TV Review: Pretty Little Liars: Summer School

At this point, ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars is practically a footnote in the cheesy teen high school show pantheon. Slashers, however, are forever. Max’s Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin birthed new life into the young adult series adaptation with a horror-heavy take on the material, and a fresh cast of diverse talent. Against all odds (and bucking the norm of the two cancelled one-and-done spin-offs), Original Sin was renewed for a second season to continue the pulse-pounding suspense and innumerable well of chase sequences. Now that last year’s strikes are behind us, this sort of sequel-series arrives in all its colorful, 80s-inspired glory. Carrying the trademark mystery and juicy romantic entanglements of the Pretty Little Liars brand, Summer School delivers nightmare fuel with new killer, Bloody Rose Waters, while weaving in the shared trauma of surviving a horrific massacre.

In Original Sin’s finale, the liars were forced to confront their “bullies,” and face off against A, revealed to be the school’s principal and his physically-deformed son, Archie. Archie showed up at the doorstep of rapist Chip (Carson Rowland) with a sharp knife and a serious vendetta in the big finale cliffhanger. Now, in the aftermath of the Millwood Massacre, the surviving girls are each processing in their own ways. The threat of Archie looms large, haunting their dreams. Between attending group therapy sessions hosted by Dr. Sullivan (Annabeth Gish) and hopelessly trying to make it through the last few days before summer vacation, the girls are put to the ultimate test when their story (and phone numbers) go viral on website Spooky Spaghetti.

To make matters worse, the girls are all called to the office at the same time. They have failed their Keystone exam—in order to continue on to their junior year, they must attend summer school, thus setting into motion the central setting of this year’s story. Can they still have a “hot girl summer” with annoying classes in the mornings? The seasonal setting opens the door wide open for summer jobs, shirtless men, lifeguard opportunities, creepy religious cults, and of course, more murder. Keeping around Dr. Sullivan also provides a tangible connection to the flagship series. Curiously enough, a direct tie seems to have been severed despite being expressly set up, but more on that later.

Someone begins tying up A’s loose ends in typical sequel style, as cinema-obsessed Tabitha (Chandler Kinney) points out. However, an eerie new intro with a vintage VHS filter accompanied by trademark tune “Secret” suggests Archie will not be the primary baddie this time around. Instead, that honor goes to Bloody Rose Waters. There’s something unnerving about her appearance. Well before she slashes up any horny teens, Bloody Rose Waters is built up as a force to reckon with. This female villainess has a face covered by bloody bandages, revealing one bulging, creepy eye beneath her garb. Her very existence is a tribute to 1992’s Candyman. In order for her to appear, one must summon her by saying “Bloody Rose Waters” five times in front of a mirror. Only then will she emerge to kill, so says the viral Creepypasta-esque legend found on Spooky Spaghetti. If Bloody Rose lacks the onscreen presence of Archie, she makes up for it with her specifically feminine physicality, and relentless pursuit of the liars.

The same characters we know and love from Original Sin are back, accompanied by many new faces to spruce up the cast list with body count potentials or suspects. Imogen (Bailee Madison) struggles the most in returning to normalcy; her obsession with visiting the gay dads of her daughter seems to be a tactic to distract her mind. Curiously, the series makes a pivot from giving the child to Aria and Ezra from the original show, although they do make this change story-relevant by way of Imogen’s desire to stay close to the child. As Dr. Sullivan helps Imogen in adjusting her meds, a new job at the Millwood Creamery presents one of the more effective romantic setups of the season. Cocky womanizer Tommy (Antonio Cipriano) appears at first glance to be a complete asshole. He’s hot and he knows it, riding into work shirtless on his bike. Thankfully, there is more than meets the eye with Tommy—he supports Imogen through every hardship she faces. Could Tommy’s heart-melting loyalty be too good to be true?

Tabitha’s story remains an exciting focal point, as she pushes for her very personal short film to be accepted at the Pittsburgh International Festival of Terror. Her character continues quoting movies and name-dropping plenty of them in casual conversation. Tabitha also receives a refreshed love interest as well in the form of horror-obsessed Christian (Noah Alexander Gerry), who Wes (Derek Klena) hires to work with them at the theater. The obvious parallels of Tabitha’s relationship with Chip initially cause Tabitha to put up her defenses. Fangoria-obssessed Christian appears sweet and harmless, yet his basement studio where he designs masks and tinkers with horror effects throws off some red flags. How bad could Christian really be with his favorite movie being Attack the Block? Another major red flag comes by way of Jennifer (Ava Capri), a girl who went to juvie with Noa (Maia Reficco), gets a job at Pinball Pizza. When money starts to go missing from the till, all signs point to Jennifer being bad news.

Faran (Zaria) pushes off returning to dance with her boyfriend, Henry (Ben Cook); a rivalry forms between Faran and muscle-douche Gregg (Elias Kacavas) at the town pool. Mouse (Malia Pyles), the genius hacker, has less to do this time around, but does get the honor of playing the first nasty “game” with Bloody Rose Waters. Her boyfriend, Ash (Jordan Gonzalez), practically fights for her attention, and Mouse’s grandma, Lola (Loretta Ables Sayre), starts losing her grip on reality. Mouse’s obsession with Spooky Spaghetti drives the characters to make questionable choices as they hunt for answers about Bloody Rose Waters. The only other major player, twin sister Kelly (Mallory Bechtel), appears brainwashed by an anti-sex religious cult. How the religion ties into the grander narrative thus far remains to be seen.

Sorry for those hoping to see more of the moms—they are practically a footnote here. Gone, too, are the constant flashbacks to the 90s. In the first five episodes screened for critics, Bloody Rose Waters mostly bides her time, playing sadistic “games” with each of the liars. Out of the victims she claims, none have yet appeared to be major characters, but the back half of the season can easily change that. The tension palpably soars during numerous chases accompanied by nightmarish visuals. Movie references galore serve as constant callbacks, and oftentimes memorable points of reference for any cinephile. Catching whatever fun double feature may be playing at The Orpheum (or trying to hone in on the posters littered throughout) allows the audience to participate in the fun.

The most brilliant scene of the bunch choreographs a thrilling pursuit juxtaposed against a Friday the 13th Part 2 chase, and will definitely appeal to horror geeks. I missed this world and these characters, so for those who already loved Original Sin, they will find plenty more to enjoy. Awaiting the swirling mysteries to reach their dénouement, one can only hope that the killer reveal will be as satisfying as it was last season. In exploring the trauma of the liars and giving breathing room between the slayings, a different flavor of horror begins to take shape. Pretty Little Liars: Summer School slashes onto Max with slightly less bite than its predecessor. Don’t count out this Bloody Rose though—horror slashers will never go out of style.

High school may not be life or death, but Pretty Little Liars: Summer School certainly stabs the jugular when it debuts to Max on Thursday, May 9th.