Movies News Talk
Though they are a common topic in Movies, not every great film featuring serial killers as subject matter is as often watched as it would merit. Though they show human killers with great accuracy, several amazing movies based on the subject have somehow avoided fame. These are some of the best and least known films on serial killers.
The horror-thriller "Summer of 84" centers on a suburban town during summer 1984. The film centers on a group of adolescent pals who believe their police officer neighbor is a serial killer. Deeper into their research, they expose disturbing facts and discover they are in a vulnerable and dangerous position. Combining aspects of nostalgia and terror, the movie produces an engaging coming-of-age thriller. Through pure skill, "Summer of 84" manages to make a tried-and-true horror notion genuinely frightening once more. That this movie is not more well-known is unfortunate.
Psychological horror movie "Frailty" explores the unsettling story of a guy reporting his father's misguided goal to eradicate "demons" masquerading as humans. With a twist of religious zeal to the usual formula of the genre, "Frailty" is a somber early 2000s thriller that pushes the idea of a murder mystery as far as it'll go. The audience becomes really uncomfortable as the story of "Frailty" wanders back and forth across time. Nobody seems to be entirely secure from the perverted morality of the real killer or from being ruled out as the killer themselves. "Frailty" executes one of the most imaginative twist endings of its decade when the real nature of the killer's objectives is exposed.
Renowned for its graphic violence and psychological suffering, "Deep Red" is a classic Italian "Giallo" movie from the 1970s. From legendary director Dario Argento emerged "Deep Red," with all his trademarks in what might be his crowning success. The movie centers on a delicate piano pianist who sets out to investigate the murder of a psychic following body discovery. "Deep Red" triumphantly precisely strikes all the famous Giallo notes. From its very graphic scenes of jaw-dropping carnage to its charming cinematography choices and the great soundtrack by the psychedelic rock band Goblin, "Deep Red" has lots to offer as one of the premiere offerings of its time.
Though "The Silence of the Lambs" is clearly among the most well-known Movies about serial killers ever, let alone to star Hannibal Lecter, it was hardly the first film to reinterpret Thomas Harris's famed book monster. Michael Mann would adapt the same-named book with his 1986 film "Manhunter," before "Red Dragon" had Sir Anthony Hopkins reprise the role of Hannibal in 2002. Though its cast is clearly less iconic, "Manhunter" is a less polished product with Mann's 80s style that distinguishes it in popularity. Although the movie received few praises when it first came out, viewers would have time to value its darker mood and more artistic, less austere approach to the same narrative in the next decades. "Manhunter" deserves to be able to transcend the shadow of Anthony Hopkins' superb Hannibal Lecter.
Still another discovered-footage horror film is "The Poughskeepsie Tapes". Presenting a sequence of terrifying vignettes in a manner not unlike the horror series V/H/S, it frames using a police raid on an abandoned house full of video evidence. Unlike V/H/S, though, the movie presents a quite realistic and unpleasant picture of just human violence. Not meant for the weak of heart, "The Pughskeepsie Tapes" shows some of the most stomach-churning sights of gore and depravity around. One short footage, however, has gone viral showing the horrible Edward Carver following one of his captive victims while sporting a terrifying mask. Having said that, few know where the scene comes from—that is, "The Poughkeepsie Tapes," where the depths of Carver's abandoned basement hold a litany of far more horrific images.
German thriller "M" from 1931 has Peter Lorre in a breakthrough performance as a serial killer aiming at children. Involving both the police and the criminal underworld, the movie looks at the psychological and moral ramifications of the search for the offender. Celebrated for its ambient tension and creative use of sound, "M" is regarded as a seminal thriller. Among the first movies on serial killers ever filmed, "M" is among the most successful and cleverly crafted until today. Under the direction of Firtz Lang of "Metropolis" notoriety, "M" is among the first known procedural dramas ever produced, following the search for a child killer in a busy German city. Great enough for such an early picture to the genre, the basic idea would be sufficient; but, "M" goes above and above to make things more intriguing by having both the police and organized crime pursue the killer equally.
