Perpetrator

I recently viewed Perpetrator (2023) on Shudder. The plot centers around a unique young woman who resides with her adopted father in a town plagued by a serial killer targeting young girls who keep mysteriously disappearing. As the bodies of the missing girls are discovered, the gruesome acts committed on their corpses come to light. Despite ongoing self-defense classes at the local high school, the girls remain vulnerable. Amidst these mysteries, the young woman begins to uncover her extraordinary powers, which might aid in identifying and stopping the serial killer.

Written and directed by Jennifer Reeder (V/H/S/94), this film features Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Taylor Kinkead (Utopia), Chris Lowell (The Help), Kiah McKirnan (Night Sky), and Casimere Jollette (Tiny Pretty Things).

Perpetrator has a promising premise, intriguing characters and unique circumstances, but it squanders its potential. The acting, particularly Taylor Kinkead's performance, is commendable and authentic. However, the horror elements, particularly the mirror and face scenes, fall short of their intended impact. On a positive note, the depictions of the corpses and wounds are well-executed, and the torture scenes are excellent. The film's major flaw lies in its pacing; it takes too long to reach a truly engaging point, leaving you wishing the conclusion had occurred much earlier. The latter part of the movie had the potential to be really good but was too little too late.

In summary, Perpetrator possesses the elements needed for a compelling film but struggles to integrate them effectively until it's too late. I would rate this a 5/10 and recommend it primarily to dedicated horror enthusiasts.

This film has an incredibly odd vibe.

Mostly, because the acting in it is awkwardly bad.

Though, seemingly purposefully so.

At least...I'd like to hope so.

The plot is particularly bizarre.

Almost hard to follow.

An hour in...and all I could tell...is that it is some sort of coming of age film...about a high school girl getting her period...who might be getting initiated into a coven of witches...that may or may not already be dead...

Either way...in whatever world this is...someone is targeting and killing young women.

Who might be a cop.

That is trying to frame a young player (by going after every chick he gets with).

It's all a pretty odd experience.

That has to be some sort of nightmare, if it is to make any sense.

Eventually...what is actually going on, does come to fruition.

But it doesn't make it any less weird or awkward.

By this point...it has set it's course...and is sticking to it.

Doubling down on the trippiness, if anything.

I can't say for certain that I fully get what's going on in this picture.

But I can safely say that it will leave you thinking "what the hell did I just watch?!".

That being said...it's hard to say whether it's actually good or bad.

As it defies such a dichotomy.

In exchange for it's overt weirdness.

That makes for a super odd/awkward viewing experience.

4 out of 10.

Oh boy, where do I even start with "Perpetrator"? This movie is like a rollercoaster ride through teenage angst and supernatural chaos! It all begins with Jonny Baptiste, the rebellious teen who's about as responsible as a cat at a yarn store. She's sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie, and let's just say it's the ultimate punishment for any teenager. But then, on her 18th birthday, bam! She experiences a radical metamorphosis called Forevering. I mean, couldn't they have given her a heads-up with a brochure or something?

As if teenage life wasn't confusing enough, now Jonny's turned into a feral, mystical creature with a nose for trouble. And trouble she finds! When a bunch of girls go missing at her school, Jonny takes it upon herself to hunt down the perpetrator. I swear, it's like she watched too many episodes of "Scooby-Doo" and decided to become the whole mystery-solving gang by herself. But hey, who needs Scooby snacks when you've got Forevering powers, right?

In summary, "Perpetrator" is a wild ride that combines teen drama, supernatural shenanigans, and a dash of Scooby-Doo detective work. It's like someone threw "Twilight," "Nancy Drew," and "Teen Wolf" into a blender and hit the puree button. While it's not exactly an Oscar contender, it's a hilariously entertaining flick that'll leave you wondering if you, too, might secretly be a Forevering expert. Don't miss it if you're up for some teenage werewolf-ish fun!

Somewhere in this Cronenberg (father and son!) farrango is a story but it's not developed in any particularly interesting way.

It starts at 80 and goes straight to 100, never developing any characters or plot. Any idea writer/director Jennifer Reeder has just gets thrown into the mix.

Which is a shame as this has lashings of dark humour from Alicia Silverstone's deadpan delivery to the oddness of the high school principal - all played straight despite all the oddness around them.

Its a hugh mash up of Lynch, (aforementioned) Cronenberg but also recently Yorgos Lanthimos which is why I wanted to like it more- but they have a clear narrative structure which allows them to go in any (strange) direction they please.

It contains great photography ,especially at night, and a Carpentersque soundtrack.

Honestly this movie confused me, it basically had a really interesting idea that is unique it could be made into a really good feature film. But the execution lacks in many places.

The movie is competently directed and the acting is fine but the really big problem of the movie is that it leaves more questions than it tries to answer. The movie keeps adding new aspects but doesn't explain them and that leaves the viewer unsatisfied. You have lots of interesting ideas and aspects that the movie is introducing but since they are not explained you forget about them or you stop caring. This left me feel very empty at the end of the movie and I was definitely not satisfied with the end product. [4,5/10]