Reviewed by: Eric R. Lowther
Posted by: Root Rot
Serial Killing 101 (1999)
Written and Directed by: Trace Slobotkin
Hey kids! It’s Eric R Lowther aka biguglyhairyscary here yet again on the Witch’s Hat blog with my thoughts on 2004’s “Serial Killing 101” aka “Serial Killing for Dummies”. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Why, you ask? Well…
Synopsis;
Casey (played by genre and TV veteran Justin Urich) has had a hard adolescence. After losing his policeman-father in the line of duty he’s become somewhat lost and unguided in his youth with no real direction. His grades are in the shitter and his gymnasium coach, Vince Grimaldi (my new favorite Thomas Hayden Church role), lives to harass and belittle him in front of his peers. His mother doesn’t understand him as she tries to adjust to her new role as single mom, his other teachers rag him on his short-comings and, to top it off, the object of his affections goth-girl Sasha (Lisa Loeb) doesn’t even know he’s alive. Of all these things, Sasha holds the greatest importance to Casey. After running through the usual gamut of teen angst and attempts to get her to notice him, he finally decides to work through her interest in serial killers by declaring he wants to be one himself. Casey goes so far as to write about this new life goal in a life-skills class paper which he presents to the class in the hopes of peaking Sasha’s interest.
The ploy works, but now that she’s noticed him Casey needs to maintain his show of interest in becoming a full-fledged serial killer. Sasha starts working with him, researching serial killers and devising the best way for him to realize his new life goal. However, as the two get closer through their mutual interests he gets railroaded into counseling and people in their little town start to disappear. The cops begin to suspect Casey due to his proclaimed life path even as Casey discovers the real reason behind Sasha’s extreme interest in his becoming a bona fide serial killer. While Casey and Sasha work on what will be his persona, weapons and victims of choice they also inadvertently start working on the complexities of the growing number of missing persons happening around them. There’s a serial killer in town, but if it’s not Casey, then who could it be?
This is a surprisingly well-done bit of serial killer satire with a cast full of experienced, solid actors. Veterans such as Barbara Niven as Casey’s mother, instantly-recognizable George Murdoch as Det. Berro, and even Corey Feldman join Loeb, Urich and Hayden-Church to create a cast that can handle pretty much anything the tight script throws at them. Writer/director Slobotkin keeps a steady hand on the wheel here, so much so it surprises me that this film is his one and only directing credit. Slobotnik is best known primarily as a television writer, but you wouldn’t know it from watching this one. The technical aspects are all of good quality and vision and the acting, direction and story mesh quite well into a smart, funny and darkly humorous whole. Yes, you’ll likely see the end coming a mile away, but even with that it’s still a fun ride getting there. Fans of Thomas Hayden Church should regard this as a must-see, and the script gives him a lot of juicy lines to work with.
So, is it any good? Keep in mind this movie is designed with more humor and satire in mind than any effort to make a straight-up slasher movie. If you’re a fan of dark comedy or a slasher fan that likes the occasional satire/spoof of their genre then I highly recommend it. If you’re a slasher fan that simply can’t brook comedy in their genre then you’ll probably want to avoid it. This is a quality, lower-budget slasher/satire movie full of great lines, characters and acting that deserves a look-see. If this sounds like your cup of tea you can get it from Amazon and other online outlets for anywhere from $3.00-$15.00, where you can also stream it for a small fee. Netflix fans can rent the DVD or instant-watch for free as well. If this is your genre, I recommend seeing it at least once.
Well, that’s it for me this time. Make sure you’re checking out the family of The Witch’s Hat blogcasts and be sure to stop by the forums over at Killer Reviews to talk about the blog and blogcasts. Have a movie you’d like me to review? Make sure you hit my thread over at the forums and let me know and I’ll do everything I can to get it on the review schedule. So with a tip of my imaginary hat to Mr. Rot, Keely, Kreepy Kyle, Misfit Boy and all the rest, this has been biguglyhairyscary saying, see ya, kids.
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