Ricky 6

I saw this film at a distributor's screening in LA quite some time ago. Something about it left an indelible impression upon me. Perhaps it's because it feels so real ... too real. In short, Ricky 6 chronicles Ricky's downward spiral into drugs and satanism (-5pts for spelling). Depressing subject matter. But, the acting was very good ... Chad Christ gives a particularly good performance. I hope to see him in more films in the future.

Richard "Ricky" Kasso was also known as The Acid King.He murdered 17-year-old acquaintance Gary Lauwers in Northport,Long Island,New York on June 16, 1984.Two other teens, Jimmy Troiano and Albert Quinones were present at the murder,which took place in the Aztakea Woods of Northport while all four were high on what they believed to be mescaline but was most likely either PCP or LSD.Ricky stabbed his victim to death and gouged out Lauwers eyes whilst screaming "Say you love Satan"."Ricky 6" is a well-researched account of this horrible ritualistic murder.The acting is good and some sequences are truly psychedelic.After the murder Ricky sees the Black Beast whilst Australian doom death legend Disembowelment's track "Your Prophetic Throne of Ivory" plays in the background.8 out of 10.

I loved everything about this film. It totally surprised me by being a million times better than I thought it was going to be. Vincent Kartheiser does a fantastic job as Ricky, making you feel sympathy for a character who could easily have been very unlikeable. The story is told from the viewpoint of Ricky's best friend, Tommy, and the subject-matter of murder and Satanism is handled very capably, with a great deal of understanding for Ricky as an ill-fated and misguided youth. I can't believe this film has not had an official release..it's one hell of a trippy, emotional and unmissable experience.

The soundtrack is great too - I'm off to listen to some more Iron Maiden.

It's been over two years now since I saw Peter Filardi's masterful take on the Ricky Kasso crimes. This was at a festival screening and since that time it almost feels as if the entire experience was a dream - because there's no bloody way for me to revisit this utterly amazing film! From memory as hallucinatory as the teenage wastelands that Filardi's film so accurately portrays, Ricky 6 was a mindblower. I felt it, everyone in the cinema felt it. And now it's nowhere to be found? NOWHERE?! When films as effective (and dare I say it - commercially accessible) can't get properly released I just don't know what to think. Ricky 6 is sharp, startling, surprisingly funny and more entertaining than a true crime film has any right to be, yet unlike its central character, this film has certainly not sold its soul.Its characters are sincere. Its direction is bullet-proof. It's atmosphere is marinated in melancholy yet its tone is energetic and consistently invigorating, with subtle surrealism creeping into day-to-day life like traces of a bonfire long extinguished but ever-present. I can't wait to see what this inarguably gifted filmmaker does next. This is precisely the teen drama that America needs.

The film captures (long island, early 80's) the time and place with sharp authenticity. It has a very competent cast. The plot is compelling but depressing. Not for those of us with weak stomachs. Overall, a better than average horror/suspense genre flick, and not to be confused with your teenage/summer/slasher flick.