The Alphabet Killer
Sony
R4 DVD
Director Rob Schmidt appeared seemingly
out of nowhere some five years ago with Wrong
Turn, a film that took horror lovers by surprise with its intriguing plot
and visceral content. Sometime later he followed it with Right to Die episode in the Masters
of Horror series, which offered a seriously twisted look at the Euthanasia
debate. The Alphabet Killer is a major change of pace but he still continues to
shock and amaze in equal amounts.
Schmidt has taken the story of the
unsolved Rochester Alphabet Murders and run with them creating a modern day
detective drama. While this could have been just another “serial killer” film;
and they are a-dime-a-dozen these days , Schmit takes a creative approach to
his main character and this makes all the difference. Eliza Dushku plays Megan
Paige, a highly talented but eccentric and obsessive detective who pushes
herself too far and has a breakdown. She begins to see the ghosts of the dead
victims and is haunted by her inability to solve the case, after a severe
psychotic break she ends up hospitalized. She returns to work in the records
department after having lost her relationship with her policeman partner and
her reputation (cops don’t seem to understanding of mental illness). While
relationship may be over, her partner is now her boss and makes the surprise
decision to allow her to be an “advisor” when another Alphabet killing occurs.
This becomes more complicated when trigger happy police shot an unarmed suspect
and her testimony, while credible, is not taken seriously.
The power of her performance makes this a
superbly character driven film. At the same time we have lingering doubts about
whether she really is mentally ill or experiencing other worldly pleas from the
deceased girls. Regardless of how we interpret them, their appearances add an
ethereal look to the film. This exploration of mental illness and macho police
culture adds a further dimension to what is primarily a procedural detective
police film.
What is interesting about the presentation
of the film is how restrained it is. In the days of CSI, Law and Order and NCIS, all of which constantly show
autopsies and seem to push the shock element on a regular basis, The Alphabet
Killer is surprisingly gore light. To be honest I find this a refreshing
change, it allows the horror of the murders to stand by themselves without the
need to splatter them across the screen.
The character driven nature of the film is
continued in the supporting roles which include Cary Elwes of Saw as her boyfriend, Michael Ironside
as a very territorial copy from an adjoining police region, Bill Moseley as a
sex offender and Timothy Hutton as a counsellor living with mental illness. All
of these performances create a film which is intelligent and intriguing.
The ending is the most difficult aspect of
the film. The way Megan ties the killings together works, but the way it is set
up for a possible sequel is a bit obvious and doesn’t do the quality of the
performances any justice.
The Alphabet Killer, in my mind, has a lot
on common with the Giallo films of the Seventies and Eighties. It has lots of
characters, unusual twists and turns, police corruption and a killer who comes
right out of left field. It is certainly worth watching.
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This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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