Movie Review – Bad Kids Go to Hell (2012)

The initial premise of Bad Kids Go to Hell (2012), directed by Matthew Spradlin, sounds like a surefire winner: mix The Breakfast Club (1985) with a whodunit mystery, and throw in a cameo by Judd Nelson as the crotchety principal. Based upon Spradlin and Barry Wernick’s popular graphic novel of the same name, it’s a promising recipe for an entertaining horror comedy. What could go wrong?

Well, most of it. Judd Nelson’s cartoonish lines fail muster any enjoyable nostalgia, and most of the cast is unable to rise above their trite dialogue. The plot gets increasingly ludicrous, particularly as the so-called “twists” are being unraveled. The movie overall comes off as fairly sloppy, especially in the sound design where the blaring music sometimes drowns out the actors’ voices. And what’s with all the CGI cockroaches that are ever-present but never explained?

Is there anything to like about this film? Well, the sexy redhead does a striptease, so that’s one minute of the film that many viewers will not mind. However, if the price of admission is the rest of the film, audiences may want to pass.

Grade: D-