Murderlust, Church Going Serial Killer

No cute puppies. No adorable babies. No fury kittens. No babies playing with cute puppies and fury kittens. Nope. In 1985's "Murderlust" we have nothing but seedy and perverted violent carnage. The acting is quite good and the plot is painfully ominous, but if you like your horror on the horrific side, this film will get you going.

Steve (Eli Rich) is a serial killer who kills vulnerable young ladies after strangling and raping them. This monster dumps their bodies in the desert.  Uh oh...he has another side to him. Steve is also a Sunday school teacher of teenagers and has the confidence of the church community. Away from church, he finds prostitutes and goes to town on them. The cops have no clues in tracking the Mojave Killer, but Steve is above suspicion.

While trolling for his next victim, he picks up Cheryl (Rochelle Taylor), a disabled motorist. Cheryl is different. She is smart...aggressive...and has no victim in her psyche.  Cheryl also recognizes Steve from Church.  The two will start a romance which will lead Cheryl on a path toward a gruesome fate. The romance with Cheryl has Steve off his game and his choice of victims now affect the church community. With his murder count over a dozen, will Cheryl show enough spunk to figure out Steve's real identity and fight back?

This is a gritty film with no humor or feel good moments. The kills are graphic and heartbreaking. The introduction of Cheryl, as a strong and smart would be heroine is a nice touch. We cheer for Cheryl to succeed but our devil is awfully good at his trade.  Directed by Donald Jones, if you can stomach true horror, see "Murderlust."