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They're All That

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"The research we've done says the most important thing is the story or the premise, and [then] who's in it," says Miramax's Gill, whose TV ads for She's All That didn't mention any actors' names.

Put Costner on hold and get me that guy from Dawson's Creek! Just like the St. Elmo's Fire era, which spawned the Brat Pack, the '90s teen wave has spawned an entire brat population — many of them TV veterans (like Party of Five's Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt). But unlike crossover phenomenon Adam Sandler and accidental heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio, none of these teensploitation actors (some of whom actually are teenagers) guarantees an opening weekend. Then again, none of them will cost you $20 million. The fans of teensploitation, says Warren Zide, producer of April's loss-of-virginity romp American Pie, "know what they're looking for in a movie, and because of that you don't need stars. They want to find their own stars." An actor hot off a television series will often cost no more than $200,000 for a first movie. Gellar and Phillippe charged only $500,000 each for their services on Cruel Intentions, and even with the boffo Varsity Blues behind him, Van Der Beek can still be secured for $2 million.

Graduation isn't always a good thing, part one. It's possible that Simply Irresistible failed because Gellar's Buffy audience (accustomed to seeing her as a high schooler) wasn't interested in seeing her play a grown-up chef in her family's restaurant. Go director Doug Liman, who made his debut with 1996's Swingers, is careful to keep the characters young and adults to a minimum. "People like seeing themselves on screen," he says. "It's like looking at a batch of pictures from a party. You always look longest at the ones you're in."

Don't be majorly stupid. There's a reason that the Porky's franchise ran out of steam. Because today's teens grew up on cable, video, and the Internet, they've already seen it all. They're sophisticated (well, sometimes), and they never suffer fools. In Cruel Intentions, director Roger Kumble's nefarious youngsters speak in arch, titillating adult language laced with SAT-caliber words and spicy banter. "I tried not to talk down to kids but above them," says Kumble. "They're adults in kids' bodies."

Likewise, Scream audiences left the theater as thrilled with Kevin Williamson's smart script as chilled by the film's gore. Williamson's directorial debut, Killing Mrs. Tingle, opening July 30, stars Katie Holmes (another Dawson's Creek regular) as a student who'll do whatever it takes to make the grade.

How many times does Varsity Blues go into Meet Joe Black? Figure it out. Even the most high-profile upcoming examples of teensploitation come with modest budgets. Killing Mrs. Tingle: $13 million. Universal's American Pie: $11 million. Outside Providence, cowritten by the Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary) will cost only $7 million. "We're in a business," says Columbia Pictures president Amy Pascal. "We want to make money. But I'm still a teenager at heart. These movies are fun to make and they're a nice break from dramas." They're also easy to sell, because Generation Y is easy to find. When choosing TV ad space for a guys' film, Miramax's Gill says he turns to the syndicated Hercules. For girls, Ricki Lake's talk show. "It's more efficient than prime time, and it's far less expensive," he says.