The Killing Lens
(2000)
directed by J.L. Botelho
reviewed by
Jonathan Rocks
04.21.2008
The pseudo-documentary seems to be the current sub-genre du
jour for independent horror filmmakers. Historically, the antagonists of horror
films-- like Freddy Kreuger or Michael Myers-- have
been kept at a distance, at least in terms of their psyche and personal life.
What J.L. Botelho's film, “The Killing Lens”
attempts to do is show the personal side of a serial killer, and perhaps allow
us a glimpse into what motivates a person to commit such evil acts. That is a
pretty strong concept for a film. However, a film cannot exist on concept
alone. There is also the matter of execution, which was unfortunately the
downfall of this film.
The film is set up as a documentary being shot by a group of film students.
Inexplicably, a serial killer has signed on to allow them to follow him as he
maims and murders his victims. Eventually, the horrors that
the crew witness during the filming drives them to the brink of madness and
even into complicity with the murderer himself.
The main strike against this film was its overall amateur aesthetic. The film
was shot on digital video, which is not necessarily a bad thing. However, when
paired with the poor audio quality and distractingly dark picture, the film
suffers greatly for its inferior technology. The film was also quite long, with
some scenes meandering on well past the point of any expositional usefulness.
And though I loathe pointing out the sub-par acting in a low-budget indie film, the performances in this particular film were
terribly distracting.
Pseudo-documentaries can
often be a scathing and interesting way of broaching a taboo topic. Director
J.L. Botelho wears his influences on his sleeve--
specifically 1992's “Man Bites Dog.” And, that's fine-- borrowing
inspiration from influential art is quite common, especially in the film
business. But it's only when something new or interesting is added that a film
becomes its own entity, and not just an amalgamation of its influences.
Score: 0.5 out of 5
Purchase your own copy at Triad Studios.net: The Killing Lens