213 Bones Review: A Nostalgic Good Time!
There is no other place as freeing as a college campus. No parents, no curfews, no social rules, and most importantly, a time when one gets to decide where their future is headed. WIth all of this new found freedom, it is no wonder college kids find themselves in a number of predicaments on and off campus. Patty (Allegra Sweeney), Lisa (Luna Fujimoto), Eric (Liam Woodrum), Joanna (Simone Lockhart), Candice (Toni Weiss), Brent (Hunter Nance), Jill (Elizabeth O’Brien), and Clyde ( Mason Kennerly) are eight forensic anthropology students (plus Bob, Dean Cameron, the only older adult) all in the same class taught by Professor Kelly (Colin Egglesfield). When they are given a group assignment they begin to work together, leading them to study in the library.
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However, when one of their classmates is found dead, brutally murdered by an unknown killer, the rest of them must not only uncover who is behind it, but also figure out how they will survive by the end of the week. 213 Bones pays homage to the 90s slasher, both in its script and film techniques that make it a “cozy” slasher that falls back to a more nostalgic time but not without the gruesome effects and a killer look to go along with it.
213 Bones has a seamless incorporation of its 90s elements. It never feels forced by adding in 90s slang, music every scene, or the placement of gadgets to draw a picture of the time period. Rather the film is constructed in a way that allows it to be placed alongside other 90s horror, blending in rather than trying to stand out for its inspirations. Today we see many movies and TV shows try to emulate the 80s, for example, adding elements that instead feel like they are holding up a sign saying “in case you were wondering, this takes place in the 80s!” Often this feels cheap, trying to tell us through props and clothes rather than show us through cinematic technique.
Primm’s film is able to mirror 90s cinema by creating a film that feels part of it rather than copying it. The set design throughout immaculately simulates the time period in its scenes in houses, at the school, and at the local diner by creating an aura that feels like a step back into millennials’ young adulthood where mundane places gave us a sense of hominess amongst friends after school let out.
The film’s nostalgic lo-fi type cinematography gives it a more lived in ambience that digital films have so much trouble achieving. However, 213 Bones nails a physical film image that allows its audience to reminisce seeing slashers in theaters with films burns in the corner every so often. The score is composed beautifully as if it was stripped right out of Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer. Its ominous composition highlights each scene of confusion amongst the characters and action during its slasher kills.
The aspect of ‘213 Bones’ that makes it most memorable are its band of college characters that play into some of the conventional slasher stereotypes but in a more balanced and unifying way. There is everything from the “bad boy” and his bro within Clyde and Eric that links Joanna together with them as Eric’s girlfriend. Joanna and Candace are friendly, bringing them together with Patty, our workaholic, Lisa, our edgy scholar, and Jill. Brent, who has more of the brains of the group, feels in line with everyone during the project that allows all eight characters to feel connected but also established in their pairings and groups too.
There is no guessing which characters will bite the dust next as they are all developed within the script to feel like a main part of the story. The payoff feels right in line with the genre it is emulating and makes it that much more enjoyable on rewatches. 213 Bones is a step back into the past in the most complimentary way possible.
‘213 Bones (2025)’ Rating – 3.5/5
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