Halloween Hangover, Day 3: Ithaca Fantastik 2017 Presents… TRAGEDY GIRLS!
Social media sites are some of the most highly visited sites on the Internet. People have friends far and wide thanks to sites like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. Sometimes they’re a gateway for people and they help advance some socialization skills prior to human interaction. You can air your grievances, profess your love, or seek the attention that you’d want in life. Tragedy Girls really hits the nail on the head when it comes to seeking attention.
Tragedy Girls is about two high schoolers who are brutal in their personal lives, but internet famous to the rest of their peers. What is their internet fame? It is reporting about the fatalities of fellow townsfolk and people they know, and acting as self proclaimed detectives releasing all the information as it breaks. But there’s a twist…
From the beginning you knew who was dominant in the movie. The two female leads, played by McKayla (Alexandra Shipp) and Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand), are fierce and they don’t take no for an answer. They each have the typical modern day high school anxieties that plague them: such as the feeling of never being good enough, not having enough followers online, and dealing with relationships.
The story opens up with a murder performed by a psychotic serial killer in town. The girls, being wannabe detectives themselves, capture the killer and hold him hostage. You think these sweet and innocent girls wouldn’t be capable of something to this extent, but they are and it doesn’t stop there. The girls want more, they yearn for the fame and popularity from their peers who follow their online brand labelled @TragedyGirls. To the viewer’s surprise, these girls take things into their own hands to increase their newfound popularity and begin to axe off people they know so they can be first on the scene to label it breaking news. Not only their peers, but their town falls for their trap and the likes, retweets, posts continue to barrage their notifications. Their bond is tested when crushes and ex boyfriends come into play. Loyalty is pushed to the limits to the point of snapping. Sadie and McKayla know where their loyalty stands in this tale of friendships, fame, and added blood.
I didn’t know what I expected going into this. I heard all great things from whispering down the lane. I tried to go in as blindly as possible, which I highly recommend. Tragedy Girls threw me for a loop. There were parts that were so bloody and gorey and took me by surprise, and it was awesome. You can tell that teen comedy films were a large influence on this satire. Clueless is the one that came to mind as an inspiration, which I have seen in multiple other opinions. Thankfully, I’m not alone on that. I couldn’t give more credit to Hildebrand and Shipp. Their dynamic and chemistry with each other made this an extremely fun watch. Cameos from Craig Robinson, Kevin Durand, and Josh Hutcherson also were a refreshing surprise. If and when you get the chance, I recommend seeing Tragedy Girls!
