Papertrail, The Manhunter of the 90s

Back in 1986 the film "Manhunter" started so much.  Out of that film grew "The Silence of the Lambs" and many sequels. An FBI profiler is lured into the dark side and barely is able to get back to humanity. What a plot!  In 1998 "Papertrail" (aka "Trail of a Serial Killer") comes out.  Very similar in plot to "Manhunter."  You will even recognize some of the characters, though they have different names.  Today we look at "Papertrail," directed by Damian Lee.

He's back!  He was gone for a while but he's back...killing again.  Last time an FBI agent, Jason (Christopher Penn) failed to catch him and went mad in the process.  Jason is living a pathetic life now, long since fired from the FBI. The killer picks good looking females.  He drugs them, removes a body part from them while alive, and kills them.  Very gory and hard to watch.  FBI agent Abraham (Michael Madsen) persuades Jason to return to the Bureau and catch this killer.  Uh oh...sultry psychologist Alyce (Jennifer Dale) is getting calls from the killer.  He knows a lot about her and insinuates she will be a future victim of his.  Alyce has a group therapy session weekly for whackballs who have been driven insane because of sexual reasons. 

Okay...the killings continue.  Now Jason and Alyce put their heads together.  Both are a little deranged themselves.  Then a break...during the murder of one of Alyce's group members a witness is left alive.  Eileen (Thea Gill)  just off steamy and deranged sex with a hunk is grabbed as her hunk is tied to the bed.  The killer will dissect her in front of the hunk who will be in too much shock to recall any details.  Now Jason begins to figure things out.  Alyce reassesses the harmless nature of her group therapy patients and arms herself.  More killing...and then...  Well, you'll see.

Is one of Alyce's patients the killer?  Will Jason hold onto his sanity long enough to catch the killer?  Would Christopher Wray's modern day FBI have been able to catch the killer if the killer was not a Trump supporter?  This is a gory one and will make you squirm as you watch it.  See "Papertrail," forgive the stupid title, and enjoy a FBI profiler vs. a serial killer thriller.