Georgina Campbell is back with a horror film, 'Psycho Killer'. However, it has the intensity that doesn't lead to anything.
Psycho Killer was introduced with Georgina Campbell taking the lead. The audience was extremely excited to see the film helmed by Gavin Polone. However, it seems to have failed to meet viewers' expectations. With a stellar cast including James Preston Rogers, Malcolm McDowell, Logan Miller, Grace Dove, Nigel Shawn Williams, and Stephen Adekolu, is the film living upto the hype? Let's find out. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
The film begins with an absurdly funny group of 'pick me' Satanists discussing plans to take over the world while munching on Chinese takeout in a wealthy benefactor's mansion. Which, in itself, doesn't scream an unnerving horror saga, but despite the hype, fails to build a sense of urgency, dread, or fear. The plot of the film, unfortunately, doesn't get any better as Gavin Polone's blood-laced thriller revolves around a cop out to kill the deranged, rampaging serial killer who murdered her husband. However, what should have been promising content gets lost in the dull, disorganised storytelling that feels annoyingly littered by lazy creative choices.
The film follows the story of a Kansas State Trooper named 'Jane Archer' (Georgina Campbell) who witnesses a psychopath (James Preston Rogers) shoot her State Trooper husband, 'Michael' (Stephen Adekolu), while on a routine roadside stop. Rightfully, 'Jane' is haunted by the traumatic reality in the coming days, and she keeps thinking about what she could've done better to save her husband. She suspects that the mystery man who turned her world upside down is none other than 'The Satanic Slasher'.
It is the same serial killer who wears a radioactive mask and paints pentagrams in blood. Seeking revenge, 'Jage' goes against the advice of her department and her caring, concerned father (Nigel Shawn Williams), and launches her own investigation, taking a leave of absence and hitting the road. 'The Satanic Slasher' has been travelling cross-country, committing crimes like robbing pharmacies, stealing library books and leaving a trail of mutilated bodies behind.
However, 'Jane's' journey takes her through unfamiliar territory as she navigates interstate freeways and s*xism from federal bureaus out to deliberately try to backdrive her progress. Nonetheless, 'Jane' eventually figures out where he has been staying in a motel under the alleged name of a dead prisoner who was also a mass murderer in a Satanic cult. She proceeds purely by the force of her character and the help of one sympathetic female agent (Grace Dove) until she gets close enough to her tormentor to start piecing together his sinister agenda, which is darker than she could have ever imagined.
What begins as an 1980s throwback Satanic panic film with B-grade grit and an overly capable heroine soon devolves into a lacklustre film with poorly written characters, senseless scenarios, and a million times-seen twists. The antagonist's plans don't feel remotely scary. It's further hard to believe that his victims didn't see his 6-foot-6-inch frame in obvious spaces, or the acid-tripping spoiled Satanists who don't panic when he enters the room, clearly wielding an axe. The lack of fear and general self-preservation insticts, become the primary reason the film feels weightless.
While the tension-release joke is indeed funny, comedic relief overall isn't well-executed. The Catholic Priest's kill has an underplayed gross-out element to it. What further weirds the viewers out is the 'Psycho Killer's' odd chemistry with 'Marvin' (Logan Miller) at 'Mr. Pendleton's' mansion. However, none of the supporting players is given personalities to amp up any satirical bent.
What fans might find more unsettling is that Georgina Campbell is not given any movie-star moments to spotlight her worth, as she did so craftily in Barbarian. She does the best she can with what's offered. However, 'Jane's' battles against out-of-state departmental bias and misogyny are text, not subtext. Her 'heronine' feature is her dead husband, and her arc is exclusively gifted to her by another man. Nonetheless, there's not much room for her character to materialise in a way that would have satisfied the audience.
Furthermore, Jane's internal conflicts are rushed in a three-minute scene where she finds out she is carrying her dead husband's baby. While the scene itself doesn't give the audience much time to feel the emotional intensity of the revelation. She also seems to have forgotten that she is pregnant, a few scenes later, when she is tossed through a glass motel window.
Gavin Polone struggles to build the tension that a horror film is usually based on. While the genre is not his forte, he doesn't seem to even have fun with the gnarlier, darker aspects of Andrew Kevin Walker's narrative and completely disregards any thematic resonance. What's even more shocking is that Andrew, who has previously left fans in chills with his serial-killer film, SE7EN, also fails to recreate that unnerving magic.
What are your thoughts on Psycho Killer? Let us know.
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