Brilliant and touching

A Masterpiece!

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Finally, another slasher film for revenge!! I give this movie thumbs up. It's weak and strong in many areas, but it's better than most of the lame films that come out for teens for the 21st century. The acting reminds me of 80's type but more updated for the time frame it came out, yet similar to I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE and other classic horror movies. Not saying the film is perfect or a copycat ... but it's not bad for some debut film for such a hot messy topic. Rape exists everywhere: in high school and in college. The rape scene is very familiar to many girls who have undergone such traumatic experience in reality (on or off campus). The cliques of these ugly groups fits the "T" of any American typical high school group. I watched this on Hulu for the first time and was laughing yet emotional at the same time for such bad ass kids who think they truly rule. Or the fact that this girl was screwed with in many tormenting ways, that any teen can definitely relate to. Good anger and aggression! And I appreciate the fact that this film gets back at men - - especially with the penis slashing. Women are always depicted as rape victims and never fight back. Well, in this case she does. And it's great to see another cheap horror film do well in such arena with feelings & emotions. I watched the entire film and new it was cheesy. If you think back to old movies like bad acting in Halloween or any other cheese-ball slasher flick, bad acting will always exist to a degree but it wasn't all that bad in BAD REPUTATION. The characters were well developed, and I could see the points in between where during takes (laughter or humor slipped in) - - but all low budget films start out as such. Laugher is the best medicine. So thumbs up! I laughed. Better than watching THE RING or some other gay horror flick.If you want a cheesy film to watch with friends, then this is it. Grab your popcorn and beer and laugh. But as you watch and are drawn into the film, the topics are well picked and make you think in the end - - AND during the movie. And this is obviously what the writer / director intended and managed to show on the silver screen. :-)

The plot strives for shock value over the kind of brilliant sum of subtle intellectual thrills that make great movies. The sexual assault scene felt appropriately long; this is the sort of thing that should make everyone in the audience feel disgusting. The compounding events after said scene were unnecessary, and made it feel as if I were being hit over the head with the horror of the female lead's experience (the writer seems to be telling us that if we didn't think rape and being blamed for it were bad, we should feel sorry for the lead's having to ask for her purse, not being able to start her car right away, and having an utterly stupid mother-character). The lead's embrace of her reputation trivializes her horrifying experience at the hands of three evil young men. The murder-as-revenge thoroughly disrespects the lead's purported intelligence. I could go on.The acting, editing, and directing is amateurish.The script feels forced and unrealistic.If you like the more ridiculous slasher movies out there or read supermarket paperbacks, go for it. If not, please don't waste your time.-Sean

"Bad Repuation" is an over-ambitious but interesting hybrid of no-budget horror and after-school special. Most reviews cry "Carrie!", but I thought this was unique and provocative in its own right. Its main problem is the kill sequences. They're neat ideas, but everything is off-camera, likely due to budget constraints. The acting is decent and the dialogue bounces between witty and eyeroll-worthy. Overall, not a bad movie, and it gets kudos for not going the glossy teen-girl-bent-on-revenge horror route (I'm lookin' at you, "Tamara") and instead exploring sex double-standards and how truly horrible teenagers can be to each other.

First-time writer/director Jim Hemphill has captured the spirit of Roger Corman's New World Pictures in this very entertaining revenge picture. Anyone who remembers Stephanie Rothman's fine work for the studio should run to check this out. Shot on a shoestring budget, the film looks and feels like a classy 'B' picture. The cast of unfamiliar faces does a great job with this tale of a virgin who suddenly finds herself branded town slut. The dialog is clever and strictly first rate and any film that depicts sports and jocktards in such a negative light is to be devoutly cherished. Arguably the most reviled genre of all, Hemphill has a ball spoofing slasher films. But this isn't simply Wes Craven warmed over - this film has loads of style and a great sense of humor to back it up. For fans of the genre as well as those of us who might normally leapfrog over this on a rental shelf.