many of his music compositions are for horror films, including Hellraiser, Tales from the Hood, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Urban Legend, and Drag Me to Hell...
's Original Score and The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Track listing
- Love RollercoasterLove Rollercoaster"Love Rollercoaster" is a song by American funk/R&B band The Ohio Players, originally featured on their 1975 album Honey. The song was a hit upon its initial release, reaching the top of both the R&B and pop charts. It still sees wide airplay on classic funk and R&B stations...
– The Ohio Players - Save Yourself – Stabbing WestwardStabbing WestwardStabbing Westward was an American industrial rock and alternative rock band. They formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois and began recording in the 1990s. The band announced a dissolution in 2002.- Early years :...
- Total Eclipse of the HeartTotal Eclipse of the Heart"Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night...
– Bonnie TylerBonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:... - Redefine – IncubusIncubus (band)Incubus is an American rock band from Calabasas, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Einziger, and drummer Jose Pasillas while enrolled in high school and later expanded to include bassist Alex "Dirk Lance" Katunich, and Gavin "DJ Lyfe" Koppell;...
- Spookshow Baby – Rob ZombieRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
- Comin' BackComin' Back"Comin' Back" is the last single released from The Crystal Method's album Vegas. The song was co-written by Trixie Reiss, who also provided the vocals...
– The Crystal MethodThe Crystal MethodThe Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television... - Crop Circle – Monster MagnetMonster MagnetMonster Magnet is an American stoner rock band. Hailing from Red Bank, New Jersey, the group was founded by Dave Wyndorf , John McBain and Tim Cronin...
- OneOne (Creed song)"One" is a song composed by the rock band Creed. From their 1997 album My Own Prison, it describes the lack of unity in modern society and includes a criticism of affirmative action. It was the band's fourth single...
– CreedCreed (band)Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an... - Twist – KoRnKornKorn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
- The End of Sugarman – Roy AyersRoy AyersRoy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk .- Biography :Ayers...
- Just One FixJust One Fix-Ministry:*Al Jourgensen – vocals , guitar, programming, production*Paul Barker – bass guitar, programming, production-Additional Personnel:*Bill Rieflin – drums*Mike Scaccia – guitar*Michael Balch – programming*William S...
– MinistryMinistry (band)Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to... - I Know God – David Ivy
- Deaf ForeverDeaf Forever"Deaf Forever" is a song by the heavy metal band Motörhead, released in 1986 in 7" and 12" vinyl pressings. It is covered with B-sides, "On the Road ", and on the 12" vinyl, a bonus track, "Steal Your Face ". The title song is taken from the Orgasmatron album and the sleeve artwork was created by...
– Motörhead - Riot – Flaw
- What Would You Do (Tha Dogg Pound song)What Would You Do (Tha Dogg Pound song)"What Would You Do" is the debut single from Death Row Records duo Tha Dogg Pound, released in 1994 as the B-side to the Dr. Dre and Sam Sneed single "U Better Recognize", along with DJ Quik's "Dollaz + Sense." It had appeared on the soundtrack to Murder Was the Case the year before, alongside...
– Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,... - Call It Something – SalivaSaliva (band)Saliva is an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in September 1996 and currently under Island Records. Saliva released their self-titled debut album on August 26, 1997, under Rocking Chair Records....