THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER

 

THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER: C 


Loosely inspired by the killings of serial killer Dennis "BTK" Rader, The CLOVEHITCH KILLER follows the story of Tyler Burnside, who after discovering a disturbing image in his father's pickup one night, comes to suspect that his father may be responsible for the mass murder of 13 women from 10 years prior.  While captivating and intriguing, the story is not paced well & the transitions are far from smooth.  

The writing's non-linear approach at times can be difficult to follow & while actor Charlie Plummer seemed to be dedicated & committed to the role, it also seemed that it was above his current level. You could see the desire as well as the effort, which was much appreciated, but the inexperience was also painfully obvious.  His character seemed to have no arch. He didn't seem effected enough by the information that he discovered. Finding out such a horrid thing about a loved one, would be psychologically damaging. His character seemed to shrug it off as a mild surprise, rather than the huge shock that it should have been. 

There were so many elements of this film that could have been explored into great depths but were barely touched upon. Instead of the long drawn out, weird and uncomfortable ending, we could have instead hit these points to a level of satisfaction. The father being involved in the Church, how he was able to hide it from his wife, the community.  So many more elements that could have been explored.   

I never was quite sure what the film was trying to imply at the end. Was Tyler simply trying to save his mother and his sister as well as himself from the shame and embarrassment? Was he afraid of what might be assumed of him because he was related to this monster?  Or was the film trying to imply that like his father he had the ability to do something such as murder, keep it a well kept secret and go on with life all honky dory?  The film was not clear in its depiction. 

Again one of those films with better writing could have been better.  Had some strong elements throughout but there were too many missed opportunities to give this film anything better than an average rating.