The Clovehitch Killer

When you think about thrillers that brings up the subject of serial killers, i think most people would remember the brilliant 1995 thriller called Seven. This is one of those films that will always be as good, no matter how many years that goes by. Director David Fincher really gave us a very different look into the behavior of a serial killer, and how a serial killer manage to find ways to murder people. The combination of actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman working together investigating the murders, was also a brilliant idea. But there is a film i feel is almost never talked about anymore. And that is the 2002 film known as Dahmer, directed by David Jacobson. Dahmer tells the story of how serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer became one of the biggest serial killers in American history, played by actor Jeremy Renner. This film is a very disturbing look into the mind of a serial killer, and also a very personal portrait of who Jeffrey Dahmer is, and how he functioned. Actor Jeremy Renner did a really powerful performance as Dahmer, and he must have worked really hard to try and capture his personality. If you have not seen Dahmer so far, you should. This is a film that should be considered to be a cult classic in the future, and i hope this film will get the respect it deserves in this genre. Another serial killer film that i feel is also really good is the psychological thriller known as American Psycho, released in the year 2000. This is one of the best films of actor Christian Bale, and his performance as serial killer is absolutely amazing. Director Mary Harron managed to make a film that looked different from any other serial killer film, and still today this is one of the best film in this genre. If you have not got Amercian Psycho on DVD or Blu Ray, you need to get a copy. This is one of those films you need to own in your movie collection. Let´s change the subject for a while, and talk about actor Dylan McDermott. Some of you might remember him from the classic TV series The Practice with legendary actor James Spader. For me personally, one of the films i remember him mostly for is the crime drama The Wonderland Murders, released in 2003. This film is actually based on the true storyof porn star John Holmes, and what happened during his criminal life in 1981. This film have a really good cast including Bal Kilmer, Katie Bowsworth, Carrie Fischer, Ted Levine and Dylan McDermott. A great film from director James Cox. When i heard that Dylan was going to play a serial killer in an independent film called The Clovehitch Killer, i was very curious. Could he pull this off ? I finally got a chance to see the film this week. Is this a serial killer film you should see, or is this a film you will most likely forget about ?

Tyler Burnside ( Charlie Plummer ) is an ordinary 16-year-old teen who lives in a small town with his devout Christian family, father Don Burnside ( Dylan McDermott ), his mother Cindy Burnside ( Samantha Mathis ) and his younger sister Susie Burnside ( Brenna Sherman ). 10 years have passed since the serial killer known as " The Clovehitch Killer ", brutally murdered women, and he managed to get away. One day, as Tyler is in his father´s shed, he finds a box with bondage sex magazines, and a picture of a woman tied up. At first, Tyler is not sure what to think about this. But when he discover a hidden room, underneath the house, he finds out more secrets about his father. Is it possible that his father Don, is the serial killer that no one have been able to find ?

One of the things that makes The Clovehitch Killer a very interesting movie, is how would you react if you found out that your own father is a serial killer ? Would you call it in to police right away, or would you look for all the evidence before letting anyone know ? Can you be sure it is your father, or is someone else involved ? There are many questions you probably would ask yourself, but this film really captured me from start to finish. This is an independent film that does not try and follow the usual pattern of a serial killer movie. Because this is not a drama film that focus on how the victims have been killed, this film is more about how secrets can be hidden in a family, who seems to be like any other family. And perhaps this is why this film is also interesting, because real monsters are the ones we never expected to be. We have to talk about actor Dylan McDermott ( who have done a really good job on American Horror Story, and i actually enjoyed his TV series Stalker ) in this film. His performance in this film, is his best performance i have ever seen him do. His performance as serial killer Don Burnside, is the strongest character in this film. He must have worked hard to try and portrait a serial killer in a realistic way, and this is something i feel he does really well in this film. Actor Charlie Plummer ( who you might have seen in the Richard Gere drama The Dinner ) as the son Don Burnside, also give a great performance. Seeing him finding evidence of his father being a serial killer, is perhaps one of the most intensive scenes of this film. Actress Samantha Mathis ( who actually was in the cult classic American Psycho ) also give a great performance as the mother Cindy Burnside. She have clearly no idea about her husband´s disturbing pervesions, and his thrill to kill women. Actress Madisen Beaty as Don´s friend Kassi ( you might have seen her in the ABC TV series The Fosters ) gives a performance that is interesting as the odd girl, who tries to look for evidence after The Clovehitch Killer. While there are many great details that is revealed in this film, i do have one big problem. The ending of this film feels way too easy, and not constructed in the powerful way i was hoping for. Now, none of the actors should be blamed for this, because they do a really good job. But for some reason director Duncan Skiles ( who directed the TV mini series Stories From The Felt ) choose the easy way out, and make an ending that does not feel worthy such a good story. I will say this, he does know how to make a movie with strong characters, and how to tell an interesting plot. It is such a shame that the ending fails, since i really enjoyed The Clovehitch Killer for being a very interesting portrait of a serial killer. With that said, i still think you should see the film, and see actor Dylan McDermott do his best performance ever so far. One thing is for sure, i will not trust any neighbors after watching this film. Good thing i still keep an Axe in the shower, you never know when it will come in handy.

Rating: DDD