In 1995, screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker collaborated with director David Fincher to craft Se7en, arguably the gold standard for serial killer movies. Fincher brought an iconic haunting, eerie atmosphere, while Walker’s script infused an intricate procedural mystery with a memorable killer and one hell of an ending. 20th Century Studio’s new film Psycho Killer is one clearly born out of Se7en’s shadow, and exists in part as writer Andrew Kevin Walker’s attempt to recreate the magic of the story he once wrote over twenty years ago. Does he succeed? Such a gargantuan task is almost destined to fall short. And yet Psycho Killer demonstrates that Andrew Kevin Walker hasn’t lost his touch for creating gripping serial killer movies.
Psycho Killer follows Kansas Highway Patrol Officer Jane Archer (Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell), whose life is turned upside down when her husband is killed by a sadistic serial murderer known as The Satanic Slasher (James Preston Rogers) in a traffic stop. Despite the FBI taking ownership of the investigation, Jane embarks on a relentless quest of her own to track down the killer, whose crimes are imbued with twisted violence and end of the world, Satanic rhetoric.
Unlike Se7en, which keeps Kevin Spacey’s John Doe at arms length for much of its runtime, Psycho Killer positions its serial killer front-and-center. Walker’s script sees each scene alternate between the perspective of The Satanic Slasher and Campbell’s Jane Archer, giving viewers a front row to both a serial killer investigation and the subject of said investigation.
The Satanic Slasher himself is the film’s most immediately striking element. He’s first introduced driving a vehicle and yet, even while sitting down, his physically imposing nature is on full display. Tall, hulking, muscular, and with dirty long hair, the most apt comparison is Tyler Mane’s Michael Myers in Rob Zombie’s duo of Halloween movies. This aesthetic, a stark contrast to Spacey’s unassuming John Doe, adds a certain threat to the film whenever the killer is on screen.
Unfortunately, the ominous nature of the Satanic Slasher is hindered by the character’s voice. When he initially speaks, The Satanic Slasher’s low voice reverberates in eerie and stylized fashion. But, but, as the film progresses, the voice becomes increasingly distracting until a point that it detracts from the physical threat of the character. This is made worse by illogical sound design, evidenced by the fact that his voice remains completely unchanged regardless of whether he’s wearing a mask or not. Rather than adding to the mysteriousness and unsettling feeling the film is clearly trying to evoke, this core element of the killer threatens to pull the viewer out of the immersion entirely, making the character feel less frightening the more he speaks.
Despite mixed execution of its big bad’s presence, Psycho Killer toys with some interesting concepts regarding the motives of its villain. Director Gavin Polone’s film showcases the masked madman as a Satanic worshiping killer with a drive for causing complete and utter destruction, but also one with a long term goal shrouded in mystery. The ultimate payoff to this mystery, revealed in an unexpectedly high-stakes third act, doesn’t entirely come together as it teeters on the ridiculous and is riddled with logical implausibilities, but the film does well in creating an antagonist both aesthetically striking and motivationally intriguing.
The slasher’s Satanic identity defines the atmosphere of the film right from the opening credits, which flash audiences with quick looks at various Devil-type symbols and imagery. This atmosphere continues throughout the film, and director Gavin Polone (in his feature directorial debut) largely succeeds in maintaining this creepiness. The film’s atmosphere may be a far cry from the visually stunning Se7en, but it unsettles through night scenes that often rely on store or building signage lighting and, more generally, bolsters disconcerting cinematography from Magnus Jønck.
For as effectively atmospheric as Psycho Killer is, the investigation that drives the plot forward falls flat. The introduction to the mystery, the death of Jane’s husband, is a gripping entry point in immediately creating an emotional hook to drive our protagonist forward. Disappointingly, the resulting investigation into the Satanic Slasher doesn’t entail the kind of puzzle-solving, clue-unearthing, and suspect-sifting one would expect from a serial killer movie like this. Instead, much of the investigation advances either off-screen, raising plenty of question marks as to how Jane came to such a conclusion, or through her routine review of security footage. The already subpar investigation then further devolves as Georgina Campbell’s lead character fades in prominence throughout the runtime.
While Campbell performs serviceably with the material at her disposal, there’s more fun to be had with a duo of eccentric supporting players. Malcolm McDowell and Logan Miller appear mid-film as satanists that The Satanic Slasher seeks out and immediately add something different to the proceedings. Their collective presence adds a bit of personality and texture that the film struggles to maintain at other points.
Georgina Campbell shines in her starring role, even as she has less and less material to work with as the story progresses. It’s a testament to her ability that she continues to command the attention of the viewer even as her character gradually fades into the background as the movie progresses, becoming more sidelined the longer the story goes on.
Psycho Killer also suffers from some distracting filmmaking hiccups. There’s an over-reliance on ADR, for example, which becomes increasingly obvious as the film goes on. A number of scenes either feel missing or significantly trimmed down, the most glaring example being a jolting transition from a character lying down unconscious to then researching footage in a library. The film is briskly paced, which helps to paper over these cracks, but they still rear their ugly heads nonetheless.
VERDICT: 6/10
While certainly no Se7en, Psycho Killer is an ominous and compelling serial killer thriller. The Satanic Slasher makes for an unsettling and imposing antagonist, albeit one hindered significantly by a distracting voice. Director Gavin Polone imbues the film with an incredible atmosphere, soaked in Satanic symbols and well-lit night sequences. The investigation that drives the narrative forward may be superficial, at best, while logical implausibilities, overuse of ADR, and abrupt editing create a somewhat disjointed viewing experience at times. And yet screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker’s return to the serial killer genre is far from a dud. The inevitable comparisons to Se7en and various other, superior serial killer movies are simultaneously understandable and unfair, as this movie was never going to match Fincher’s 1995 classic nor numerous others. And that’s okay. Psycho Killer doesn’t need to redefine the serial killer in order to engage, intrigue, and unsettle.
