The shimmering surface often hides the deepest rot. Think of those perfect, sun-drenched coastal towns, the kind populated by golden youths with blinding smiles and bottomless bank accounts. It’s an image designed to seduce, to make outsiders ache with longing to belong. But sometimes, getting invited inside means stepping into a darkness you never escape. The In Crowd (2000) wraps itself in that glossy allure, promising a slick teen thriller, but beneath the polish lurks a surprisingly chilly, if often clumsy, tale of obsession and exclusion.
Welcome to the Poison Ivy League
Our window into this world is Adrien Williams (Lori Heuring), fresh out of a mental institution and eager for a clean start. She lands a job at a swanky East Coast country club, a place dripping with old money and adolescent privilege. It's here she encounters the titular "in crowd," effortlessly ruled by the magnetic, menacing Brittany Foster (Susan Ward). Brittany takes an unnerving shine to the naive Adrien, pulling her into a whirlwind of lavish parties, beach bonfires, and casual cruelty. It feels like a dream come true for Adrien, but the viewer senses the tightening knot of dread almost immediately. This isn't just about fitting in; it's about survival.
Ward's Chilling Reign
Let's be clear: the magnetic pull of The In Crowd rests almost entirely on the shoulders of Susan Ward. She crafts Brittany into a truly memorable villainess – part queen bee, part simmering sociopath. Her outward perfection is constantly undermined by a possessive stare, a subtly threatening turn of phrase. Ward channels a certain late-90s energy, reminiscent perhaps of Sarah Michelle Gellar in Cruel Intentions (1999) but infused with a more dangerous unpredictability. It's a performance that deserved a stronger film around it. Lori Heuring as Adrien effectively conveys the necessary vulnerability and creeping fear, while Matthew Settle (familiar to some from I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)) fills the role of the handsome, seemingly trustworthy love interest caught between them.
Lambert's Shadow Play
Behind the camera was Mary Lambert, a director who certainly knows her way around unsettling material, having given us the genuine chills of Pet Sematary (1989) and its arguably less effective sequel. You can occasionally feel her horror sensibilities trying to bubble through the thriller framework here – a lingering shot, a focus on claustrophobic wealth, an attempt to build paranoia. The South Carolina locations, particularly around Charleston, lend a certain sweaty, Gothic charm to the proceedings. However, the script, penned by Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin, often feels derivative, borrowing heavily from better psychological thrillers and struggling to make its twists land with genuine shock. Did that final reveal truly surprise anyone back then? It often felt like the film was telegraphing its punches.
The production itself seemed unable to catch the zeitgeist. Pitched as another entry in the successful post-Scream teen thriller cycle, The In Crowd unfortunately stumbled at the box office, recouping only about $5.2 million of its reported $15 million budget. Critically, it fared even worse, currently holding a notoriously low score on Rotten Tomatoes. Perhaps audiences by 2000 were tiring of the formula, or maybe the film's blend of teen drama and darker thriller elements felt uneven. It occupies that slightly awkward space at the turn of the millennium, feeling like a hangover from the 90s rather than something fresh.
A Tarnished Relic?
Watching The In Crowd today feels like unearthing a specific kind of artifact. It’s slicker than many 80s B-movies but lacks the knowing wit of the best 90s thrillers. There's an earnestness to its melodrama that skirts the edge of camp, yet Ward's performance injects moments of genuine unease. It captures that specific Y2K aesthetic – the fashion, the music cues, the slightly hollow glossiness that permeated pop culture at the time. I remember catching this late one night, long after its theatrical run, probably on cable, and being struck by how mean it felt beneath the sunny exterior. It wasn't particularly clever, but Brittany's chilling possessiveness stuck with me.
It's not a hidden masterpiece, nor is it likely to top anyone's list of favorite thrillers. But for fans of this particular micro-era – the late 90s/early 00s teen suspense flick – it offers a certain nostalgic curiosity. It’s a reminder of a time when studios were throwing money at glossy, youth-oriented thrillers hoping for another Wild Things (1998), often with diminishing returns.
VHS Heaven Rating: 4/10
The Score Explained: While Susan Ward delivers a standout, genuinely unsettling performance that elevates the material considerably (easily worth 2-3 points alone), the film is ultimately sunk by a predictable, derivative script and uneven execution. Mary Lambert’s atmospheric touches occasionally shine through, but they can't overcome the narrative shortcomings. It earns points for its specific Y2K mood and Ward’s memorable villainy, but loses significant ground for its lack of originality and genuine scares.
Final Thought: The In Crowd remains a fascinating failure – a thriller with a chilling central performance trapped in a story that can't quite match her intensity. It’s a footnote in the teen thriller boom, but one whose venomous queen bee still casts a long, cold shadow.