The
road to hell is
paved with bisexual teenage girls. At least,
that's the lesson gleaned from Hollywood in the last few years.
The teen movie is a money-making machine in Hollywood. From
Grease and Back to the Future in the 80's,
to American Pie and Scream in the 90's, to
the post-millennium teen movie spoofs Scary Movie and
Not Another Teen Movie, teen movies generate millions
of dollars in Hollywood and are well-known for influencing the
values, opinions, and trends of the teenagers who watch them.
While
many films aimed at teenagers push the envelope on a number
of social issues like class (Pretty and Pink and Some
Kind of Wonderful) and interracial dating (10 Things
I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance), they
also play it safe by consistently focusing on white, middle-class,
heterosexual teenagers in familiar environments (school, suburban
after-school get-togethers, the prom, etc.).
There
are notable exceptions such as Kids and All Over
Me, but these tend to be indie flicks with limited distribution,
or movies about teens for an adult audience.
The
teen psychological thriller is just one subset of the overall
teen genre, but one which provides some of
the most interesting commentary on teenage culture and society.
This group includes films like Final Destination, Disturbing
Behavior, and New Best Friend, and is not be to
be confused with teen slasher films like Scream and
I Know What You Did Last Summer, which revolve around
direct fear tactics like chasing and stabbing while the teen
psychological thriller plays on the more subtle themes of deception,
betrayal, and belonging.
And
while the plotlines might vary, you can always count on a lot
of sex and sensuality thrown in, which is where the Evil Bisexual
Girl comes in. And like the Lone Black Guy in the suspense films
of the 80’s and 90’s, you know right away the Evil
Bisexual Girl is going to come to a bad end.
