Perpetrator

This film has an incredibly odd vibe.

Mostly, because the acting in it is awkwardly bad.

Though, seemingly purposefully so.

At least...I'd like to hope so.

The plot is particularly bizarre.

Almost hard to follow.

An hour in...and all I could tell...is that it is some sort of coming of age film...about a high school girl getting her period...who might be getting initiated into a coven of witches...that may or may not already be dead...

Either way...in whatever world this is...someone is targeting and killing young women.

Who might be a cop.

That is trying to frame a young player (by going after every chick he gets with).

It's all a pretty odd experience.

That has to be some sort of nightmare, if it is to make any sense.

Eventually...what is actually going on, does come to fruition.

But it doesn't make it any less weird or awkward.

By this point...it has set it's course...and is sticking to it.

Doubling down on the trippiness, if anything.

I can't say for certain that I fully get what's going on in this picture.

But I can safely say that it will leave you thinking "what the hell did I just watch?!".

That being said...it's hard to say whether it's actually good or bad.

As it defies such a dichotomy.

In exchange for it's overt weirdness.

That makes for a super odd/awkward viewing experience.

4 out of 10.

Somewhere in this Cronenberg (father and son!) farrango is a story but it's not developed in any particularly interesting way.

It starts at 80 and goes straight to 100, never developing any characters or plot. Any idea writer/director Jennifer Reeder has just gets thrown into the mix.

Which is a shame as this has lashings of dark humour from Alicia Silverstone's deadpan delivery to the oddness of the high school principal - all played straight despite all the oddness around them.

Its a hugh mash up of Lynch, (aforementioned) Cronenberg but also recently Yorgos Lanthimos which is why I wanted to like it more- but they have a clear narrative structure which allows them to go in any (strange) direction they please.

It contains great photography ,especially at night, and a Carpentersque soundtrack.

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.

"Perpetrator" is a 2023 movie that left me thoroughly disappointed, earning a dismal one-star rating. This film fell short in numerous ways, making it an unpleasant viewing experience.

The most glaring issue with "Perpetrator" is its contrived and nonsensical storyline. It fails to engage viewers with a plot that is riddled with inconsistencies, leaving you puzzled and frustrated throughout the entire film. The narrative lacks depth and coherence, making it impossible to connect with the characters or their predicaments.

One of the major letdowns of "Perpetrator" is the abysmal acting. The performances are wooden, uninspiring, and void of any emotional depth. It is evident that the cast struggled to breathe life into their characters, further distancing the audience from the story. The lackluster acting is a major detriment to the movie's overall quality.

Moreover, the dialogue in "Perpetrator" is cringe-worthy at best. It feels forced and artificial, often coming across as contrived and unrealistic. This dialogue not only fails to create meaningful connections between the characters but also hampers any attempts at character development, leaving you disengaged from their struggles and journeys.

In summary, "Perpetrator" is a movie that fails to deliver on multiple fronts. Its poorly constructed plot, unconvincing performances, and cringe-inducing dialogue make it an arduous and unsatisfying viewing experience. Regrettably, this film does not merit a recommendation, as it falls far short of even the most basic cinematic standards.

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.