Rezension von Coventry

This "portrait" of a serial killer is extremely short, but nevertheless long & detailed enough to make your stomach turn inside out! Jim Van Bebber ("The Manson Family") and Mark Gillespie introduce a fictional cannibalistic psychopath who spends his days grinding and devouring raw animals he picked up from the streets and yelling at the most stupid programs on TV. His living room is a total mess, with blood stains on every wall and flesh-leftovers in every filthy cover. Martin then goes on the road and picks up a young couple whose car broke down. Shortly after, the girl is locked up in a cage while the boy lies on a nasty operating table, waiting for his head to get cut off. The movie ends with images clearly indicating John Martin prepared his victims for evening TV-dinner. "Roadkill" is truly repulsive, with Van Bebber's camera zooming in on all the graphic details. It would normally be a pretty forgettable short feature, but somehow Van Bebber & Gillespie manage to create a solid morbid atmosphere that makes "Roadkill" much more effective and petrifying that most serial-killer flicks. The tone and filming style are indescribably nihilistic and raw, while Mark Gillespie scares the hell out of you as the titular madman. The music exciting and the filthy set-pieces are awesome. I didn't really care for "The Manson Family" or "Deadbeat at Dawn", but Van Bebber's insane short films are total winners.