“Cry_Wolf” is a more apt title than expected

I ended up watching the DVD of “Cry_Wolf” last night (and, yes, that is the correct, clever spelling). Don’t ask why. It has to do with professionalism, etc., though sometimes I think the sacrifices this job requires of me are a bit much.

In short, the film sucks. That’s harsh, sure, but compare it to something as creepy as “Wolf Creek” or even troublingly arty as “The Devil’s Rejects.” “Cry_Wolf,” by contrast, is merely derivative. It involves a private high school, which is set on what could pass for an Ivy League campus. The 20-something actors who comprise the cast are all richie riches, the kind that you so love to watch get impaled, garroted and/or filleted.

But the plot is as obvious as Michael Bay’s budget . It’s as transparent as Casper ’s spleen. The only thing easier to figure out is Paris Hilton ’s IQ (uh, low, duh).

It says something about the quality of a film when one of the director’s two earlier short films is far better than the feature itself. But one look at the DVD extras, where you’ll find a clever short titled “The Tower of Babble,” is enough to prove that director Jeff Wadlow has some talent.

Problem is, too little of it shows up in “Cry_Wolf.”

Below: Julian Morris, Jared Padalecki and Lindy Booth “play the game” in Jeff Wadlow’s pathetic excuse for a suspense film, “Cry_Wolf.”.

Rogue Pictures publicity photo