Friday, December 23, 2016

I am not a Serial Killer, ...but you are!

Crowley (Christopher Lloyd) accuses John (Max Records), "You attacked my wife."
Perturbed, John replies, "You murdered my therapist."
A bit of dialog Shakespeare would be proud of.  2016's "I am not a Serial Killer" is the newest horror film on Netflix, and it isn't what you think it is.  A serial killer film?  Possibly.  Can a sociopath be heroic and caring?  This film may hold the answer.
John has been diagnosed by his therapist as a sociopath.  Our protagonist (...or antagonist) knows he is what serial killers are made out of.  In order to appear normal, John has some rules.  Whenever he has the urge to disembowel one of his high school mates, he gives them a compliment instead.  John works at his mom's funeral home, and they begin receiving bodies of townspeople who have been disemboweled (there's that word again) by a serial killer.  John is fascinated and wonders what the fiend is doing with certain organs which aren't in the corpse.
The killer?  Crowley!  An elderly man deeply in love with his wife.  A sweet old man with a penchant and uncanny ability to kill, and rip out organs.  Uh oh!  Our sociopath finds emotions and desires he never knew he had.  John takes it upon himself to stalk Crowley and protect the town.  Double uh oh! Crowley may not be a serial killer, but something even worse.  No spoilers here, but when John turns stalker he sees horrific kills and a side of Crowley that is...well...you'll see. John the hunter must be careful as now he is also being hunted by a killer with 60 years more experience than he.
The acting is great.  Max Records is convincing as a sociopath teen and his conversion to a caring and afraid kid is fascinating.  Christopher Lloyd is sweet and monstrous as...well...you'll see. Will experience triumph over youth?  Will good triumph over evil in John's psyche?  Wonderfully shot in frigid Minnesota, the landscape matches the motives of two very chilling characters.  Oh yes, the last two lines of this flick are classic!  Enjoy "I am not a Serial Killer" brilliantly directed by Billy O'Brien.

1 comment:

  1. I watched this movie. You did a wonderful job describing it as well.

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