Satan's School for Girls (2000)

Satan's School for Girls (2000) * 1/2 (out of 4) Bland made-for-TV remake of the 1973 movie has Shannen Doherty playing Beth Hammersmith, a woman who checks herself into a college soon after her sister commits suicide. Beth doesn't believe her sister would kill herself so she goes to her old school to try and see if anything was going on and sure enough Satan has some evil deeds. The original 1973 movie really wasn't all that good so a remake could have fixed some of the problems but that doesn't happen here and what we're left with is something that makes the original look a lot better than it actually is. Very little in regards to the story has been changed here and while the setting has been updated that's pretty much it. If you've seen the original movie then you're going to see all the twists here coming a mile away and this includes everything at the end of the film. The biggest problem this time out is that it's one of those made-for-TV movies that try to come off "cool" instead of good. I say that because there's no question this movie was trying to appeal to teenage girls and since I'm not one perhaps some might feel I have no business judging the film. I personally don't buy into that and it's really not my fault that the filmmakers thought it would be better to appeal to one group and not to everyone and try to deliver an actual good movie. There's no atmosphere to be found here, the scares are non-existent and the CGI effects are some of the worst you're going to see. Doherty doesn't come off too well as she sleepwalks through the role and none of the supporting players leap off the screen with the exception of Taraji P. Henson. Kate Jackson, who appeared in the original, has a cameo here. SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS features annoying people doing annoying things and the movies just not good enough to sit through all of that.

I watched this film on Cable in Sydney here we have Foxtel and when I saw that Shannen Doherty was in this film I thought I'll watch it as it might be interesting, well it was Shannen Doherty makes you feel like she takes you in the film and you feel quite involved. She takes her acting seriously and does a good job and has proved to be an excellent actress. Not like the days of 90210 (which I enjoyed) which she got bad press for and charmed but I also liked her in Charmed it suited her. I hope to see her in more films as she has great potential. She has a natural beauty that most other actresses would need to get under the knife for. And so what if she does a lot of this types of films, series, they cast her she makes it she must be hot and it pays the rent doesn't it. Shannen - You Go Girl.

Remaking TV shows as big-screen movies is one thing (what makes a TV show a less justifiable source of material than a book or play or something? That's snobbery for you - as Lily Tomlin said, when you read a lot you're well read, but when you watch a lot of TV you're not well viewed), but when you start to remake TV movies, it's hard not to wonder if someone's pushing it.Not having seen the original I have no idea if it's an improvement over the new "Satan's School For Girls," but I wouldn't be surprised if it was - much-maligned though TV movies are, you can find some gems there like "The Jericho Mile," "Son of the Morning Star," "The Day After," "The Night Stalker," "The Executioner's Song," "Pursuit," "Brian's Song" (which was just redone for TV) and "Duel" (which as long as Steven Spielberg is around will probably never be). But this tale, which like the original was made by Aaron Spelling's company, is sadly a lot closer to tosh like "Amazons," "Manhunt," "Fer-de-Lance" and "Detour To Terror.""Sleeping with your history professor is so cliched," one of Shannen Doherty's friends says of the Julie Benz character in a pot/kettle/black moment, since she herself is a loudmouthed African-American student at the college around which the "action" revolves. With writing one step up from "Scooby-Doo," a hole-filled plot, chintzy effects (like the red eyes symbolizing that the crows, dogs etc are from the devil), acting that won't give the cast of "The West Wing" any sleepless nights and the worst disguising of locations since "The Frighteners" failed to convincingly pass off New Zealand as California (the movie's supposed to be set in Washington State, but it's all too obvious well before the end credits that it was filmed in Canada - Montreal, to be exact), this movie is everything people who hate "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" think that fine show is - silly, cheesy, and laughable. In truth, barring cast member Benz the two have nothing in common, including quality.Watch "The Craft" instead. Or "Charmed." Or "Bewitched." Or "Sabrina the Teenage Witch." Or even a Winsome Witch cartoon. Or, even, the original movie.

"Satan's School For Girls" never came on tv here in Australia- It was a straight to video movie...and I wouldn't watch it again. I can't believe I paid $7.50 for this "movie"- a title it does not earn, because I am under the impression that films are art...this is *not* art of any kind. I watched this flick with two girl pals and my boyfriend, and we spent the 82 minutes(or 84, whatever it is)pulling apart everything from Aaron Spelling (yeah, I like to rag on him) to special effects. It was full of cliches, and things so coincidental that you just had to laugh- things like having a boys college right across from the girls' one, smashing lightbulbs with telekenisis etc. It was predictable right to the bottom line- it took us about 15 minutes to realise that the gothic girls were really harmless, and that the "good" girls, the sorority types were the truly evil ones.The special effects are pretty lame- alot of zapping here and there, setting people on fire- real cheesy stuff. Most of the cast lacked true talent, except of course Shannen Doherty, although I don't feel she's really doing herself any justice at all by having her name connected to this piece of "art". I also think she should steer away from anymore occult or witchy/supernatural themes- she's molding herself into these kind of characters, and generally that isn't a good thing. See this if you're totally desperate, otherwise don't bother.