The Virgins

The Virgins is the first feature-length directing effort from Jennifer Trudrung. The horror-thriller is also the filmmaker’s second full-length screenplay. The film could best be described as a supernatural take on Becky, starring the main characters from Booksmart. On the surface, that seems like an odd pairing, but does Trudrung’s mix make for an engaging watch?

Penny Munroe and Selah Atwood star as high school best friends Poppy and Gabby, respectively. After school lets out for the weekend, they drive deep into the country, heading for a cabin owned by Poppy’s family. Once the friends arrive, the plan is to shed their straight-A ways and imbibe various alcoholic beverages and edibles. This is framed as a way to get a jump on their upcoming college experiences.

Poppy and Gabby’s weekend of partying gets underway at the family cabin in The Virgins.

“The two shrug this off as just the drugs kicking in, having no idea Ben and Dave are lying in wait to capture them.”

But before they reach the cabin, Poppy and Gabby stop at a local diner, as is tradition. There, Gabby accidentally bumps into Ben (Grayson Lay), who is eating with the demented Dave (Noah Sargent). Ben thinks the bump might have been intentional, but is roundly rejected by both ladies. This raises the ire of Dave, who decides to follow the friends to the family cabin. The high school students begin their drinking and drug journey, but hear weird things throughout the night. The two shrug this off as just the drugs kicking in, having no idea Ben and Dave are lying in wait to capture them. However, a legend surrounding the property comes into play in a violent way that no one was expecting.

The Virgins works best when focusing on Poppy and Gabby just living their lives. Their conversations have a natural rhythm and feel like real high schoolers talking. Munroe and Atwood share good chemistry and are believable as friends. Munroe is the more assertive of the two, coming across as loud and wild in a real way. Atwood radiates kindness while still being shy, and it works. When the film lets these two actors be these characters worrying about college, or asking what the dosage for an edible is, it is engaging.