The Horror Show
The Debutantes
by Prime Cruz
I love “mean girl” movies so much, it's a guilty pleasure. Heathers, Jawbreaker, Mean Girls, they're all so great. When I stumbled across The Debutantes on Prime, I knew I had to review it! Nothing speaks to me more than murder and mean girls!
The Debutantes is a Filipino horror movie about a shy, abused teenage girl named Kate. Kate has suffered a painful past: an abusive stepfather who went too far. He killed her mother and then died himself, leaving Kate alone. Well, not completely alone. Kate has Wena. Wena is like her little sister. Wena is always there for Kate and Kate is there for Wena.
One day, Lara, one of the more popular girls and a neighbor to Kate, asks for Kate's help with math. Kate agrees and helps Lara get a B on the next assignment. Lara thanks Kate by inviting her to Jenny's, the head popular girl, birthday party. Kate and Jenny happen to share a birthday. Lara begs and Kate says yes. Of course, the mean girls aren't having any of this and prank poor Kate. She runs home and tells Wena everything that happened. The following days spell disaster for those who had wronged Kate as a mysterious entity starts killing the mean girls off one by one. Is it Kate? Is it someone avenging her?
I really identify with Kate. I was the weird, quiet, creepy girl growing up. I knew how it felt to be left out. Kate's story is heartbreaking and touching. I also noticed that it had a very similar feel to another shunned and abused girl, Carrie White. Too bad Kate doesn't have telekinesis. I'm pretty sure I would be down for a Filipino remake of Carrie.
The Debutantes is so good. It has sympathetic characters and a fantastic story. It's obviously not an American film. It's got a real slow pace. I've seen a couple of Filipino horror movies and they're all slow, but it's not necessarily a bad slow. It builds tension and I kind of like it.
If you are into foreign horror and don't mind a slow burn movie, give The Debutantes a watch. It's a great little flick full of interesting turns that you may not be expecting! It's available on Amazon Prime. Check it out!
Robin Thompson, HMS
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