Urban Legends: Final Cut

Plot

Amy Mayfield, a student at Alpine University, is inspired by security guard Reese Wilson's account of a past murder spree to make her thesis film about a serial killer using urban legends. Fellow student Lisa is drugged at a bar, wakes in an ice-filled bathtub missing a kidney, and is decapitated while trying to escape. The next day, Amy's cameraman Toby Belcher quits, accusing her of stealing his idea. Travis Stark reportedly commits suicide, and at his funeral, Graham Manning offers help, revealing Amy's father was a famous documentarian. Travis's twin Trevor believes his brother was murdered. While recording audio loops, Amy inadvertently captures the killer—wearing a fencing mask—beating replacement cameraman Simon Jabuscko to death with his own camera. The killer chases Amy through campus, but she escapes.

Production

The screenplay was written by Paul Harris Boardman and Scott Derrickson. Anson Mount originally auditioned for the dual role of Travis/Trevor Stark but was cast as Toby after acing that audition; Matthew Davis was cast as Travis/Trevor in his first major film role. Eva Mendes's role as Vanessa was expanded from a smaller part to serve as a potential red herring. Principal photography took 47 days in fall 1999 in Toronto, Ontario.

The opening airplane sequence was originally written for a boat, but the crew repurposed a set from Pushing Tin. University exteriors were shot at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, chosen for its modern architecture; the bell tower was built for $150,000. Interior scenes were filmed in Toronto. The amusement ride sequence was shot at Ontario Place, using a drained log ride redressed as a mine ride.

Lighting techniques, especially strobe lighting, were inspired by Alien and Aliens. The bar and death sequence with Lisa was written and shot in Los Angeles after principal photography, because producers wanted an earlier death scene. A goat's kidney from a butcher shop was used for the kidney removal scene, trimmed to size because it was larger than a human kidney.

Intertextuality

The film employs a self-reflexive narrative, centering on film school students and containing numerous cinematic references. The opening airplane sequence was inspired by the Twilight Zone episode 'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'. Lisa's abduction via a plastic garment bag in a coat closet pays homage to Black Christmas. Film scholar Jim Harper describes the film as a post-Scream slasher with Italian giallo influence, noting a distinct Argento influence in the killer's attire, as well as references to Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell's Peeping Tom, which is echoed in Sandra's filmed murder.

Urban legends depicted include: Lisa being drugged and waking with a missing kidney; Amy recounting a legend about students screaming at midnight masking an assault, later re-enacted in Simon's death; Sandra telling of a burrito with roach eggs and a chicken sandwich with pus from a tumor; Vanessa warning that cell phones cause cancer; Amy's film opening with a dog-licking-hand legend; a carnival Tunnel of Terror with real corpses; and Sandra's murder being filmed as a snuff film.

Reception

The film grossed $21.4 million in the United States and $17.1 million overseas, totaling $38.5 million against a $14 million budget, making it a moderate success though only about half the gross of its predecessor. It topped the box office in its opening weekend, which the first film had not done. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a D+ average. Critics were largely negative: Dave Kehr of The New York Times found Ottman lacked tonal control and humor; Robert Koehler of Variety criticized the screenplay as overstuffed with references and derivative of the first film; David Chute of the Los Angeles Times praised the atmospheric setting but called the film safe and functional.

Roger Ebert gave two stars out of four, deeming the formula exhausted but noting slick production and adequate performances. The BBC's Michael Thomson felt the meta jokes failed, and The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin called the sequel tiresome. Despite the criticism, the film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and won a Teen Choice Award in the Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller category.