THE GREAT AMERICAN SERIAL KILLER (2011)
THE GREAT AMERICAN SERIAL KILLER (2011)
Review by Mario Dominick
Director: Saint Matthew
Stars: Todd Servo, Eddie Benevich, Angelina Leigh, Katie Russell, Debbie D, Erica Mooney, Jason Senior
Saint Matthew and Raw Footage Films, the Northwestern PA crew responsible for the sick underground extreme horror hit STOCKHOLM SYNDROME, return to give us another look at the darker side of humanity in THE GREAT AMERICAN SERIAL KILLER. Based on elements from various real life serial killer stories, the film portrays a character named Robert Kemp and provides an expose of his brutal and horrific crimes.
Kemp is in prison for the murders of 32 people. He is interviewed in his cell by Dr. Jeramiah Stone. Throughout the film, Kemp tells the doctor (looking to get an understanding of what is behind the madness in his head and the vicious acts he carried out) the stories of his encounters with his various victims and how he picked them out. We see the flashbacks in which he rapes and tortures his victims in a variety of cruel physical and psychological manners. Most of his victims include women. In one flashback, we watch as he holds a man and woman who are brother and sister captive at a rundown cabin in the woods and forces them to commit unspeakable acts upon each other before he does away with them. Kemp shows no remorse for his actions. In viewing this and Kemp’s twisted reasoning for his behavior (including disturbing things he experienced in his childhood), Dr. Stone draws a conclusion that Kemp is somebody who could be anybody. That is, anybody you see walking down the street, a next door neighbor, or someone even more close to you than that. In other words, what you can see on the outside of a person looks completely harmless, but what you can’t see is what’s happening inside that person’s head. It’s truly the stuff nightmares are made of.
TGASK is a dark and unsettling film. While it doesn’t quite reach the disturbing and extreme levels of brutality seen in STOCKHOLM SYNDROME, what the film describes in the dialog with the killer is actually a lot scarier and darker than anything seen in the film. It’s very honest in its approach to the subject of serial killers we read about in the real world and Todd Servo gives an effective performance in the role of Kemp as does Eddie Benevich as Dr. Stone.
The film features appearances by a few well-known B-movie horror actresses such as Playboy model Angelina Leigh (THE PERFECT HOUSE and several Bill Zebub flicks), Debbie D (BURGLAR FROM HELL and several WAVE movies), and Katie Russell (CURSE OF THE WOLF, FIST OF THE VAMPIRE).
For fans of STOCKHOLM SYNDROME and other vicious and dark underground horror efforts, TGASK is well worth your attention.
TGASK is currently available on DVD and Video-On-Demand through Blunt Force Cinema (www.bluntforcecinema.com).
