Detention
A wildly kinetic high-school murder mystery turns detention into a surreal collision of slasher satire, adolescent alienation, and science-fiction absurdity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Moderate
- irreverent
- frantic
- witty
- late night horror marathon
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly recognized Joseph Kahn’s energetic, rebellious filmmaking and inventive genre fusion, while finding the abundance of ideas too incoherent for a fully satisfying experience.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The teen slasher premise expands into comedy, science fiction, pop-culture parody, and rapid stylistic shifts.
The film’s aggressively fast, idea-packed presentation is central to its rebellious style and critical reception.
The killer’s Cinderhella disguise and the film’s horror-spoof premise directly parody slasher conventions.
The suspicious students’ bewilderment and the film’s thematic concern with meaninglessness frame the murder mystery as a generational crisis.
Films like Detention, and why
Scream
self-aware teen slasher comedy with pop-culture satire and exaggerated violence
The Final Girls
irreverent high-school horror comedy blending genre parody with adolescent ensemble dynamics
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
hyperactive, unconventional teen genre mashup driven by absurd humor and formal experimentation
Movie Details
- Director
- Joseph Kahn
- Release Date
- 2012-04-06
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 5.6 / 10 (424)
Cast
- Shanley Caswell
- Josh Hutcherson
- Spencer Locke
- Dane Cook
- A.D. Johnson
- Walter Perez
- Erica Shaffer
- Yves Bright
- Parker Bagley
- Tiffany Boone
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Detention about?
- A wildly kinetic high-school murder mystery turns detention into a surreal collision of slasher satire, adolescent alienation, and science-fiction absurdity.
- What is Detention like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Detention as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Detention violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Detention as moderate.
- What did critics think of Detention?
- Critics broadly recognized Joseph Kahn’s energetic, rebellious filmmaking and inventive genre fusion, while finding the abundance of ideas too incoherent for a fully satisfying experience.
- Which films are like Detention?
- Films with a similar feel include Scream, The Final Girls, and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
- How long is Detention?
- Detention runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Detention?
- In United States, Detention is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
