Its level of laugh-scare-ick energy never approaches that of the genre pix that inspired it, but for something that was almost stuck being consumed in eight-minute chunks on cellphones, it's a credible debut.

Snatchers boldly blends suburban-weirdness, silly sci-fi, goofy gore, and tender teen comedy to create a movie that feels like Clueless meets Gremlins.

The film percolates along thanks to the comic esprit of the players, snappy visual and editorial presentation, and the screenplay's "Clueless"-like fountain of entertainingly over-the-top youth slang.

With its loose satire of adolescence and sketchy plot, Snatchers doesn't quite feel like the finished article - it's not up with the films it's emulating.