Play Hooky is above everything else a fun genre movie - sure, it hasn't invented horror cinema anew, but at least it puts a rather original spin on the slasher genre, is kept alive by rather fresh dialogue and likeable characters, doesn't completely abandon all rules of cinematography and creating suspense alike in favour of its found footage approach, features a competent ensemble cast - and especially the finale is really, really tense. You probably need to be a horror fan to appreciate this movie, but even if you're not into slashers as such or found footage movies, you'll probably still find something very likeable about this one.

 

-Michael Haberfeiner   SEACHMYTRASH.COM

 

 

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I have mixed feelings about the so-called “found footage” sub-genre of horror. I absolutely hated The Blair Witch Project, and still feel the best of these found footage films is 1980’s Cannibal Holocaust (though I cannot watch that turtle scene ever again). That being said, interesting things are being done within this seemingly limited genre. Play Hooky is damn good example of what can be done within the limitations and restrictions imposed by the style… I like that this film doesn’t immediately go to the abandoned building… One thing that’s impressive about this film is that there are long takes, which of course fit in with the nature of the method of storytelling but which are difficult to do. Also, this film doesn’t seem to cheat at all. That is, the characters don’t do anything unbelievable in order to get the camera into a certain spot for a certain shot. It all feels quite natural. And there is at least one unexpected turn… By the way, there is a whole other scene after the closing credits, so don’t turn off your DVD player prematurely...And one other thing I should note: There is an insert in the DVD case. Do not read it before watching the movie, because it gives away what for me is the film’s most interesting surprise.

 

-Michael Doherty   POPCULTUREBEAST.COM

 

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Play Hooky isn't a bad film. It's got really great performances, with Kim Kleemichen and Becky Byers being the standouts, pretty decent effects, some interesting twists, and a genuine sense of dread at times...It's a good example of the form, doing well what tends to be done well with found footage, but also falling prey to the common pitfalls as well. For instance, it takes 26 minutes to get to the abandoned asylum, where the real meat of the film is. The action before this is meandering and, while certainly typical of what we could expect from real teenagers wiling away an afternoon ditching school...That said, there's plenty to enjoy here. Fans of found footage horror should make a point to seek out Play Hooky, and others will profit from viewing it...I'll say this one is Recommended.

 

-Jeremy Blitz   DVDTALK.COM

 

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Just mentioning the phrase “found footage” brings groans to many in the horror realm, especially the older generation of the genre however, the output seems for now a never-ending tidal wave of films, each with similar basis, well not the same, for first time director Frank S. Petrilli and his creation Play Hooky. Rather his production presents a relative simple and ingenious method of providing a new avenue, and likely a one-time venture, to refresh his entry into the genre and market, hidden POV (point of view), that allows the viewer to enjoy the slashing murdering joy of horror films which many long for once more to entertain.

The simple approach still holds true in the genre, avoiding the complexities allows the core audience that one’s film appeals to for mass consumption, and in this case teens. A group of them decides to skip school and expand the horizons of their mind by indulging in drugs, but in a location that won’t find themselves the center of attention and worse caught by others. Hence, set in the 1990s, and lack of cell phones, eliminates the no reception problems, often discovering in the found footage films, and this allows the film to skip through any significant plot holes. Now the perfect plan for a new path in this tiresome sub-genre comes from character Brad Walton (J. Wright Chester) ball cap with a hidden camera and the reasoning, film some personal satisfying encounters with his date, extremely believable. The characters equally effective especially the tag-along that every group has, in addition the couple argues all of the time, and at least one who is a typical tough acting loner, herein Claire, Meg, Rose and Lance have lasting encounters. A painstaking trip to find the ideal location comes at a price, sadly for the audience, the pacing a tad too long for most to enjoy, but the nature of the glorious teenagers brings the horror fans back to the center to enjoy their impending doom and gloom. The asylum contains the security guard DeWitt (Bob Waters) who chases off the teens for only a moment their determination leads to the downfall, and asylum rumored to have had a Nazi guard working here after war, a strange tidbit for teens to know about anything involving history. Petrilli’s teens accidentally lock themselves in the asylum and yet do not stop them from party a bit, all from the Brad’s camera. Megan (Becky Byers) freaks out that she senses the place holds evil, and her cousin, Claire (Theresa Davis) miss complaining annoying tagalong drives others slowly nuts. Needless, to state the story follows the slasher path and allows the gore to ensue to the pleasure of the viewers.

 

Each step forward in the character development, allows one to forget about the lack of action into the storyline, and hence shows the true bonding both the cast members and with the actors and their roles. One wonders if the director took a page from the greats of DePalma’s and Coppola’s methods for character and actor bonding, in which the cast works very well together by having them hang-out alone away from the sets and get them familiar with the personalities and mannerism. Although, transversely the killer needed the time alone to exclude himself or herself from human contact isolating the desires of madness to portray his character to full potential, transcending the screen and scaring everyone. Overall the camera position in the hat provides the fly-on-the-wall aspect, becoming a sixth cast member, recalling my cinema history the POV use in Halloween (1978) and to recently on the television show Criminal Minds “The Big Wheel” in season four, and each time the creativity increases the dramatic scenes and providing great action and screams.

