PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In 1989, the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy was executed by electric chair in Florida. He admitted to killing at least 30 young women and young girls. On the eve of his execution, there was a tailgate party in a field across from the prison. Laura Moss’s film Fry Day uses this as a backdrop for a coming of age story about Lauryn, a girl who happens to look like one of Ted Bundy’s victims. Fry Day’s plot fascinated me and I knew I must see it.
Fry Day Synopsis:
Fry Day is the story of Lauryn, a teenager who grew up in the shadow of famous serial killer Ted Bundy and now has the opportunity to watch him die. She is taking polaroids at a makeshift tailgate party across the street from the Florida State Prison where Bundy is to be executed at dawn. Killing time until the execution, she goes out for a night of aimless driving with Keith, a high school crush. Over the course of the night, Lauryn learns that ‘monsters’ are often more subtle and familiar than the famous serial killers we so often vilify.
The film stars Elizabeth Ashley, Jordyn DiNatale, Jimi Stanton, JJ Condon and Paul Pontrelli. Directed by Laura Moss (Rising Up: The Story of the Zombie Rights Movement 2009), the film was co-written by Moss and Brendan O’Brien and produced by O’Brien and Valerie Steinberg.
Laura Moss Statement:
I love horror, although as a woman, I realize horror doesn’t always love me back. As a teenager, I watched movies depicting women as gristle for a slasher’s blade, facing my own mortality from the safety of my living room. The monsters I encounter as an adult are more subtle. They come in forms that are harder to recognize.
Fry Day is about the moment when a young girl becomes aware that evil is not as black and white as it seems; how it is easy for the more mundane monsters to stay hidden when everyone is pointed to the obvious one.
My Thoughts:
This is a fantastic film! I didn’t know what to expect. The plot intrigued me, though. I do vaguely remember the “Burn Bundy” movement before the serial killer’s execution. The cast is phenomenal and totally believable. Laura Moss captures naïve essence of a young woman who learns the hard way that people aren’t always how they appear and that monsters exist in our everyday lives. The storyline is perfection. The focus is on Ted Bundy, taking away from the actual monster of the film. I didn’t see it coming at all. If you get a chance to watch Fry Day, you should! It is one of the most original films I’ve ever seen.
Be sure to check out the trailer below.