"I Am Not a Serial Killer" centers on John Wayne Cleaver, a teenage resident of a small Midwestern town diagnosed with sociopathic inclues. A string of unexplained fatalities in his community sets off his hunt for the actual perpetrator as he negotiates his repressed homicidal impulses. The movie is set in a tiny midwestern town where John, a teenage lad, is trying to grow up with the classic symptoms of psychopathy and a drive to kill include bedwetting and a preoccupation with the dead. John volunteers to preemptively cleanse his name by hunting out the offender when the town starts seeing real murders. "I Am Not a Serial Killer" shows it deserves more attention. John is a really interesting protagonist who continuously surrounded by death struggles to transcend his base needs even if he works at his family's funeral house. Christopher Lloyd's performance also serves as a chance for him to establish he can be a terrifying villain, leading a parallel life only the young John is aware of and is yearning to prove. Incorporate some unexpected supernatural elements and gut-wrenching violence into its gloomy subjects, and "I Am Not a Serial Killer" shows it is deserving of further attention.
"Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" presents a clear, uncompromising picture of the psychology of a serial killer as well as the unsettling effects he has on people close by. Most movies including serial killers present them as a far-off villain; unkowable, enigmatic, and apparently always just out-of-reach until the last act. Examining what may motivate a killer to operate in such a way, "Henry: Protrait of a Serial Killer" pays up to its name by extending a longer, uncomfortable, and more focused look at the psychosis of a killer. The movie revolves on the title character, Henry, a drifting killer who momentarily makes some friends in his terrible way of life. For those who know Michael Rooker from the lighter "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie, it could be difficult to identify the actor here, full of convincingly portrayed hate for mankind. The viewer is kept walking on eggshells throughout the whole run by the conflict between Henry and his friend Otis, and the extreme violence the two indulge in is difficult to swallow. Still, "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is worth seeing for the last lesson on despair in trusting such a nasty person.
The 2014 horror film "Creep" centers around a cameraman hired to document the life of a seemingly dead man scheduled to be shown to his expectant kid. Since its success in 1999's "The Blair Witch Project," found footage has gradually grown to be one of the most popular subgenres in horror history. But 2014's "Creep" reminded horror fans that the technique could also be applied to less esoteric or magical subjects, making simple human serial killers terrifying again with the use of a realistic found footage edit. When an aspiring videographer agrees to record the life and times of a terminally ill father for his unborn child, things take a dark turn in the subject's isolated cabin. Despite only really having two characters, "Creep" is able to present a tense psychological thriller impactful enough to spawn its own legacy of sequels, including "Creep 2" and the upcoming spin-off series, "The Creep Tapes". The best trick "Creep" pulls is not truly revealing itself as a serial killer film until its final moments, which are equal parts tragic and horrifying. From the stunning performances of its lean cast to the unbearable twist ending, "Creep" should be seen by more horror fans.
"Road Games" follows a simple American trucker just trying to do his job. When he suspects a fellow trucker to be kidnapping and murdering young women, he takes in a hitchhiker, played by Jamie Lee Curtis of "Halloween" fame, only for her to quickly turn up missing as well. Australian cinema in general is frighteningly discounted out of the "Mad Max" films, and presentations like "Road Games" justify why the country's best works deserve more recognition. Another tale of vehicular violence in the Australian outback, "Road Games" follows a simple American trucker just trying to do his job. When he suspects a fellow trucker to be kidnapping and murdering young women, he takes in a hitchhiker, played by Jamie Lee Curtis of "Halloween" fame, only for her to quickly turn up missing as well. "Road Games" deals in the currency of thrilling suspense while mimicking the simple Man vs. Man vehicular danger of films like Spielberg's "Duel". The stark landscape of the expansive outback makes for a chillingly isolated setting that feels far removed from civilization, though the film also injects a certain amount of lively comedy to keep things from getting too dry. Though it may be somewhat obscure, "Road Games" is one of the best serial killer movies to come out of the 80s.