The Caretaker

You know the drill by now. Take a group of obnoxious young adults. Add in some major partying and some pranks on the side. Mix in a creepy location and some creepy legends. Then comes the obligatory killer, picking off the kids one at a time. Nothing new here.

But then, you don't approach a slasher movie looking for any sort of literary aspirations. The people that like this stuff know the formula and they enjoy it just fine. Retro slashers are coming out right and left nowadays. Some are pretty good and some are pretty bad. The Caretaker is one of the better ones.

What gives The Caretaker an edge over the competition is a good score, it's above-average cinematography and the presence of Jennifer Tilly and Judd Nelson in the cast. These two well-known thesps are seen briefly in the early scenes of The Caretaker and I was convinced that both had glorified cameos that, in time-honored tradition, received star billing. I thought that they'd have their cameos and then be gone from the movie, but no, both Tilly and Nelson have fairly important roles to play later on in The Caretaker.

Funny thing about Judd Nelson...I thought he was outstanding in The Breakfast Club and I predicted that he'd be one of Hollywood's biggest stars. But it didn't seem to work out that way. He has stayed busy, sure, but I saw him as an A-List actor. On the other hand, he could have wound up playing second fiddle to The Mighty Ducks, as another member of The Brat Pack did.

Anyway, The Caretaker isn't a genre classic and if it doesn't exactly reinvent the slasher film, it's still good fun. Put yourself in the drive-in frame of mind, anticipate blood, breasts or beasts and you should have a good time with it. It's certainly better than that overhyped pile of crap Hatchet.