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B.T.K.
For some unfathomable reason people have always been draw to tales of pure evil. Ancient mythology if full of stories of unthinkable horrors and terror perpetrated on unsuspecting humans typically at the hand of some purely evil deity. Even in the well established religions of the West there is a figure of pure heinous intentions. Literature and film have tapped into this with stories of unrelenting monsters stalking innocence in the dark of night. While these horrible creatures are truly frightening they pale in comparison to the real monsters that have walked unsuspecting among us; the serial killer. This also is not a modern phenomenon. Over a century ago the tabloid newspapers and penny dreadful novels were all about the murderous exploits of the serial killer we have come to know as ‘Jack the Ripper’. Perhaps it is the dark attraction inherent in the people that live unfettered by the laws and moral norms we all follow. This fascination with serial killers has translated to a nearly endless stream of scripts for movies. One thing that always has to be kept in mind is the writers have a tendency to play fast and loose with the often well documented facts. Many of these serial killers have achieved a cult stature in popular culture and as unbelievable as it may seem, complete with a fiercely loyal fan base. It does appear that there is no end in sight for serial killers so Hollywood will continue to grind out these stories. It has even progressed to television with the popularity of crime dramas like ‘Criminal Minds’. One of the latest serial killers to catch the public’s imagination was Dennis Rader, better known as the B.T.K. Killer, reflecting his modus operandi of binding, torturing and killing his victims. The latest flick based on him is the aptly and simply named ‘B.T.K.’ released through a distributor well vested in these real life horror flicks, Lions gate. The film was written and directed by a man with formidable experience with this subject matter; Michael Feifer. This Brooklyn born film maker has created fictionalized accounts of such notorious killers as Ted Bundy, Ed Gein and Richard Speck. In an odd change of pace one of his latest directorial projects was ‘The Dog Who Saved Christmas’; a family film with no horrible murders. As with most movies that boast ‘based on true events and real people’ the works of Feifer, including this one, must be taken with a sizable grain of salt. At times I think that horror writers have a few generic serial killer scripts in their cabinets taking them out for a bit of customization when a new serial killer dominates the headlines. All that has to be done is to change some names and a few details and you have a serial killer script ready to go. At least with the screenplay Feifer provided here there is a sense that he put considerable study into the facts of the case and set up to weave a conjectural story around it. The veracity of the story aside the script is eminently workable as a piece of entertainment in the horror genre. I have always felt serial killers to be much more frightening than any imaginary terror like Freddie or Jason. It is far more likely that a deranged murderer is on the loose than any burnt guy with knives for fingernails. It is this feeling of possibility that helps to rescue this movie. Dennis Rader is played with a scary precision by veteran horror flick regular Kane Hodder. He has appeared in a number of flicks of this genre including a few by Michael Feifer. He actually is quite good in what amounts to a dual role. Like the man he is protraying, Hodder has to balance two diametrically opposed personalities. Rader had an externally stable life with a wife and two grown daughters living at home. He was a well respected member of his local church activity in its administration. He worked as a compliance officer in his community which basically made in a glorified dog catcher and zoning inspector. In the pursuit of his deadly ‘hobby’ Rader exhibited the same attention to detail. He was one on the longest career serial killers operating for decades. On the job he was known for writing up even the smallest infractions without mercy. He also ruled his household with a firm marginally abusive hand. As a serial killer he taunted the authorities with messages concerning his kills. For the sake of brevity most of the killings that actually took place in the seventies were move to a more contemporary timescale. There is just enough gore to make the movie qualify as a horror flick nut not in any way over the top or up to the ‘Saw’ standards. The wife Susan (Amy Lyndon) comes off as the queen of denial not being too worried when hubby locks himself in his work room into the small hours of the night. The conclusion is too quickly and easily achieved. All of sudden Rader is confessing to his family and minutes later confession in lockup. The film does work as a mild thriller but do not take it as a factual account.
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