Perpetrator

Jonny Baptiste (Kiah McKirnan) leaves her troubled father to live with her aunt Hildie Baptiste (Alicia Silverstone). She doesn't know her or her mother. Her 18th birthday is coming up and she starts a new school.

At the end of the day, I don't know what is going on within this movie. This Shudder flick plays its cards really close to its vest. It doesn't tell the audience anything except a lot of questions. That could be interesting for a good while, but eventually, the movie needs to let us into the world building. I'm not asking for a lengthy exposition. I'm just looking for the general layout.

Oh boy, where do I even start with "Perpetrator"? This movie is like a rollercoaster ride through teenage angst and supernatural chaos! It all begins with Jonny Baptiste, the rebellious teen who's about as responsible as a cat at a yarn store. She's sent to live with her estranged Aunt Hildie, and let's just say it's the ultimate punishment for any teenager. But then, on her 18th birthday, bam! She experiences a radical metamorphosis called Forevering. I mean, couldn't they have given her a heads-up with a brochure or something?

As if teenage life wasn't confusing enough, now Jonny's turned into a feral, mystical creature with a nose for trouble. And trouble she finds! When a bunch of girls go missing at her school, Jonny takes it upon herself to hunt down the perpetrator. I swear, it's like she watched too many episodes of "Scooby-Doo" and decided to become the whole mystery-solving gang by herself. But hey, who needs Scooby snacks when you've got Forevering powers, right?

In summary, "Perpetrator" is a wild ride that combines teen drama, supernatural shenanigans, and a dash of Scooby-Doo detective work. It's like someone threw "Twilight," "Nancy Drew," and "Teen Wolf" into a blender and hit the puree button. While it's not exactly an Oscar contender, it's a hilariously entertaining flick that'll leave you wondering if you, too, might secretly be a Forevering expert. Don't miss it if you're up for some teenage werewolf-ish fun!

People tell teenagers that they will change once they grow up - I think that is true for many generations ... maybe even back to the stone ages. So no pun intended with my summary line. But the movie begins with us seeing someone ... change ... and we know something is up.

One unfortunate thing is the CGI used in the movie. It is not convincing. While it is not used often, it does take one out of the movie when it does. The story or idea is quite nice - still the movie does take its sweet time to dish it out. It's a bit of a shame, this could have been tighter. The actors do try their best. Also remember you can not be squeamish or faint of hearted ... it was nice seeing Alicia Silverstone in a bigger role for sure.

I recently viewed Perpetrator (2023) on Shudder. The plot centers around a unique young woman who resides with her adopted father in a town plagued by a serial killer targeting young girls who keep mysteriously disappearing. As the bodies of the missing girls are discovered, the gruesome acts committed on their corpses come to light. Despite ongoing self-defense classes at the local high school, the girls remain vulnerable. Amidst these mysteries, the young woman begins to uncover her extraordinary powers, which might aid in identifying and stopping the serial killer.

Written and directed by Jennifer Reeder (V/H/S/94), this film features Alicia Silverstone (Clueless), Taylor Kinkead (Utopia), Chris Lowell (The Help), Kiah McKirnan (Night Sky), and Casimere Jollette (Tiny Pretty Things).

Perpetrator has a promising premise, intriguing characters and unique circumstances, but it squanders its potential. The acting, particularly Taylor Kinkead's performance, is commendable and authentic. However, the horror elements, particularly the mirror and face scenes, fall short of their intended impact. On a positive note, the depictions of the corpses and wounds are well-executed, and the torture scenes are excellent. The film's major flaw lies in its pacing; it takes too long to reach a truly engaging point, leaving you wishing the conclusion had occurred much earlier. The latter part of the movie had the potential to be really good but was too little too late.

In summary, Perpetrator possesses the elements needed for a compelling film but struggles to integrate them effectively until it's too late. I would rate this a 5/10 and recommend it primarily to dedicated horror enthusiasts.

In the beginnig promising, yet in the end disappointing horror. One thing I had to give to "Perpetrator" is that it didn't play it safe and tried to bring new twists into the horror genre. On the other hand it tried to incorporate silly, almost humorous, scenes which felt out of place, instead of some actually creepy and frightening moments it relied heavily on gore and blood, which was more disgusting than scary, and I felt like Kiah McKirnan, the actress in the role of the protagonist, struggled to emotionally connect with her character. What also completely disrupted me from the main horror plot was an unnecessary romantic side-line. I was also very much looking forward to seeing Alicia Silverstone back on the silver screen again, but sadly the role of the mysterious aunt of the protagonist didn't suit her - her hyper-stylized performance fell somewhere between a "ridiculous witch from a childs fairy tale" and "Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada". In the end I appreciated the overall idea of !Perpetrator", but it definitely needed a more elaborated and sophisticated approach.