Stay Alive

In a plot obviously inspired by the Nightmare on Elm Street series, William Brent Bell's Stay Alive finds players who die in the titular video game also biting the proverbial dust in the real world (once the players catch on, of course, they scramble to defuse the game before becoming its victims). The malevolent force behind the mayhem is Elizabeth Bathory-Nadasdy, a 17th-century Hungarian countess, sometimes referred to as a female vampire due to her habit of bathing in the blood of young women. No doubt realizing that staying within the video game format onscreen would make for dreary viewing, the filmmakers eventually take the players out into the wider world. Unfortunately, this proves to be logically disastrous, since once the survivors wind up at some sort of unexplained Louisiana recreation of the countess' European castle with the half-ghost, half-reincarnated noblewoman pursuing them in semi-corporeal form, the established rules are simply chucked out the window, and characters who aren't even playing the game are killed. It's especially depressing to watch Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) flailing around in this mess (one can almost sympathize with his recent decision to give up acting and become a racecar driver). Despite the title, this would-be thriller is definitely D.O.A. Not recommended. [Note: Available in either unrated widescreen or a PG-13 full screen version, DVD extras include a pointless interactive character selection feature: equip each one with the right shirt and weapon and that will lead you to the same set of bonus features available from the main menu—namely, audio commentary by writer-director William Brent Bell and co-writer/producer Matthew Peterman and a two-minute visual effects reel. Bottom line: a small extras package for a forgettable film.] (F. Swietek)