Jennifer's Body

JENNIFER’S BODY

A non-linear 2009 film, Jennifer’s Body is more a dark comedy than a horror film but boasts a few scares and a plot that revolves around a high school girl turning into a flesh-eating demon.  The tale follows Needy, the best friend of ultra-popular cheerleader Jennifer.  Needy and Jennifer check out a band at a small bar in their home town of Devil’s Kettle.  Turns out the band members worship Satan and want to sacrifice a virgin to ensure quick success in the music business.  The lead singer decides (mistakenly) that Jennifer is a virgin and targets her.  After a fire breaks out at the venue, Jennifer goes off with the band guys in their van.  Jennifer later shows up at Needy’s house covered in blood.  Needy gradually pieces together (thanks in large part to a gush of exposition from Jennifer herself) that Jennifer has become a flesh-eating demon because the band’s attempted human sacrifice did not quite work due to Jennifer not being a virgin.  Jennifer kills a few guys over the course of the tale, and then Needy kills Jennifer.  Needy stalks and murders the members of Low Shoulder (the band that sacrificed Jennifer) in a brief epilogue.

Jennifer’s Body works well on its comedic levels (I laughed out loud several times) but could have used an infusion of more horror.  You’ve got a flesh-eating demon disguised as a human teen girl at the center of your story – exploit that and really go to town with the kill scenes. Unfortunately the deaths are quite tame with a low gore factor.  The plot sounds a touch silly when summarized, but all the Satan-worshipping human-sacrifice stuff actually works in context.  I watched the unrated cut of the film and don’t know how it differs from the theatrical version.  Jennifer’s Body skimps on the scares, but it is damn entertaining.