The Pizzagate Massacre
Written and directed by John Valley
Exploitation films have a history of taking topics that others may find offensive or downright uncomfortable and turning out entertainment about it. Conspiracy theories used to be fun before they became widely accepted as reality despite evidence to the contrary. I loved listening to late night Coast to Coast AM. It came with a little bit of mockery and a little bit of wonder. But that all changed.
Suddenly everything was a conspiracy and everything was political. People would believe wild and outlandish claims with little to no evidence of its existence. It spread like a wildfire. It began to affect regular people's lives. It culminated in the Pizzagate killings. The theories had become violence. It was too much. It was no longer fun and games.
This movie takes inspiration from that. It is about getting into the mind of somebody like that. His name is Duncan. It understands how insane this actually is. You have to put a satirical edge on it because if you don't laugh, what are you going to do. Duncan lives in his van. He's a gun enthusiast and he is part of a local militia. He listens to the Terri Lee show which is InfoWars in a different form. Karen is an amateur journalist who after losing her job at the Terri Lee show begins her own investigation into the Pizzagate conspiracy. She needs somebody to watch her back and enlists the help of Duncan.
This movie sounds like a terrifying thriller. It is not played that way, not entirely. It has a foreboding atmosphere and the soundtrack follows suit. It carries a big Taxi Driver vibe with it as well. It is undeniable that Taxi Driver is the inspiration for this movie. Duncan contains so much anger at the world. He feels outside looking in and he feels constantly humiliated.
This movie was originally called Duncan and the focus is upon his character. There is a good article about this movie's production history. Duncan seems like a cut and dried lunatic fringe. He's not and while the title might be misleading somewhat, it is still accurate. Things escalate as the pizza place is brought into it.
This movie is really good. I was surprised by how much emotion and character is brought out in Duncan. The performance by Tinus Seaux as Duncan shows the different sides of him. He feels lost by not recognizing his world anymore. He is definitely confused by the information that is being fed to him. His life is in flux.
He is paired with Karen Black. She is using Duncan to create her film. You're not entirely sure what she believes in. It is a swirling mix of people who don't trust each other or what they hear. They believe in things that go against what most rational people know to be true.
It does have out there characters and wild situations. Most people who don't watch these shows and don't frequent these circles will be scratching your head but keep an open mind at least about this movie. I know it's called The Pizzagate Massacre and it does play on what you expect from a title like that but at the same time it expands the characters. The comparison to Taxi Driver is extremely apt and it is a well made and interesting low budget film. I give this movie a B.
