It is easier to admire "Some Kind of Hate" for what it is trying to do rather than for what it ultimately achieves. Director Adam Egypt Mortimer and screenwriter Brian DeLeeuw have made a film that is nothing if not socially relevant, but their metaphoric look at the consequences of adolescent bullying evokes more cringes than scares as its supernatural slasher theatrics ramp up. When high school student Lincoln (Ronen Rubinstein) violently fights back against an abusive classmate, he is unfairly sent to the desert-located Mind's Eye Academy, a school for troubled teens. He unexpectedly forms a connection with former cheerleader Kaitlin (Grace Phipps), but is once more accosted by his cruel peers—a situation none of the neglectful instructors seem to notice. Lincoln's wish for them all to die awakens the restless spirit of Moira (Sierra McCormick), a tormented teen from the past who committed suicide. Whether Lincoln was serious or not, the inadvertent spell has been cast, and the vengeful Moira is more than happy to begin knocking off anyone who gets in her way.

A coming-of-age cautionary tale and a gruesome horror pic in one, "Some Kind of Hate" is competently performed by its actors (even if the handsome, brooding Ronen Rubinstein is miscast as a harassed outsider) and doesn't quite lead where one is expecting. It is also decidedly muddled, complete with underserved motivations and a noticeable lack of suspense to go along with its gory death scenes. There are shards of truth in the film's discussion points about the reverberating effects of bullying, but 2015's craftier, more affecting "Unfriended" has beaten "Some Kind of Hate" to the punch.