I've Been Waiting for You (1998)

A Spooky Made-For-TV Movie That Keeps You Interested

First, I have to admit. I'm a sucker for "Monday Night Movies". I've watched many of them starring some of the top tv stars of their time.

I actually didn't catch I've Been Waiting For You on it's original run, but caught it much later. The film caught me from the beginning, as the story was intriguing.

The film opens with the narration of a legend about a witch who was killed by members of her own town. We are then brought into the present in the same town, witnessing a single Mom and her daughter (played by Markie Post of Night Court, and Sarah Chalke from Roseanne and Scrubs) moving into a new house. The young lady, Sarah Zoltanne, is into the New Age and is quickly drawn to the history of her home and the town with the help of her new friend, but school outcast, Charlie.

Sarah is immediately labeled as a witch at her school due to the strange things she is able to do (which leaves the audience wondering...is she really a witch?), and the school popular gang is determined to run her out of town. The film continues on a wild ride of twists and turns, complete with a masked man in a cloak reminiscent of Scream.

For a made-for-tv movie, this is really enjoyable. There is not any gore, which does not deter from the plot of the film. You can also enjoy Sarah Chalke lip-syncing and dancing to the great song "The World Outside" by The Devlins. For a fun night in with the girls, or even for a date, pop this movie in and have some fun. The film will keep you wondering until the end, and not until the very end do you truly find out who the real Sarah is......

February 6, 2008

Great spooky fun!

This movie has got it all -- great cast, really good acting, creepy setting, suspense, etc.

I am a major sucker for witch movies, and this one is up there in my list of top favorites. No, it's not an award winner, but it sure goes into my personal hall of fame. September 22, 2007

The plot is out there but the movie is great

The plot is way out there but the movie is great over all. A lot of wonderful acting and a great look at the Salem Witch Trials. If you take an interest in the mysterious then this movie is for you. If you don't then get another one.

Penny Lane March 12, 2006

Pretty sorry excuse for a teen slasher film

This is probably one of the worst horror flicks I have ever seen. I first saw it when I was really young and thought it was pretty scary so when i saw it in the video store other day I thought I'd see how well it held up. Well it didn't at all. When I was little the mask seemed so scary now it just seems stupid. There are a lot of things that work against this movie. First of all is the killer, if you could even call it that. The "killer" doesn't really kill anyone. It seems as if he/she about to kill one girl but before he/she has a chance she dies from fright which is lame. The killer has these long sharp claws that he/she made but everytime he/she swings at someone with them he/she misses them then when he/she has the perfect chance to use them to kill someone he/she doesn't do it! Second of all is the predictability of it all. When the killer first appears there's no doubt to who it is. Third is the plot. The plot is just lame. The whole someone has come back to take revenge for past wrongs has been done many times over. Fourth is the characters. How many older teens do you know throw freakin costume parties without any drinking involved? I'm not saying I condone teen drinking but please make it more realistic. Fifth is some of the horrible dialogue. Example: The killer has got a girl around the neck. The girl says, "Please don't kill me!" then the killer says, "Something much worse." then cuts her face a little bit with his/her claws as the girl screams "Not my face!" Please thats just stupid. Sixth and lastly the ending. The ending sucked. I felt that it cheated me but considering the rest of the movie I wasn't suprised. The explanation for the whole thing is so convoluted that it's ridiculous. Also the big showdown scene lacks suspense. For all my complaining I did see potential for an excellent movie. If had changed a few elements it could've been an excellent entry into the teen slasher genre instead of a wannabe Scream.

PLOT:
A teen from California named Sarah Zultan(Sarah Chalke) moves to Massachusettes with her mom. She has an interest in the occult and a smart mouth. The members of the Descendents Club(Kyra, Eric, Debbie, Kevin, and Misty) all begin to believe she is a reincarnation of a witch who swore revenge on their 5 ancestors 300 years earlier. There are a few suprises thrown when the weird loser of the school Charlie(Ben Foster)reveals to Sarah that he's also a member of the Descendents Club but the others believe there are only five descendents.

CAST:
I'm not going through the whole cast in this review because no one in the cast did an outstanding job in their roles and most of them will probably not be landing anymore acting gigs outside of crap like this. The three most well known are probably Sarah Chalke from the Roseanne, Soleil Moon Frye from Punky Brewster and Ben Foster who actually has been getting a few roles in Hollywood these days.

FINAL WORD:
This is a below average entry in the teen slasher genre. I doubt it will scare anyone over 12. October 2, 2005

A decent thriller that could have been a very good one.

*SPOLERS*

"I've been waiting for you" is one of those movies that could have been something much more. This was originally a Tv-movie for lifetime and then, in later years, was released on DVD. The cover of the film markets the film as a teen slasher flick, which is what it should have been. I think the producers of the movie forgot that in order for a movie to be a slasher movie, the killer has to actually kill people, which is where the film failed. Even if they wanted to keep the movie "Tv-friendly" or "PG-13" they still could have killed off the cast. That's what should have happened to move the plot along. The first half of this movie was pretty good. It was entertaining, but then the movie shifts gear, in order to prepare for it finale. Which is fine, but the killer just basically chased people around for the rest of the movie. I mean, by the end of the movie, I kinda felt cheated. But anyway, it's actually quite clever and the plot is interesting. If this film had the violence and gore it needed, it could have definetly been a standout slasher flick.

Direction: C-
Acting: B-
Fun: B-
Plot: B-
Special Effects: N/A
Overall: C+

Rated: "PG-13" For Terror Violence August 27, 2004

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