Alphabet Killer DVD review

The Film:

For fans of true crime, movies based on the actual events can divide them just as bad as politics. Either filmmakers represent the facts as accurately as possible or the fans will scrutinize them for taking liberties with the case. Now, film makers must make the facts compelling enough for a narrative, so that’s were the liberties come in, but how far they stray will alienate people. Also, do these films do a disservice to the victims and their families? I might not get an answer to that question, as Rob Schmidt’s Alphabet Killer focuses more on an individual and little on the case.

Re-teaming after Wrong Turn, Eliza Dushku and Rob Schmidt come back together for this film, and while it plays with the facts enough to be written off by true crime fans, I found what Schmidt and writer Tom Malloy did somewhat interesting. Before I get to the somewhat, let me say that Eliza Dushku is pretty good here. She’s always been decent, but really gets type-cast as a bad girl, tough girl persona. With Alphabet Killer Dushku gets a chance to actually act and show emotional range, something rarely given to her outside of Buffy or Angel. Luckily, she doesn’t disappoint and is quite believable as a police investigator obsessed with capturing the Alphabet Killer.

The film is based on the facts about the real Alphabet Killer case, in which three girls were raped and killed. The catch was the killer was killing girls with the same matching initials in the first and last names and placing their bodies in town that matched their names (like Melissa Maestro in Mortimer, New York). After another victim falls to the killer, Megan (Dushku) begins to hallucinate that the girls are haunting her. Clearly, she’s letting the case over-whelm her life and it eventually costs her everything: career, fiancée, respect. Despite, doctor’s orders as well as his own feelings, Capt. Shine (Cary Elwes) lets her back on the case.

The film might seem as if it’s rooted in horror, but I’d say no despite the grisly nature of the subject and the appearance of ghosts. It follows Megan as she becomes completely crazy on all aspects of capturing the killer, so it plays more like a thriller. It’s soft spoken, well-acted, and is giving a good look to the film, all victories for a low budgeted film. I do wish it pushed the idea further. It’s a bit conventional, as it throws some red herrings out at us, and it never delves as deep as you might expect. But, even though most will dismiss it for straying away from the facts, into more of a thriller loosely-based on the case, I’d say it is worth a look just for the talent involved. Dushku is really good, Schmidt is proving to be a capable, talented director, and cameos from Timothy Hutton, Michael Ironside, and Bill Moseley will lure horror fans out to see it. I guess the ending is predictable and stereotypical, but it’s far more interesting than most low budgeted serial killer films.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: Anchor Bay does a good job at giving the film a clear but subdued audio presence. Don’t expect it to be bass heavy, it isn’t. The picture is nice considering it’s a low budgeted film. It handles the texture, darkness, and color tones good enough to impress.

Director Commentary: Here Rob Schmidt flies solo (for a bit) and is a bit too quiet. That is until Isen Robbins comes in, who was the producer and helps the track along. From here, we get a ton of info from production standpoint, real Alphabet Killer investigators’ cameos, and working with Eliza. It’s a pretty good, informative track.

Writer/Actor Commentary: Tom Malloy rips through this track and it makes for a fun listen. He covers different ground, which makes both tracks worth a listen.

First Victim: More like a deleted scene, it’s a different take to Megan’s introduction.

A to Z-Making of Alphabet Killer: Short and different than most EPK making of’s, this is random behind-the-scenes footage without interviews or extended clips. Its okay, but stick to the commentary tracks for better info.

Conclusion: It’s different than most serial killer flicks, making it worth a rental. Dushku gives a good performance (and her first nude scene) and Schmidt veers us into a new direction, showing us he’s more than a Wrong Turn-type of director.

Rating: