YMMV / Cry_Wolf

• Critic-Proof: Despite negative reviews, it was a minor hit; grossing $32 million on a $1 million budget.
• Do Not Do This Cool Thing: Tricking your friend into thinking he's living a real life Slasher Movie has never looked so fun. This is in spite of how traumatizing it's meant to be for Owen when The Reveal happens.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • When Owen and Dodger are designing the Wolf's costume, they have this exchange:
  Owen: My old roommate, he used to go hunting. He had one of those neon ski masks.
  Dodger: Orange doesn't exactly inspire fear.
  Owen: Come on, it's the new black.
  • Julian Morris would be on the other end of the twist a few years later in Sorority Row. This time, he turns out to be a murderer looking for revenge.
• Narm Charm: Some of Lindy Booth's mannerisms when playing 'the lying game' are very theatrical and over-the-top, but they just help with the atmosphere.
• Retroactive Recognition:
  • Hey look! Supernatural's Sam Winchester is Owen's roommate!
  • And Julian Morris (Owen) is probably better known these days as Wren from Pretty Little Liars.
  • Dodger is Night Bitch... and now Cassandra Cillian. It's notable that as Booth herself put it in a Reddit Q&A, she has a tendency to play murderers or murder victims.
• Rewatch Bonus:
  • The janitor throwing a glare at Owen after he and Dodger say goodnight. Likewise "I'm not a fan of the PDA" makes more sense when you know the janitor is her father.
  • Dodger's love of playing the lying game, especially where she doesn't participate herself, makes a little more sense since she's not rich and there on a scholarship.
  • Dodger refers to the girl who got killed as a 'slut'. She's talking about her competition. And the same word was used in the reference to the victim by the "Wolf" during the online conversation with Owen. Additionally, Dodger knows the girl was shot after the body was found, because she killed her.
• She Really Can Act: Lindy Booth was best known as a Damsel Scrappy in both Dawn of the Dead (2004) and Wrong Turn, but she went against type here to play a more mischievous and mysterious character. Her work as Dodger is usually considered the best thing about it.
• Unintentional Period Piece: The Wolf's MO involves using AOL instant messages, which immediately dates the film to the mid-2000s - as there's not a single mention of MySpace or Facebook. Additionally the rumour is started with a chain email, rather than a Facebook post. The fact that the kids have access to phones that can IM and send pictures (slowly!) is meant to show that they're rich and privileged. Not to mention the small moment where Lewis is waiting for a picture Mercedes sent to load - since smartphones send pictures instantly. And Mr Walker being involved with Becky would be presumably found out from online photos of the two on Facebook.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Rich Walker is having an affair with one of his students. The student herself is the antagonist, and is the only one who commits the murders. Given the rise of the 'Me Too Movement', it's impossible to see him as anything but an Asshole Victim.
• Vindicated by History: Trashed by critics when it came out, it's seen in a slightly more positive light nowadays; especially in light of the 2000s being saturated with Torture Porn and remakes of more popular slashers, and this one being something relatively different and subversive.

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