Movie Reviews

‘Tragedy Girls’ Blu-Ray Review – A Delightfully Bloody And Hilarious Spin On The Slasher Genre

By Dillon Gonzales
March 2, 2022
No Comments

Don’t you just hate when you put all of your effort into crafting a beautifully grotesque murder and everyone refuses to recognize it? This is just one of the many maddening obstacles for Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand, Deadpool) and McKayla (Alexandra Shipp, Tick, Tick…Boom!), two death-obsessed best friends self-branded as “The Tragedy Girls” who are looking to boost their social media following along with the body count in the small midwestern town of Rosedale. Director Tyler MacIntyre and co-writer Chris Lee Hill follow in the footsteps of masterpieces of satiric horror such as Scream with their incredibly enjoyable 2017 feature Tragedy Girls. The protagonists of this tale crave what most modern teenagers desire, only their approach requires a cleanup crew.

The opening moments of this film play like a postcard from “Anytown, USA” as a young couple attempt to get a bit closer to one another on their version of Lover’s Lane. The rustling outside of their classic car provides the tell-tale sign for horror fans that someone is about to be killed. It all seems very quaint until the illusion of the picturesque setting is shattered by some modern takedowns of the man’s masculinity over his refusal to go investigate the source of the noise. These are standard tropes, and, when the handsome young man does leave the car, the expected happens when the masked killer emerges from the darkness. The ensuing chase with the young lady is where things get interesting, as the finale of most slasher films acts as the beginning of our story. The “final girl” turns the table on the local killer, Lowell (Kevin Durand, The Strain), as Sadie and McKayla capture and imprison him to use his notoriety to their advantage and solidify their own legacy on the internet while satiating their interest in the macabre.

Shipp and Hildebrand are truly magnetic in these dual lead roles of childhood best friends who redefine what it means to “ride or die.” Rather than portray these girls as social outcasts, they are actually shown to be essential to their high school ecosystem: they are both cheerleaders, they head up the prom-planning committee, etc. The nimble ways in which they pep up their appearance to the world before delighting in planning the next steps of their deadly master plan is very impressive. The police, headed by local sheriff (Timothy V. Murphy), try to keep public awareness at bay, much to the chagrin of our titular duo, but you cannot keep such a determined pair down and out of the spotlight.

Where this film excels is in the ways in which it balances the horror elements with the comedy. Our leads are very enthusiastic in dispatching their victims, but a large part of the time their plans sound better than the reality of the situation. Sometimes the victim survives his car crash, or maybe there is not enough time to let that sedative take effect? Or worse, maybe feelings start to cloud their “worse” judgment? Watching these two scramble in the moment leads to some incredibly funny, extremely gory situations that will have you cackling in delight. A prime example of this is an attack that takes place in a shop class during after school hours – let’s just say there are some Final Destination-esque coincidences that will make you squirm in delight.

Proper credit should also be given to the ensemble who show up for a good time, but not a long time. Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise) is note-perfect as a clueless “cool guy” who has the social clout that Sadie and McKayla so desperately want. The way in which he says nothing of substance in such an alluring manner is truly a gift. Craig Robinson (The Office) also takes on the role of the hunky town firefighter who aims to take the killer to task. Every single line he delivers, along with how others react to him, is comedy gold. Kevin Durand has always been great at playing tough, weird guys, so casting him as a dim-witted, malicious serial killer is just what you like to see.

Tragedy Girls may not break new ground when it comes to satirizing the perils of social media, but it delights in tackling the subject with gusto nonetheless. It can be difficult enough to make a comedic horror movie work on both of the levels it is trying to satisfy, and the fact that this film succeeds while also having larger social relevance is exciting. Tyler MacIntyre has crafted a powerful tale of friendship taken to the extreme. High school can be hell, and it helps to have someone who understands you by your side – even if it ends in tragedy for others.

