Come on, people. Satanic rituals, demonic possession, telekinesis, witchcraft, cute Catholic schoolgirls -- that's a solid foundation for a horror movie right there. Admittedly, the plot isn't a perfectly healthy specimen, but I enjoyed 5ive Girls. A lot of people seem to view this film as a The Craft wannabe, but I don't see any substantive connection between the two films -- apart from the occult overtones and the fact that both stories revolve around a cast of teenaged girls. Like most horror films, 5ive Girls does borrow here and there from films that have come before, but I think it succeeds in establishing its own identity.

St. Mark's School for Girls used to be a well-respected private school -- until one of its students disappeared under extremely unusual circumstances. We know what happened because it makes up the opening scene of the movie. Elizabeth (Krysta Carter), an especially faithful young woman, was attacked by no less a demon than Legion himself -- and Father Drake (Ron "the Beast" Perlman), who may have liked Elizabeth a little too much, was powerless to help her. The school soon closed in the wake of the tragedy -- but now, five years later, it has reopened. Sort of, anyway. Under the harsh discipline of Headmistress Pearce (Amy Lalonde), who even seems to have Father Drake by the cojones, it now serves as a sort of reform school for wayward girls. Apparently, the best way to control an unruly teenager is through intense Latin instruction. Who knew?

The entire student body consists of a mere five girls, all of them dropped off by parents eager to get rid of them. Apart from the fact that they really aren't bad girls at all, the five have something else in common -- each one has a paranormal gift. Alex (Jennifer Mille) can move things when she's emotional (plus she has the ability to be extremely hot at all times), Leah (Barbara Mamabolo) can walk through certain objects (although we never see her do it), Mara (Jordan Madley) can heal people, Cecilia (Terra Vnesa) can see things in her mind despite the fact that she's blind, and Connie (Tasha May) -- actually, I don't know what Connie's gift is (she can whine with the best of them, but that's probably not it). Anyway, it doesn't take long for the girls to figure out that there is something very wrong with the place. For one thing, Alex keeps hearing disembodied voices and seeing what can only be the ghost of a former student wandering around. With a headmistress like Miss Pearce and weird shenanigans going on all over the place, it doesn't take long for the girls to bond with each other -- and that's a good thing because before you can say a dozen Hail Marys, they find themselves battling Legion. Boy, it's a good thing they've got a giant priest around to protect them -- or maybe not.

The plot is sort of patched together with spit and gum in a few places, but it manages to hold up pretty well until the end. With all of the action taking place within the confines of a large and somewhat creepy school building, the film maintains a decently disquieting atmosphere, but none of the slightly cheesy special effects are going to knock you for a loop. It's a little difficult to accept Ron Perlman in the role of a priest, but the acting is pretty good up and down the line. The story even manages to keep a couple of plot points pretty close to the vest until the closing moments.

5ive Girls will probably appeal more to the younger segment of horror fans, but I quite enjoyed watching it. Did I mention five cute Catholic schoolgirls?