Parents' Guide to Extracurricular

The best thing about Extracurricular is Luke Goss as Sheriff Alan Gordon; he brings intensity to every scene he's in. From a parenting perspective, the movie is very dark and morbid, yet it also highlights the dangers of peer pressure and what can happen in young folks' lives when parents have no clue about what's really going on with them. It actually does a good job of depicting the search for understanding and purpose during the adolescent and young adult years.

That said, it's also full of violence and bloody gore, and it's all about teens planning murders for entertainment. There's lots of rebellion, and high schoolers try to justify their killings by saying things like "Morals are made by the weak to protect themselves." They also blow off the murder of a pregnant woman by saying "It was just a bunch of cells. It's not like we killed a squalling baby." While the acting is OK, the overall messages are often disturbing, and -- from a story perspective -- some scenes are very predictable, such as the opening sequence, which takes place at a remote log cabin. While those who get a thrill out of shrills, screams, blood, and gore may be entertained, in the context of today's social, emotional, and cultural climate, Extracurricular has some serious triggers.