213 Bones (2025) Review

213 Bones (2025) Review

A group of anthropology students discover that studying the past can be a deadly business in 213 Bones, a slick and smart whodunnit-slasher that serves up a welcome reminder that there’s still life in the old horror subgenres yet.

When human bones begin turning up around their campus and on their personal property, it soon becomes apparent that the students are being targeted by a gruesomely masked maniac. Late-night study sessions take on a decidedly more urgent tone as the youngsters attempt to identify their attacker before they become little more than textbook examples of homicide. Meanwhile, Sheriff Bracco, county coroner Laurie and their teacher, Kelly, attempt to piece together the evidence and unmask the bone-crunching assassin before another innocent victim meets a grisly end.

Of the handful of films I’ve was privileged to see in advance of last year’s FRIGHTFEST in London’s West End, director Jeffrey Prim’s 213 Bones ranks among the very best. It brought to mind I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), with its appealing young cast, mysterious killer and increasingly desperate attempts to work out who’s responsible before another member of the group bites the dust. It’s a familiar formula, certainly, but one that remains remarkably effective when the ingredients are mixed together properly.

Aside from some decidedly dodgy opening credits, which make the film look considerably cheaper and tackier than it actually is, I have very little to complain about. Even the fact that I managed to work out the killer’s identity relatively early on did little to diminish my enjoyment. More importantly, I failed to second-guess the order in which the youngsters would be dispatched, nor did I correctly predict who would be left standing when the final credits rolled.

And that, dear reader, is no small achievement. I’ve watched enough slasher movies over the years to recognise the familiar tricks, anticipate the obvious red herrings and spot the likely candidates for an early appointment with a sharp implement. Yet 213 Bones still managed to wrong-foot me where it mattered. So, if you think you’ve seen everything the slasher genre has to offer, think again!

There’s another, rather more modern, way of judging whether a film has successfully held your attention. These days, when the temptation to check messages or scroll through social media is never more than an arm’s length away, you can often gauge a film’s quality by how long it takes before you succumb to the lure of your phone.

With 213 Bones, that never happened once. Not a single glance at my screen, not a quick check of messages, nothing. I was hooked from beginning to end, which is perhaps the strongest endorsement I can give any film in an age when our attention spans are seemingly under constant attack.

Jeffrey Prim has delivered an entertaining, well-paced and thoroughly engaging horror mystery that understands the importance of likeable characters, a compelling central puzzle and keeping its audience guessing. It may not reinvent the slasher wheel, but it gives it a thoroughly satisfying spin.

A genuine crowd-pleaser and one of my standout discoveries from last year’s FRIGHTFEST, 213 Bones is a treat from start to finish.

I loved it.