Urban Legend appeared during a weekend where I was watching older slasher films that don't get as much attention as titles like Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, or Scream. Of these lesser-known movies, I think Urban Legend is one of the better ones; it’s more fun to watch and has a smoother feel than you might anticipate. The core idea is what matters most here, not so much the plot itself. Like Scream, which featured characters and killers who were obsessed with horror films, Urban Legend centers around urban legends—those scary stories told to make people wonder if they’re real. The concept is quite smart because these tales are meant to create fear and anxiety about whether they might be true. As one of the female leads discovers in a harsh way, getting people to believe in them isn't easy. Beyond the premise, the cast is another highlight. Putting aside their popularity from the late 90s, it’s still full of attractive actors who are clearly playing up the qualities audiences will like. Jared Leto’s character keeps you guessing about whether he’s the killer or just a distraction. Alicia Witt and Rebecca Gayheart make for believable friends with secrets they're keeping from each other. Joshua Jackson is on screen long enough to provide some of the film’s best comedic moments, while Tara Reid offers teenage boys a glimpse of cleavage as she runs through scenes. And Loretta Devine provides an authority figure who’s definitely worth supporting. The movie doesn’t try to hide its self-awareness; it acknowledges that it's silly and over-the-top, knowing you are aware of this too. It embraces that awareness and goes along with it, confident you can follow. The deaths themselves are entertaining, exciting, and inventive—which is what people generally want from a slasher film, isn’t it?

Source on TMDB