The latest indie trend: biopic serial killer flicks

I guess it all really depends upon the viewer. Opinions range from every direction. As for me well I don't really enjoy watching films about real life serial killers, I much prefer films about made-up ones if well I can say that. There's just something not 'right' when making a picture and basing it on some person who murdered people in his everyday life. I don't know, I guess this sounds confusing because it's contradicting everything I say. If I was to say I really liked Texas Chainsaw Massacre that would be almost similar to watching an Ed Gein film, since it used the basis for it. I'm trying not to sound stupid without confusing myself and everyone else, it's a very sensitive subject, in one hand you have to feel for the people who don't appreciate the film whether it be because they're family was actually involved or they are just against making this person a celebrity type figure for someone to worship. In the other hand you have to understand that people make films for pure shock and terror, and whether or not they base them on real serial killers is their business, the fact is, we all at some point feel the necessity to look maybe even read about what happened and why this individual could have done such a thing. It's the curiosity that drives us. Someone could say they enjoyed a biography about a celebrities life and be hailed as 'normal', but if you were to say you enjoyed a film about a serial killer you'd be looked at as a 'freak' when in actuality they're almost the same, the drama is replaced by fear, fear by emotion. Or well maybe I just took to much allergy medicine tonight, damn I’m sleepy.

Has anyone actually seein Ed Gein, the movie? My blockbuster's copy is destroyed, was curious if it was worth looking for.

The TED BUNDY movie is inspired.

What I find stands in the way of making biographical films interesting is the fact that, by the time the film comes out, most of the events and details of the given murderer have already been detailed in the news ... and that makes the film predictable ...

This is different than hyping a movie ( ie BLAIR WITCH ) because serial killers and their stores are reported on as actal news, not just promotion ... it basically impossible to live in today's society and not know Jeffery Dahmer, and what he did ...

In general, I am very discouraged by the lack of originality and creation in films: film IS still an art form, and while creative license allowed in any flick, the onslaught of remakes ( and biographies ) make for forgettable cinema ...

Also shallow, toungue-in-cheek, comical, distressing, mysogynistic, over-the-top, compelling, accomplished, woeful, embarassing, titilating, caustic, mind numbing, kinky, shoddy, blase, inept, hysterical, lyrical and stylish. All in the same picture. From the director of Freeway and Confessions of a Trick Baby this can come as nothing other than totally expected.

Matthew Bright comes across (in artistry as well as personality) as a direct result of genetic cross breeding of Bill Lustig and John Waters. I'm still trying to work out whether that's a valuable commodity or not.

The Ted Bundy Tv movie Mark Harmon did the Delibrate Stranger is one of the creepiest scariest films I have ever seen.

It takes the cake as far as serial killer bio films. Just watch the scene when he goes into a sorority sister house grabs a piece of firewood and sneaks into a few rooms and beats a few girls to death completely chilling.

I guess I could go on the record and say yes I have seen it. I rented it awhile back and found it completely boring. It had no juice and the pace was extremely slow. I can't say I gave it a fair viewing because I shut it off before I got the end, but from what I saw no I did not like it. I don't know too much about Ed Gein only the basics, but I assume it does stick to the original story. The guy who plays Mr. Gein had a nice performance whether he was like the real Ed I am not sure, if you really want to see a good serial killer movie, I'd suggest Henry: Portrait of a serial killer.

Perhaps a little Salva in there as well...

I think I mentioned Citizen X elsewhere, it really is a decent little movie and worth checking out if you see it on the listings.

Another good one (which I forget the name of) was a TV movie based on the Night Stalker/Richard Ramirez murders.

Dangerous ground round these parts, sonny...

But I was talking about the great director Alberto Salva. <a href="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Salv%E1,+Alberto" target="_blank">web page</a>

Why, who did you think I meant?

He saaaaaaaves. Good call. wink

But surely Blockbuster, although they may be a huge company, are NOT a film studio. It's like Lucasfilm. AOTC may have cost a hundred million dollars, but like it or not, it's just as much an indie as Clerks or Pulp Fiction.

Bear in mind I'm incredibly anal...

I always liked how some movies don't exactly use the characters but base it after them. Like in TCM, Leatherface is based after Ed Gien and that just made it even creepier even though it wasn't exactly based after it. It's like the perfect scare, to make it based after something...but not exactly based after it. They leave you to guess which parts are real and which are fake. Even though I heard the Dahmer movie is good...Indie Horror directors should put out something fresh instead of 'ripping from the headlines' as people like to call it.

... All this makes me appreciate the already very appreciated ( in my book ) SUMMER OF SAM ... Yes, it's based on the murders of a serial killer, however, David Berkowitz is not the main character ... Spike Lee did a great job with this film, and the performances of John Leguizamo and Mira Sorvino are unbelievably great ...

I think SUMMER OF SAM is one of the best, if no THE best, serial killer films I've seen, and films such as ED GEIN and DAHMER pale in comparison ... In fact, I feel wrong just for mentioning those 2 duds in the same post as SOS ....

Actually, both Ed Gein Ted Bundy was produced by Tartan Films, production offshoot of UK arthouse and foreign heavy hitters Metro Tartan and fronted and founded by the magnanimously queeny-sounding, but all round good egg, Hamich McApline who has done wonders for the horror genre in Britain and long may he continue to reign over his great video label (even if they do release the odd full frame print w/o the extras they deserve. But he brought Miike to these shores dammit !)

I think that the recent influx of serial killer biopics is a direct result of high profile biopics happening in more mainstream movies. Ali, A Beautiful Mind and Almost Famous (to a lesser extent) among others have been rather popular, and well recieved. So it would seem only natural for filmmakers to try and cash in on the horror market. So now, we get a stream of serial killer biopics. Some are working. One of the recent Dahmer pictures got some really good press, and I understand it is doing well, rental wise.

And all it takes is one success. I'd expect to see more of them.