The late 2000s was awash with true-crime miniseries, documentaries, and podcasts, a development that continues at the moment with the likes of Ryan Murphy’s Monsters anthology sequence, which most not too long ago coated the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez. And there is at all times been a gradual stream of slasher films out there for individuals who need bloody leisure with out the real-life baggage — however what number of films mix the 2 genres into one twistedly enjoyable journey? Tyler MacIntyre‘s criminally missed 2017 teen slasher Tragedy Ladies does precisely that, turning our morbid obsession with real-life murders into the goal of biting commentary whereas nonetheless reveling within the inherent enjoyable of the slasher style. Like Cory Finley’s Thoroughbreds, Tragedy Ladies places a darkly humorous spin on following the journey of budding psychopaths, performed right here by Alexandra Shipp and Brianna Hildebrand, whereas additionally including in queer undertones and the exaggerated, pitch-black humor and violence of Heathers for a refreshing remix on a typical teen slasher.

What Is ‘Tragedy Ladies’ About?

Tragedy Ladies is a wonderfully darkish comedy that explores society’s fascination with serial killers and true crime. McKayla (Shipp) and Sadie (Hildebrand) share this obsession and run a true-crime Twitter web page from which the film will get its title, however they’re determined for extra followers. Collectively, they scheme to rent a recognized serial killer (Kevin Durand) to commit murders particularly so McKayla and Sadie can cowl them on their podcast. Issues don’t fairly work out as they deliberate, however the two ladies show they’re simply as proud of elevating their physique rely as they’re with elevating their social media followers.

What makes McKayla and Sadie stand out from different films that skewer the obsession with on-line fame is the truth that the ladies have already got the urge to homicide; their obsessions with fame and killing are equal somewhat than one inflicting the opposite. Tragedy Ladies is not simply one other takedown of influencer tradition, however as an alternative very particularly makes use of these tropes to scathingly critique the true crime obsession that has turn out to be so prevalent. By making the protagonists each followers of true crime and the perpetrators of stated crimes, the film comedically factors out the ethical ambiguity of getting such a gleeful curiosity in real-life murders and tragedies.

‘Tragedy Ladies’ Is a Fashionable ‘Heathers’ However Additionally So A lot Extra

It’s straightforward to attract a line between Tragedy Ladies and Michael Lehmann’s 1988 cult basic Heathers. Each films deal with the brutality of homicide with an over-the-top absurdity, and, like Heathers did with Christian Slater’s J.D., Tragedy Ladies makes use of the eagerness of McKayla and Sadie to killto play up the black humor. The 2 are additionally dissatisfied when the dying of one in every of their victims is dominated unintentional, paralleling how the victims in Heathers are worshipped much more after their staged suicides. Their serial killer character even has the identical final title as Michael Lehmann, the director of Heathers.

However there’s extra to Tragedy Ladies than simply the tongue-in-cheek humor of Lehmann’s movie; it’s additionally harking back to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope as a result of the sturdy queer undertones between its two leads (and their fascination with homicide). Rope doesn’t explicitly say that its two protagonists are in a relationship, however the mannerisms of the characters strongly suggest they’re greater than mates; it’s additionally primarily based on a play the place the characters are, the truth is, explicitly queer. Tragedy Ladies additionally implies that its essential characters share greater than a platonic love by having them present bodily affection, like holding fingers and leaning on one another and framing a short falling out like a break-up. McKayla even describes them as “the identical particular person” due to how properly they complement one another: she feeds into Sadie’s darkish urges, whereas Sadie is aware of when to drag McKayla again from letting those self same urges take full management.

The chemistry between the 2 characters is one other supply of the movie’s humor, and the juxtaposition of their cheery attitudes and the atrocities wherein they participate will make you chuckle and wince on the identical time. If you happen to’re on the lookout for a contemporary spin on the tried-and-true formulation of horror comedies, otherwise you’re frightened your true-crime obsession is getting out of hand, pause the Crime Junkie podcast and take a look at Tragedy Ladies.

Tragedy Ladies is offered to stream within the U.S. on Peacock.

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