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Somebody Help Me DVD Review

by Kam Williams

Omarion Heads Ensemble Cast in High Attrition-Rate Horror Flick

Since his girlfriend Serena (Brooklyn Sudano) is about to turn 21, Brendan (Marques Houston) figures what better way to celebrate the occasion than for them to spend an entire weekend with friends in his Uncle Charlie's cabin and "get drunk all day and have sex all night long." So, he invites four other couples up to Lake Arrowhead, not knowing that there's a serial killer loose in the sparsely populated wooded area.

Blissfully unaware of the gruesome fate that lies in wait for some members of their party, Brendan and Serena wax romantic about their plans during the drive up with their best friends, Darryl (Omarion) and Kimmy (Alexis Fields). "I'll be getting my freak on," Darryl announces, bristling with anticipation.

But then, soon after their arrival, Brendan can't help but notice the presence of a shadowy figure standing in the forest watching him and Serena smooching on the porch. Still, he doesn't really seem all that perturbed, so no alarm is sounded when the rest of their company show up.

These three couples, comprised of Seth (Christopher Jones) and Nicole (Jessica Szohr), Mike (Garrison Koch) and Barbara (Jessica Friedman), and Ken (Luke Fryden) and Andrea (Amanda Lee) may all be white, but they're just as ready to "get this party started!" as their hedonistic black hosts. However, it isn't long before the sicko lurking goes on his rampage, and folks start disappearing, getting picked off one-by-one.

This is the spooky point of departure for Somebody Help Me, a straight-to-video horror flick written and directed by Chris Stokes (House Party 4). Here, the normally urban-oriented maven proves himself capable of mastering a new genre, creating just the right mix of red herrings, scantily-clad coeds making ill-advised choices and macho dudes being cut down to size to keep you on the edge of your seat for the duration.

Best of all, the solution to the scary mystery is kept cleverly-concealed, although it's sad that by the time the culprit's caught, the few revelers still standing aren't in much of a mood to resume partying.

Very Good (3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 90 minutes
Studio: CodeBlack Entertainment/Universal Music & Video Distribution