American Monster

I was looking for something to watch after Evil Lives Here, and was so happy to find this amazing show! The home movies and interviews with the families really set this show apart! They take you from the victim and the killer's early lives right up to the moment of the 911 call with every important detail and event, without revealing which is the victim and which is the killer, although it's easy to guess at times. Other times, it's absolutely shocking. Every case is unique, and indeed, a monstrous killer is exposed in each carefully crafted episode. The ambience is perfectly set, from the happy baby/child photos/videos, through the troubled times that build up to the violence, to the cruel act itself. The background music is a heart-breakingly beautiful melody, alternating with ominous sounds and music to make our hearts race. The aftermath reveals the victim's families' and friends' thoughts and feelings, as well as the fate of the murderer. In this series, every case is solved to satisfaction, with no loose ends. Between the velvety narration, families' assistance and law enforcement, by the end of the episode, we come to know everyone involved in the case, almost as if we'd met them personally. This show gave me goosebumps. I was left wishing for more episodes of this addictive show when the series ended. In my humble opinion, this is the cream of the crop of the true crime genre!

I love the earlier episodes where the narrator had more prominence. It's interesting how this show has evolved over the years. The more recent episodes are still well done but I miss the heavy narration of the first six or seven seasons.

ABOUT MY REVIEWS:

I do not include a synopsis of the film/show -- you can get that anywhere and that does not constitute a meaningful review -- but rather my thoughts and feelings on the film that hopefully will be informative to you in deciding whether to invest 90-180 minutes of your life on it.

My scale: 1-5 decreasing degrees of "terrible", with 5 being "mediocre" 6- OK. Generally held my interest OR had reasonable cast and/or cinematography, might watch it again 7 - Good. My default rating for a movie I liked enough to watch again, but didn't rise to the upper echelons 8- Very good. Would watch again and recommend to others 9- Outstanding. Would watch over and over; top 10% of my ratings 10 - A classic. (Less than 2% receive this rating). For Lifetime Movies for Chicks (LMFC), drop the above scale by 3 notches. A 6 is excellent and 7 almost unattainable.

One of the best season 1-6, for some reason season 7 is falling flat. Prior years, I was engaged, the story and the telling were riveting. Not sure what has changed, but, change it back.

Does Richard Kuklinski or his daughter deserve more publicity than his victims? No, but that's what happens. If you think you have it tough, try being a murder victim daughter or son. Sick, distorted values. The fact that his daughter participates clearly shows how removed she is from the reality of her father's actions. She might as well spit in their faces.

I have watched a few episodes and it just drags on and on. Get to the point! I just watched one episode and it was 28 minutes in, before they even talked about a crime being committed. The first half was just introducing the members of the family. Lots of fast forwarding on this one.