The Curse of Downers Grove

"High school can be murder."

2015 1h 29m EN

💀

4.6

SKIP

★4.6TMDB · 76

ThrillerMysteryHorrorDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The town of Downers Grove looks like your average suburban neighborhood -- but Downers Grove has a disturbing secret.... For the past eight years, one senior from every high school graduating class has met a bizarre death right before graduation day. And this year, Chrissie Swanson has a terrible feeling that she is going to be the one to die. Can Chrissie survive the curse of Downers Grove or will she, like those seniors before her, fall prey to the town's deadly secret?

“High school can be murder.”

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Cast

Bella Heathcote
Chrissie Swanson
Lucas Till
Bobby
Helen Slater
Diane
Penelope Mitchell
Tracy
Mark L. Young
Ian
Zane Holtz
Guy
Tom Arnold
Charlie
Kevin Zegers
Chuck

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Derick Martini
Writers: Bret Easton Ellis, Derick Martini
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Derick Martini, shot by Frank Godwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Pinar Toprak. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kayla Pagliarini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bella Heathcote and Lucas Till and Helen Slater carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "High school can be murder.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Derick Martini directs. Frank Godwin behind the camera. Pinar Toprak scores. Kayla Pagliarini cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released 11 years ago.
4Directed by Derick Martini, shot by Frank Godwin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Pinar Toprak. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Kayla Pagliarini shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bella Heathcote and Lucas Till and Helen Slater carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "High school can be murder.".
9IMDB entry: tt1772261 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 76 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "high school", "self-defense", "car mechanic", "graduation".