"The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise" (2022) might just be the most okay-ish documentary I've ever watched. Imagine sitting down with a bowl of popcorn, expecting to dive deep into the minds of one of the most notorious criminals in history, only to find yourself in a lukewarm bath of facts and interviews that feel more like a high school history lesson than a gripping tale of crime and mystery. It's the cinematic equivalent of someone reading Wikipedia aloud - informative, sure, but you're left wondering if there's a more exciting way to learn about paint drying.
What the documentary does manage to do well is lay out the timeline of events with the precision of a Swiss watch. It's clear, it's methodical, and by the end, you'll have no doubts about the 'who did what when' of the Hillside Strangler case. But if you're hoping for a rollercoaster of emotions or any sort of psychological deep dive, you might find yourself checking your watch more often than you'd like. The filmmakers seem to have mistaken a monotone for suspense, leading to an experience that's as thrilling as finding a lost sock. It's a victory, but a small, somewhat anticlimactic one.
Yet, there's a peculiar charm to its mediocrity. Like a detective with a magnifying glass who can't find the clue right under his nose, "The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise" earnestly plods along, unaware of its own shortcomings. It's the documentary equivalent of a dad joke - you groan, you facepalm, but you can't help but give it a small, begrudging smile. So, I award it three stars for effort, execution, and managing to be perfectly okay. In a world of extremes, there's something oddly comforting about that.
