Killer by Nature

Poorly conceived and executed story line can't be saved by name-worthy cast. Perlman and Assante, both actors with long and respectable careers in film-making, are strange additions to this piece of crap. Either they are nearing the end of their careers or they, too, are just looking to make a buck in a still-recovering US economy. Either way, their talents are wasted in this film. The story, such as it is, has a young man who seems suspiciously related to a string of murders being committed in town. Through a series of tortured plots twists, all intended to bring life to a dull--and by now quite familiar--story line, the movie manages to loose itself in an absurd conclusion. Sorry, I can't even recommend this for an evening afflicted by boredom. Skip it!

I didn't know anything about this film and I wasn't expecting much. I only watched it because I'm a fan of some of the actors and because it was yet-to-be reviewed on IMDb.

Owen (Zachary Ray Sherman) is a teenage boy being plagued by vivid nightmares that usually involve random sleepwalks. They always seem to feature a young woman being drowned in a bathtub and then out comes the power-saw. Before too long the murders get closer to home and Owen soon becomes the prime suspect. His usual quack (Svetlana Efremova) brings in a different quack (Ron Perlman) and all of a sudden the sh*t hits the fan. Armand Assante portrays a cold-blooded killer on death row. You'll be speculating about the significance of his character for the first half of the film. Horror veteran Lin Shaye is on the ball as Owen's long- suffering mother, desperate to cure, or at least understand her sons bizarre sleeping disorder.

They do a good job of making you suspect everyone. Is Owen the killer? Could it be his geeky, yet sexy girlfriend? Could it be his mother? Surely Hellboy wouldn't be the killer? And how could Armand possibly get out of his cell every night?

Zachary Ray Sherman has the potential to make it as an A-list actor, although some of his lines do feel forced and tacky. It's hard to tell if it's his fault or the writers. He shares a scene with Armand that is certainly a highlight and both actors were in good form that day.

To sum up... Ron, Armand and Lin are doing their very best to make this low-budget chiller watchable. Haley Hudson plays Owen's weirdly attractive love interest. Her character is quite fascinating to watch, even though she seems to randomly fluctuate between virginal and sultry. Watch this face.

If you're in the mood for a thriller and it's slim pickings at your local video store, you could do a lot worse than Killer By Nature.

Check out my IMDb List for some better suggestions. "HORROR/THRILLER: Obscure, Overlooked & Underrated" http://www.imdb.com/list/8QFZ78e4Ar8/

Not a blockbuster thriller but watchable. The acting was good, the story line interesting, but the great reveal was predictable 1/2 hour in. I gave it 5-stars because I wanted to see how it ended and you probably will too.

For anyone who watches crime/thrillers, the ending is glaringly obvious. The film in general, however was entertaining. Strong performances by Perlman, Assante and Shaye make the film better than it could have been. Sherman and Hudson's performances were pretty weak, though. All in all it's a decent film.

If you invest the time to settle into the film, the story hooks you into a thought provoking thriller that makes you go ..."hmmmm". It is a character driven piece that does not incorporate tons of special effects or computer graphics, just old fashioned storytelling that thriller lovers will appreciate.

Perlman and Assante give the film a certain pedigree, but the movie's young stars carry the water and make you invest emotionally in the outcome. The surrounding cast cement the picture as a solid psychological thriller, though it failed to rise to the horror genre that it seems to have been marketed as. Better as a thriller I believe, as it is much deeper than the typical slasher film it may sound like.

The level of sophistication and depth may disappoint those programmed by the artwork to expect a brain dead teen horror, but I'm glad I allowed the setups to mature into the impressive little thriller I experienced.