A horror movie filmed largely at the Playboy Mansion -- and starring Girls Next Door babes Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt? Obviously, The Telling did not fall in my list of movies to be avoided. Somewhat to my surprise, though, the film turned out to be a real attempt at making a horror movie and not a flimsy excuse to show hot babes in various states of undress. In fact, there is no serious nudity to speak of -- just some young women in bikinis and other quite flattering outfits.

So, is The Telling scary? Not in the slightest. That being said, though, it really isn't all that bad of a movie. Some of the girls can actually act to some degree.

Due to a most unfortunate event that took place during the previous year's sorority initiation process, whatever school this is has applied ample brakes to the whole hazing process. It's just as well, as this year's crop of pledges to Omega Kappa Kappa is somewhat inferior. This sorority, you see, is made up of the most beautiful-and-we-know-it girls on campus, as personified by the sorority president, Stephanie (Madison).

This year's final three wannabes are, sadly, rather plain. Still, each of them has her shot at becoming a part of the Greek society devoted to "perfection without exception." All they have to do is tell a scary story that will send chills down the luscious spines of Stephanie and her horror-loving sisters. What follows are stories about a creepy, possessive little doll, an aging B-movie starlet babe who accepts a most unfortunate film role purely for the money, and three teens who hear something they should never have heard while making prank calls one night. The story of the sorority initiation process itself makes up a fourth story.

There's really nothing all that bad about The Telling -- but, unfortunately, there's really isn't anything all that good worth noting, either. Each of the stories is rather predictable, and a final twist at the end should not come as a surprise to most viewers. Still, it's better than many a horror anthology film I've seen over the years. I suppose some Girls Next Door fans can also take comfort in the fact that they can watch this horror film with no fear of witnessing any real blood or gore. To tell the truth, I'm a little surprised this film actually got an R rating.