Scary Movie Reviews
Diary of a Serial Killer
reviewed by Guest Reviewer tumnus
ThereÕs something most frightening about the concept of serial killers. TheyÕre some of the last real monsters in our collective subconscious. I assume that it has something to do with the fact that they are real, unlike Dracula or Freddy Krueger, and they are often found just next door. There is very little more frightening than the twisted workings inside the head of a rational looking man. Thus, they are the perfect villains for our day and the films that explore their madness generally carry more terror than most of our modern day horror films. Just ask Hannibal Lecter.
"Diary of a Serial Killer" in premise held the potential to be a great film. It was the story of a journalist, Nelson Keece, who happens upon a serial killer and his victim in an alleyway. The killer becomes aware of Nelson's knowledge and forces Nelson to interview him. The killer continues his killing and Nelson gets embroiled in the situation. An interesting concept. However, interesting concepts alone does not a good film make.
The story lumbers along, leading you to the edge of what you think might be horrific and then does not deliver. The characters are somewhat two-dimensional and do not generate any real connection with the audience. There is repeating imagery in the film that is leaned upon heavily, yet never explained, directly or indirectly. And finally, albeit a superficial judgment, the film has the look of a CBS television movie. So, all of these factors together make this movie no more unsettling than an episode of "Murder, She Wrote".
Fear the nice, quiet man next door. Fear the phone call with no one on the other end. But most importantly, fear this DVD or VHS in your respective players.
Respectfully,
tumnus
No chills, no disturbance, no eyeballs, no kidding.