Cooties

When I was a young buck in elementary school, the term "cooties" was constantly used by other kids to ward off unwelcome advances. It's nice to see a film that uses that word as its title but unfortunately, "Cooties" the movie is a mostly mediocre attempt at blending horror and comedy.

The ever-reliable Elijah Wood plays Clint, an aspiring writer that comes back to his hometown to work at the local elementary school. On his first workday, he discovers his childhood crush (Alison Pill) is a teacher. Clint also comes into contact with unruly children who've suddenly turned into flesh-eating zombies thanks to tainted chicken nuggets from the school cafeteria.

The two of them, along with a misfit of school teachers, must band together to fight off the brood. All of this is presented in an ADHD filming fashion, where the dry tone of the jokes falls flat most of the time. See a reference in "Cooties" to Wood's role as a Hobbit in the "Lord of the Rings" series as an example.

Wood and Pill are fine in their roles as former childhood friends and appear in the Blu-ray featurette "Circle, Circle. Dot, Dot...Catching Cooties." It's a by-the-numbers promotional piece for "Cooties" that features interviews with cast and crew.

Faring much better is the slyly titled "The Cootietary," an informative and talky audio commentary with much of the cast and crew.

Other extras include deleted/extended/alternate scenes, a gag reel, and an alternate ending with an optional audio commentary.

"Cooties"
Blu-ray
$19.99
www.lionsgate.com