I think this movie had a lot of potential but it lacks something, I can't really put my finger on what but there is just something that keeps the movie from being worthwhile. I think the problems lay mostly with the lead actress, she is simply not believable in her performance and I found myself feeling no sympathy for her character because of that.
The killer in this film is your typical American serial killer, a loner cut off from the world who appears very affable and non-threatening. Very much like a John Wayne Gacy, he seems pleasant enough at first but he hides a dark and sinister side. This is portrayed very well by James Dumont. His acting is good, his appearance suits the role perfectly and he is very capable of presenting the cold, emotionless side of his character. Unfortunately I can't say the same positive things for Michelle Tomlinson.
Her portrayal of the victim is very stiff. She doesn't convey the emotions of a person trapped and facing her impending death well at all. She never comes across as a sympathetic character nor did she ever give me the feeling that she was really afraid of what might happen to her. As an actress I think she simply lacks the depth for the role she was given.
The movie overall is not a bad one. The camera work is what you would expect from a low budget horror movie, looking like one of those softcore adult films on HBO. As I said though, I expected that and it really doesn't hurt the movie itself. The script is fairly good and the locations are well chosen. The best scene I think is one where the killer is shopping at the grocery store and a female clerk gets rude with him. He seems to brush it off but then a few moment later, we see the clerk getting off of work and heading out to her car. The killer steps up behind her with a baseball bat and proceeds to beat her to death, showing no remorse, sympathy or hesitation. For her one comment, the victim is murdered. I think that, if anything in the movie, really displays the psychopath in his truest form.
The special effects are not great but I found them forgivable since the movie itself managed to hold my interest right up until the end. The ending is what really blew it for me. There was a lot of potential to break from the serial killer movie mold and have a film where a cold heartless killer doesn't see justice. That unfortunately is not what happens. Rather than have an ending in which the killer succeeds in his deed and we are left to wonder "will he kill again? Will he get caught?" we are given a typical serial killer wrap up that comes across more like "I am women hear me roar".
Is the movie worth watching? Yes, if you can tolerate a typical, and at this point in my movie watching career I would say bad, ending. If you can tolerate the lead actresses stiff performance, there is a movie worth seeing buried beneath it. It is sad though to have to look at yet another movie with a load of potential pass away into the abyss. Kudos to James Dumont however, he carried this entire movie on his shoulders and did it well.
The killer in this film is your typical American serial killer, a loner cut off from the world who appears very affable and non-threatening. Very much like a John Wayne Gacy, he seems pleasant enough at first but he hides a dark and sinister side. This is portrayed very well by James Dumont. His acting is good, his appearance suits the role perfectly and he is very capable of presenting the cold, emotionless side of his character. Unfortunately I can't say the same positive things for Michelle Tomlinson.
Her portrayal of the victim is very stiff. She doesn't convey the emotions of a person trapped and facing her impending death well at all. She never comes across as a sympathetic character nor did she ever give me the feeling that she was really afraid of what might happen to her. As an actress I think she simply lacks the depth for the role she was given.
The movie overall is not a bad one. The camera work is what you would expect from a low budget horror movie, looking like one of those softcore adult films on HBO. As I said though, I expected that and it really doesn't hurt the movie itself. The script is fairly good and the locations are well chosen. The best scene I think is one where the killer is shopping at the grocery store and a female clerk gets rude with him. He seems to brush it off but then a few moment later, we see the clerk getting off of work and heading out to her car. The killer steps up behind her with a baseball bat and proceeds to beat her to death, showing no remorse, sympathy or hesitation. For her one comment, the victim is murdered. I think that, if anything in the movie, really displays the psychopath in his truest form.
The special effects are not great but I found them forgivable since the movie itself managed to hold my interest right up until the end. The ending is what really blew it for me. There was a lot of potential to break from the serial killer movie mold and have a film where a cold heartless killer doesn't see justice. That unfortunately is not what happens. Rather than have an ending in which the killer succeeds in his deed and we are left to wonder "will he kill again? Will he get caught?" we are given a typical serial killer wrap up that comes across more like "I am women hear me roar".
Is the movie worth watching? Yes, if you can tolerate a typical, and at this point in my movie watching career I would say bad, ending. If you can tolerate the lead actresses stiff performance, there is a movie worth seeing buried beneath it. It is sad though to have to look at yet another movie with a load of potential pass away into the abyss. Kudos to James Dumont however, he carried this entire movie on his shoulders and did it well.