![]() One of Christie's victims was his neighbor, Beryl Evans, who turned to Christie to help terminate a pregnancy (Christie had limited medical knowledge from military service). Algora's killer even whistles the classical piece "In the Hall of the Mountain King" like Peter Lorre's desperate killer in "M."īut Fleischer is equally concerned about the poisonous impact that Christie's crimes have on the victims and their families, and the law's often shortsighted response to such horrible actions. Algora places the blame for such wanton acts of violence on the quality of life in these neighborhoods, and seeks to connect his film and its location with Fritz Lang's "M," another story of a child murderer living among the poor in a major city. "The Mudboy" focuses less on the grisly details of the killings than the unrest they cause for Buenos Aires's barrio residents. He spent the majority of his life in prison following his conviction in 1912 and died behind bars in 1944. Nicknamed "El Petiso Orejudo" (roughly, "The Big-Eared Little Person") because of his small stature and protruding ears (due in part to malnutrition and the effects of diseases passed down by his abusive father), Godino graduated from killing animals and pyromania to arson and eventually, the murder of four young children. The culprit was Cayetano Santos Godino, a disturbed young man who may have committed his first homicide at the age of 10. Though the boy's visions are the focus of the film, its inspiration is a bizarre string of murders in Argentina between 19. ![]() If the plotline sounds familiar to you, it's because the interaction between Kneppel and Bundy inspired the chilling discussions with Hannibal Lecter in Thomas Harris's "Red Dragon" and "The Silence of the Lambs." The negotiations between the two men in "The Riverman" may lack the theatrical firepower of Anthony Hopkins' performance, but Greenwood and Elwes pull off exceptional high-wire acting here, with Elwes giving his best performance to date as a monstrous narcissist whose repulsive desires lurk just below the surface of his picture-perfect face. Kneppel's investigation draws the attention of Bundy (played by Cary Elwes), who offers his own unique "perspective" on the criminal mind in exchange for photos of the crime scenes. Years later, Kneppel, now a criminology professor, is called upon by police in Washington state to consult on a string of murders involving sex workers. It also can't decide to sympathize with or indict Homolka, offering lightweight evidence for both perspectives.īruce Greenwood plays Robert Keppel, a real-life former police detective who investigated Bundy and actually interrogated him prior to his arrest in 1975. She isn't helped by an underfed and clichéd script that adds a doctor character (played by Patrick Bachau of "The Grey Man") that coaxes out the story as an extended confession. Laura Prepon, who at the time of filming was wrapping up " That '70s Show," tackles a difficult role in playing Karla, but isn't fully up to the challenge of handling both sides of the character's mental state. However, videotapes of the murders showed that she took a more active role. Homolka's participation in the killings was the subject of considerable debate during her trial - Bernardo had committed numerous rapes prior to the murders, and was the primary force behind the torture-killings of the three women - and she initially claimed that she was forced into joining Bernardo because he had threatened her with violence. "Karla" is based on the lives and crimes of real-life Canadian couple Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, who were responsible for the death of three young girls, including Homolka's sister, between 19. ![]() ![]() ![]() Unfortunately, few were left smiling by "Smiley Face Killers." It's also possible that viewers attracted by Easton and Hunter on the marquee expected an angsty drama and not Crispin Glover in a hood. It's possible that the college drama - which is handled well by both Easton and the cast - sucks up much of the film's oxygen and leaves the actual horror sequences, which are genuinely spooky, as an afterthought. The reaction to "Smiley Face Killers" was surprisingly negative. Eventually, his paranoia proves correct, as he is abducted and murdered by the hooded people, which include a particularly creepy Crispin Glover. The film, directed by "River's Edge" director Tim Hunter and written by Bret Easton Ellis, follows a troubled college student (actor/singer Ronen Rubenstein) who believes that he is being targeted by unseen stalkers, but finds himself unable to convince others due to his history of psychological problems. "Smiley Face Killers" puts a face, so to speak, on the theory, and suggests that several shadowy figures in hoods are carrying out the murders. ![]()
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