Film Filter: Off - The Alphabet Killer
This movie received a fairly low rating because of it's overall "ehh" quality. Anytime the movie started to get interesting or take a turn, it went "ehhh" again, and jumped right back into the realm of so-so. I guess we should start with the positives, as that proves to be a much shorter list.
Pros- Ever since Bring it On, I have kind of had a woman crush on Eliza Dushku. I'm hoping one day she can get married and rid herself of that weird last name, but everything else about her makes the sub-par last name tolerable. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her star in a film where she was neither a sex kitten or the object of everyone's affection, although it seems odd since she is so hot. It almost made the movie comical in the fact that she gets dumped for being crazy and trying to kill herself because she is hallucinating. Come on, it's Eliza Dushku! The other thing I enjoyed about this film is the strategy of the murderer having a killing theme (the alphabet). It makes the movie above par when the killer has some sort of intellectual reasoning for doing what they are doing. Also, can we give the city of Rochester a standing ovation for making it into a movie? Sure, it was about a serial killer rampant in the quaint suburbs, but it's still publicity- yay for the 585! Lastly, some bonus points are awarded for being "based on true events". I know some people take this statement with a grain of salt, but some of it had to have happened, or they wouldn't have made the claim. Props for turning reality (no matter how far a stretch they take) into a cinematic adventure.
Cons- Where to begin? Part of the problem with this film is the dreary cinematography. It seems like every scene is black, grey or some combination of those with another morbidly drab color. This diminished my liking of the use of Rochester, because using a setting in your story is only as good as the way you use it. They managed to make Rochester and all of its suburbs look like the dirty bathroom of a crack-whore. Not good. Plus, there's some sentimental value in the fact that I student taught in Webster, and the movie in no way did the town justice. Webster is comparable to a mini-utopia, and they made it look like poo-poo. I know, I know- you're going to tell me that scary movies are supposed to look dark. Well let me ask you what's scarier: a serial killer roaming a dark alley in the streets of a bad neighborhood, or a serial killer roaming the family owned shops on the corner of a safe, crime free neighborhood? I guess everyone has their preference, but it's different watching a director portray a remote place that exists that you've been to, and doing so inaccurately. Bonus points deducted.
The other pro I had that needs to also be revoked is the use of the killer's theme. As you traipse through the story with Megan, you find out that the killer's alphabet theme was pretty much all a coincidence. They followed through with it after they realized, "Oh. That murder was significant because the girl's first and last name begin with the letter 'C'. And I dumped her body in a town that begins with the letter 'C'." This entire series of murders is brought to you by the letter 'C'. It's like a whacked serial killer episode of Sesame Street, but not planned nearly as well. Megan is also crazy, as I mentioned, and hallucinates- seeing the ghosts of the murdered victims. The ghosts apparently "help" her figure out who their killer is by (drum roll)...standing there and looking creepy. They do nothing to help. If you're going to show ghosts of dead girls, make it either creepy and haunting, or pathetic and helpful. Don't make them creepy and useless. That's just...well, useless.
Lastly, the Alphabet Killer does not kill in alphabetical order. Lame-o.
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