Jennifer's Body

Rating

: * *

Verdict

:

Not a bad idea, but it's let down by an odd mix of humour and horror that fails to entertain.

Megan Fox (

Transformers

) does little to dispel the idea her primary talent lies in her sex-bomb looks in this comedy horror, written by

Juno

screenwriter Diablo Cody. It's not entirely her fault, there's not much to her character, a gorgeous, foul-mouthed and promiscuous cheerleader whose main interest lies in devouring men, initially as a normal teenager and then as a devil-possessed man-eating temptress.

Obviously, for those keen to feast their eyes on Fox, or watch Fox feast on others, then this is a good thing. For those after another of Cody's smart, sassy slices of real life, then

Jennifer's Body

might sound, well, just a little silly.

Once again Cody's characters are high school kids, this time they're residents of a small town aptly named Devil's Kettle. Jennifer is the stereotypical nasty cool kid, but surprisingly she's best friends with the sweet and nerdy Needy, played with comparative substance and conviction by Amanda Seyfried (

Mamma Mia!

).

Needy's role in the girls' relationship is to do what she's told, so when Jennifer suggests they hit the local bar to hear a new band play, Needy obligingly breaks a date with her boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons). It turns out to be a poor choice and a disastrous evening, culminating in Jennifer disappearing with this Satan-worshipping band, only to reappear later, bloody and possessed, in Needy's kitchen.

Jennifer's previous desire for men quickly takes on a whole new meaning, as seducing and feeding off them, literally, keeps her alive. It's Needy who can see a difference in her friend and as the shredded bodies of Jennifer's admirers pile up it's up to Needy to save the dwindling male population of Devil's Kettle.

Seasoned horror fans will handle the tension and scary bits well, there's nothing terribly new here on that front. It's the humour that might stump some , with Cody having fun with these sexy strong female characters, but failing to make it actually funny.

While

Jennifer's Body

has a wicked soundtrack and some beautifully eerie cinematography, the script isn't clever or hip enough for this to be anything other than a slightly edgier, hammed-up Hollywood horror.

Francesca Rudkin

Cast

: Amanda Seyfried, Megan Fox

Director

: Karyn Kusama

Running time:

103 mins R

Rating

: R16 (horror, violence, sex scenes and offensive language)