Perpetrator

Jonny Baptiste (Kiah McKirnan) leaves her troubled father to live with her aunt Hildie Baptiste (Alicia Silverstone). She doesn't know her or her mother. Her 18th birthday is coming up and she starts a new school.

At the end of the day, I don't know what is going on within this movie. This Shudder flick plays its cards really close to its vest. It doesn't tell the audience anything except a lot of questions. That could be interesting for a good while, but eventually, the movie needs to let us into the world building. I'm not asking for a lengthy exposition. I'm just looking for the general layout.

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]

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.

They swung hard, but this movie was a bit of a mess. It was almost impressively convoluted with so little explanation that I'm not fully convinced that they were even positive what they were attempting to convey.

It kept going back-and-forth between awkwardly taking itself too seriously and this weird campiness that didn't feel self aware. The ending, or lack there of, was abrupt and pretty lazy. This felt more akin to the first three episodes of a teen tv series crammed into one that mashed up a confusing euphoria and a not well explained monster high. It generally kept my attention but I feel like it was out of a pure attempt to figure out what was going on.

They didn't really keep up, stick to or follow through with their own plot and it ended up being pretty unfulfilling overall. Not the worst movie ever and had some interesting ideas but overall would not recommend.

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!