‘Detention’ is a Chaotic Sendup of Slasher Tropes and Teen Movies [The Overlook Motel]
Welcome to The Overlook Motel, a place where under-seen and unappreciated films are given their moment in the spotlight. I hope you enjoy your stay here and find the accommodations to be suitable. Now, please take a seat and make yourself comfortable, I have some misbehaving guests to ‘correct’.
In the latest installment of The Overlook Motel, I’m looking back at Joseph Kahn’s Detention, a slasher film that the world probably wasn’t ready for in 2012. Accordingly, it didn’t really find its audience upon release. The flick received mixed critical reviews and fans were divided. Ten years on from the film’s debut, I think the world is ready for it. The way Detention constantly riffs on ‘90s nostalgia makes it feel like it could have been made in 2022.
The film sees the principal of Grizzly Lake High School sentencing everyone involved in a viral video linked to the deaths of two students to Saturday detention. But while serving their sentence, the teens discover their world is about to end. But maybe the fact that the school’s bear mascot is actually a time machine will save the day…?
One thing first time viewers should know before watching Detention is that it is nothing, if not chaotic. Kahn got his start directing music videos and that much is apparent in Detention. The flick is fast-paced and manic like a music video. And if you don’t keep your eyes glued to the screen, you’re sure to miss something.
Also Read: 5 Meta Horror Films That Deserve Their Moment in the Spotlight
The storyline is overly complex and circles back around on itself in such a way that you almost need a map to put the pieces of the fractured timeline together. But that isn’t due to sloppy filmmaking. The complexity is very much by design. It feels perfectly suited to the chaotic nature of the narrative. Just like the teenage brain, this film moves at 90 miles a minute.
Between the complex timeline, the constant barrage of one-liners, the meta in jokes, and the slasher film sendups, one couldn’t possibly digest everything this film has to offer in a single visit. As such, Detention has infinite replay value. You’re likely to pick up something new (or many somethings) each time you revisit.
The picture’s hyperactive pace is complimented by a soundtrack that really slaps (Did I say that right? I think I did). The audience is treated to a series of nostalgic faves, ranging from Hole to Goldfinger and everything in between. And I really mean everything. If ska/punk/grunge isn’t your scene, there are also plenty of songs from the teen pop stars of the ‘90s to satiate your nostalgia quotient. Just about anyone that grew up in the age of Nirvana is likely to dig the carefully-curated musical accompaniment featured in Detention.
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In addition to a great soundtrack, the film also scores points by subverting expectations at every turn. It instantly dispatches the character the audience likely expects the film to center on. It then subs in Riley, a bit of an outcast that hasn’t quite figured out where she fits in. That unexpected turn of events pays off in big ways. First, the audience quickly learns that anything can happen; no one is safe in this film. Secondly, Riley has a great arc and serves as a likable protagonist in a picture largely populated by vapid characters with no depth.
If I still haven’t convinced you of the film’s collective merits, allow me to say that Detention feels something like The Breakfast Club crossed with Scream and Mean Girls. It is a loving sendup of slasher films and teen movies that delights in reveling in the very same tropes it is simultaneously lampooning.
If Detention sounds like it may be up your alley, it is available as a digital rental and on physical media, as of the publication of this post. I would highly recommend giving it a shot if you dig meta horror and have a soft spot for teen films. If you make a point to check out Detention, please be sure to let us know your thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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