Date: February 13, 2004

Source: IESB.NET

Author: Jeff Girard

Welcome to my pick of the week segment, where I take a look at overlooked and forgotten Horror, Sci Fi, and other related genre movies.This being my first pick I wanted to make sure it was good enough to check out for all you Horror and Thriller movie fans as well as anyone else who may want to have a bit of a trip while watching a movie.

My first feature is an older, little known movie from New Zealand:

THE UGLY (1997) Rated R
Written and Directed by Scott Reynolds

This is the story of Simon Cartwright, a man institutionalized for the last 6 years after confessing to the serial killings he committed over the course of his life. He is overseen by two abusive orderlies and a doctor who seems to really not care about much that goes on in his hospital. Simon requests to have Dr. Karen Shoemaker, a psychologist who has recently gained somewhat of a celebrity status after cracking the mind of another famous killer, re-assess his mental state. What Karen doesn't know is that she is about to be thrust into the mind of a very disturbed man whose life is haunted by the various events and people that drove him to the breaking point and led him to kill, transforming him into his scarred alter-ego, "The Ugly".

A very driving and frightening look into the mind of a serial killer, this film serves up a decent amount of shock, gore and scares throughout. We are placed into Simon's world through flashbacks that, at times, may be a bit confusing until they come full circle. Through Simon's eyes we see how he was picked on as a child, how his mother abused and sheltered him after his father left, and how his personal demons control every aspect of his life. We also see the strange double-sidedness of Simon, who will stop to care for an injured dog while still carrying the body of his most recent victim inside his car, or stop short of killing a girl just because she is deaf and is flawed just as he is.

The film itself is flawed at times, but it doesn't need to be a perfect film to get it's point across. Writer/Director Scott Reynolds succeeds at drawing the audience into the story until we finally learn Simon's motivations to kill, and by then it is too late to turn back. Very innovative and original, it shows Reynolds' potential in the film industry. Also unique is his choice to use black blood (until the end), giving the movie a more surreal feeling. Overall an enjoyably disturbing movie HIGHLY recommended by your's truly. I give this flick 3 out of 5 bloody axes.

Feel free to send any comments straight to me: jeff.girard@iesb.net I'll be back with another pick next week. Until then, Stay GROOVY!