1h 29m
Director: Franck Khalfoun

This film is a remake of the 1980 film by the same name. It's a slasher and it's quite disturbing so don't expect a light-hearted romp!

Frank finds girls by driving around and on dating sites. It seems like he responds to sexual situations in a murderous way and he scalps his victims and keeps the remains on mannequins. He runs a mannequin restoration business so he has quite a few.

When a pretty photographer (Anna) unexpectedly takes an interest in his business, Frank becomes a bit obsessed and develops a romantic interest which seems to trigger a killing spree.

There's a weird fantasy element surrounding this movie and if you're a normal, well adjusted person you'll probably find it quite creepy. Most of it is filmed from Frank's 1st person perspective. It's very voyeuristic and you can tell the girls he stalks feel uncomfortable with him watching them, which in turn makes us, the audience feel like we're the wacko.

So the audience ends up feeling like it's a creep and a murderer. I don't remember seeing another film quite like it. You find yourself acutely aware of Frank's deeds during his interactions with Anna, which taints every innocent exchange.

This is quite a tangential manoeuvre for Elijah Wood who most people know as the Hobbit, Frodo Baggins from the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. None of that playful halfling banter here, only a grim portrayal of a psychologically disturbed man. Almost certainly an attempt to escape from his type casting.

It feels like it's been shot guerilla style like the original which was low budget, mostly handheld with occasional glimpses of our protagonist reflected in strategically placed mirrors.

The kills in this film are shot in quite an unusual way. The audience sees everything 1st person through the eyes of the murderer until he completes the kill at which point we switch to 3rd person as he realises the scope of his actions. It's comparable to post-nut clarity and coupled with the voyeuristic nature of the shooting style feels vaguely sexual - good for relaying the psychosis of the killer but it makes for quite challenging viewing.

If you watch closely you'll notice that things go 3rd person every time Frank becomes self aware and I think it's meant to illustrate disassociation more than anything else - but he is a loony so you're never quite sure! His relationship with his mother appears to be at the centre of his psychosis, she was a prostitute and they keep inter-cutting lude scenes with her which represent Frank's memories.

So it's possibly a bit too effective at documenting the life of a serial killer as he struggles with his various insane neuroses. It is however technically excellent because you're taken inside the mind of this psycho and you really feel it - which is also why you may not like it!

Probably don't watch this with your Mum!



Trailer: