Yet another attempt to unite American high-schoolers with copious blood and guts that takes a familiar route of saturating its characters with as much horror-movie-related knowingness as actual gore. A convoluted set-up notwithstanding - a bunch of teens attempt to scare their schoolmates by claiming a local murderer is living among them - Cry Wolf turns swiftly into a who-do-you-believe scare story.

The baleful influence of Wes Craven's Scream hovers over almost everything that happens, but Cry Wolf has neither its predecessor's wit nor its sheer nastiness. The biggest surprise is that dewy-eyed lead actor Julian Morris - fresh out of the RSC - is allowed to keep his English accent.