 

The film, had a very short shooting schedule, and location rumored to have witchcraft and demonic haunting added volumes of atmosphere to the production, followed by the common sinister stories surrounding a location. All of these things added to a dedicated crew and cast creating a powerful new design and wrinkle into the found footage genre and providing a refreshing entertainment for the horror audience to rejoice in the conjuring of interesting conceptual design. Play Hooky, though a straight to VOD/DVD contains a tad bit of confusion overseas, since the term ‘hooky’ is not a universal term has the interesting and inviting box cover artwork for the core of the target viewers. One should take the time to view the first film from PollyGrind Presents and enjoy a fun flick of blood splattering filled with creative lines and talents, distributed by WildEye Releasing.

 

- by Baron Craze ROGUE CINEMA

 

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Like most, I’m growing ever so exhausted by the onslaught of Found Footage movies in the genre. It’s a gimmick that usually serves no purpose and is continuously filled with stupid, stupid plot holes. However, exceptions to the rule are always there to prove me wrong and so we have Play Hooky. This is the first feature from director Frank S. Petrilli and he clearly knows what he’s doing… Play Hooky doesn’t really break new ground for Found Footage but it does fill in the plot holes that plague most of these things… Admittedly, Play Hooky is a bit slow going to get to the action...but what it lacks in action is excels in creating true-to-life characters. Shit, I even remember all of their names which is something I attribute to memorable writing. We all know at least one of these characters in real life. Whether it’s the annoying tag along, the couple who never stops fighting, or the girl who wants so much to be the badass, we can relate to this group. Another bonus for identifiable characters is that we tend to feel more invested in them. I didn’t shed a tear or anything for any of them but I did want them to escape… My favorite aspect of Play Hooky is the non-traditional way these kids are being terrorized. I won’t spoil it for you but it’s incredibly refreshing… As fans of the genre I urge you to take a look at Play Hooky, it’s not often to find a low-budget found footage that’s actually (gasp!) decent.

 

-Jess Hicks  BLOODY-DISGUSTING.COM

 

 

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My biggest complaint about found footage films is the amount of picture we are actually missing by having the film look like it was recorded on a cheap, shitty camera.  In most cases the film is actually filmed on a cheap camera but in some instances the film is edited to look that way.  What I am trying to say is that a lot of hard work goes unnoticed when the picture quality is horrible.  Play Hooky uses the low quality angle but they stabilize the video to where you don’t miss anything in front of the camera.  This is great and unlike most FF flicks.

 

The acting in this one is great by the entire cast even though their ages are not really believable.  The cast made the roles really fun and the unexpected favorite of the film was the nerdy school girl with shitty toilet paper on her shoes.  This character was really awkward and fun to watch.  The remainder of the cast made their character fun as well but there was clearly an age gap between them all.

 

The story for this one is one we have seen before especially in the found footage sub-genre.  A group of teenagers visit an abandoned hospital/asylum/mortuary only to meet their demise.  What sets this one apart from the others is the fun characters and the lack of supernatural elements.  This film does not take itself too seriously and that helps this one out a lot.

 

Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills but they are, sadly, weak and a bit of a letdown.  I was expecting some gory school girl deaths and was disappointed to see that it did not happen.  Overall, Play Hooky is a fun found footage flick that does not give you more of the same.  The film has a solid cast, like-able characters, and a decent story.  This one deserves a shot so check it out!

 

-Blacktooth  HORROR SOCIETY

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"I liked it very much! If it was scripted the actors did one heck of a job making it seem conversational. If there was just a direction to go in and bullet-points were to be hit and they just ad-libbed everything, even more impressive.  The scene in the attic was especially freaky!!  My favorite part had to be the end (after the credits?, I don't quite remember) with (I think) Bob.  In what I do there are TONS of post-apocalyptic stories out there; authors have to constantly come up with new angles to keep it fresh.  Same thing with found footage films.  Play Hooky kept it fresh. It's a genre that can go wrong very easily (in my opinion), but not so here.  And just like a Disney film it's great for all ages!  LOL!  Seriously though.  It's perfect for high schoolers because, duh.  It's great for college age because they all wish they were back in high school.  And it's great for us older folks because it brings back memories of skipping school.  The ride in the car down the street after they all meet up reminded me of many times a guy from work and I went driving around Pound Ridge to find all these haunted houses, cemeteries in the woods, satanic cult houses, and other stuff.  The natural lighting in that scene was eerily reminiscent as a matter of fact."

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- Bob Chapman  AMAZON.COM  (4 out of 5 Stars)