The Lonely Hearts Killers

This is yet another remake of the Honeymoon Killers. It is very loosely based on the infamous Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez lonely hearts murderers. The real life killers would answer ads and Ray would seduce widows with Beck posing as his sister. They would take the money and run after killing the old ladies. This Belgian version changes the tale dramatically with the pair seducing younger women. The acting is good but I was not thrilled with the story line. I recommend The Honeymoon Killers as a much better movie. Tony Lobianco and Shirley Stoler are perfectly cast as the murderous pair.

Inspired by a real couple, this rather ghastly horror depicts the lives of "Michel" (Laurent Lucas) and "Gloria" (Lola Dueñas). Initially they just hookup for some unbridled passion. Now he has an habit of imitating the Black Widow spider when he's done, but she manages to convince him that she would make for a far better procurement assistant. What now ensues are an increasingly graphic and outlandish series of crimes as a selection of vulnerable women fall prey to their antics. What nobody quite plans for, though, is that jealousy is going to rear it's ugly head. She is falling in love, he is not. A clash is looming, and a bloody and violent one at that. It starts off strongly this, with a degree of palpable menace that is intriguing to watch. Sadly, though, neither the acting nor the writing can sustain the sense of threat and the scenarios become a little too predictable, melodramatic even. By the last twenty minutes, the hysteria begins to grate and I sort of lost interest. At times there is some potently grim humour, and do keep an eye on the superior performance from Héléna Noguerra as "Solange" but otherwise, this is all just a bit underwhelming.

Like the titles says the movie is the Belgian version of Ripstein's Profundo carmesí (Deep red) with more or less minor differences. Still worth watching but nothing extraordinarily original if you have watched Ripstein's bizarre and grotesque 1996 movie.

Lola Dueñas is spellbinding to watch here, as fated lover Gloria. And despite the dark, heavy subject matter, I still find Alléluia to be a beautiful, hypnotic and romantic film. And Vincent Cahay's classic and experimental soundtrack is sublime.

Expertly crafted.

Is this an Original story? I don't think so Because is very similar to the Mexican Movie "PROFUNDO CARMESI"(1996), at the same time this film re-tells the story of "THE LONELY HEARTS KILLERS" (1969), a famous couple of murderers who made victims of lonely and wealthy widows in the USA.

Gloria (Lola Dueñas) is a rotund and passionate nurse who knows handsome gigolo Michel (Laurent Lucas) and falls for him immediately. She abandons her children and follows the man in spite of his way of living. Together they will scheme to swindle and murder women who look for love and companions.