Video Quality

Tragedy Girls comes to Blu-Ray with a really gorgeous 1080p video presentation after previously being available in a more bare-bones release in 2018. The basic master is the same but the file size and encoding are better on this new release. The presentation provides a significant amount of depth on display, especially in the interior classroom shots. The production design from the houses of each girl to the abandoned hideout where they hide Lowell, along with the fabrics of clothing, provide crystal clear textural details. The image is clean with the nuanced color palette popping off the screen. The film employs nice splashes of bold colors within the production design, which makes for a very striking image. The black levels are appropriately deep and inky with no discernible digital noise. The flesh tones are natural with a magnificent amount of detail present in close-ups, especially in the bloody aftermath of certain kills. It would have been so fun to get this on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, but this Blu-Ray is a top-tier representation of this movie.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a stellar DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that recreates these bloody situations perfectly. There is very little in the way of hard-hitting moments outside of a few tussles, but the environmental sounds of the world engage the surround speakers in a really effective way. When the characters are setting a trap or staking out a kill, there are some really nice ambient details that flesh out the setting. Dialogue is the driving force of the film, and it always comes through crisp and clear without being clipped by any competing sounds. This is a film that utilizes music really well from the great collection of songs to the score, all of which really shines on this disc. The music in the film fills the speakers in a wonderful, well-balanced way. Certain sound effects engage the low end of the track in a way that provides some nice texture to the proceedings. The audio track is an excellent sounding presentation for this feature in all respects.

Special Features

Audio Commentary #1: Director Tyler MacIntyre and Co-Writer Chris Lee Hill deliver an informative and entertaining commentary track in which they discuss the development of the movie, finding the performers that worked for the film, the various allusions and gags they pepper throughout the film, obstacles they overcame during production, the special effects and more. This is the sole feature from the original 2018 release.

Audio Commentary #2: Authors and academics Kat Ellinger, Lindsay Halam and Miranda Corcoran deliver a new commentary track in which they keenly analyze and comment on how the film plays with the genre, the feminist aspects of the story, the symbolic nature of various shots, the use of social media and more. This is a very thorough look at the film which should be greatly appreciated by those who love it.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Red-Band Trailer: The more hardcore two-minute trailer is provided here.

Red Carpet at Screamfest 2017: An eight-minute look at the cast and creative team arriving at the film’s premiere where they are asked various questions about the film including mask preferences, their favorite horror movies, favorite scenes to shoot and more.

Q&A at Screamfest 2017: A 15-minute Q&A from the premiere is provided in which the cast and creative team discuss what drew them to the project, how the film tackles social media, favorite moments on set, their love for the genre and more. It is fun to see almost everyone represented here and giving some amusing answers to the inconsistent questions.

Interview with Director Tyler MacIntyre: A new 12-minute conversation with MacIntyre is provided in which he discusses the genesis for the project, why he wanted to shake up the genre, the aesthetic of the film, overall themes and character traits and more.

Interview with Co-Writer Chris Lee Hill: A new nine-minute conversation with Hill in which he discusses the development of the script, the feedback they got from loved ones, female horror fans and more.

Conversation with Director Tyler MacIntyre: A 35-minute conversation with MacIntyre from 2017 in which he discusses the general ideas behind the film, the Americana aspects of the production design, the process of filming on location, executing the death scenes, the underlying sense of doom woven into the visuals of the film and more.

Cheerleaders, Hottie Deaths & Cars: A five-minute behind-the-scenes piece which shows the performers practicing their cheers along with a glimpse of a production meeting about the car stunt and more.

The Most Gruesome Deaths: An eight-minute look at how the creative team pulled off some of the gnarly deaths in the film. It is fun to see how much preparation goes into each element along with comparisons of the script to the finished product.

Movie Magic – Raw Footage vs. Finished Sequence: A two-minute look at the processing of filming some violent elements compared to what we see in the film.

Raw Behind The Scenes Footage: A 40-minute collection of footage from the production which includes some of the elements from the previous few supplements.

Shooting The Motorcycle Crash: A nearly six-minute look at how the team pulled off filming the motorcycle crash.

Costume Sketches & Fitting: A four-minute look at some of the early costume designs along with photos from the initial fitting.

Mask Designs & Camera Tests: A three-minute piece which does the same for the masks in the film.

Special Makeup Effects Photo Gallery: A nearly three-minute collection of some of the raw special effects makeup developed for the film.

Selected Storyboards: An eight-minute collection of storyboards are provided here.

Final Thoughts

Tragedy Girls is a deliriously fun time that balances the horrific with the hilarious in a way that works really well. The two lead performances are incredibly committed and charismatic in a way that has you rooting for them even when they are perpetrating heinous acts. The film has a strong command of pace, and it establishes itself as a feature you can watch again and again without becoming bored. Gunpowder & Sky and Vinegar Syndrome have released an outstanding new Blu-Ray featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and a stellar selection of supplemental features. If you are a fan of this film, you owe it to yourself to pick this up. Highly Recommended

Tragedy Girls is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Gunpowder & Sky and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.