While the jury is still out on whether 2024 was the best year for horror movies since the 80s, we can say it did offer up some great genre entertainment. Overstuffed and hyped, this year’s horror movie slate included some qualified bangers but there might be ones that you may have missed in the shuffle.
Take, for instance, Departing Seniors which was released theatrically in February. The mixed reviews for another movie, Founders Day, may have put this film lower on people’s watchlist, that is if they even knew it existed. Thankfully if it did escape your radar, you can watch it for free on Tubi.
Before you judge, Departing Seniors is a little better than you might think. While Founders Day was a satire on politics, Departing Seniors is more upfront with its comedy while still holding on to its slasher aesthetic. It also has a supernatural element and is no worse than say It’s a Wonderful Knife or Totally Killer.
The film follows Javier, a bullied high school senior, who develops psychic abilities that he must use to stop a mysterious killer targeting his classmates. Our hero is also gay which is an undertone to its thematic throughline of hetero toxic masculinity.
If you go by reviews and score percentages, Departing Seniors holds a 63% Rotten Tomatoes score and an impressive 79% among audiences.
Dread Central said, “While the story is a bit over-stuffed, ‘Departing Seniors’ is a shining new addition to the slasher canon, one that loves the genre while also knowing what it needs to feel fresh.”
RogerEbert wasn’t as praiseworthy, “These quibbles might be more tolerable if the craft on display were more proficient, or if the pacing were more suspenseful.”
(A bit of advice: don’t listen to RogerEbert).
The film was produced by the genre label Dark Sky Films which has been producing and distributing horror films since 2008. Coincidently they are also the ones behind Founders Day.
Departing Seniors isn’t a genre changer among the cinematic claw machine prizes that 2024 offered in horror, but it’s a nifty little slasher with great performances and a humorous spirit.
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