Sunday, January 10, 2021

Movie Review: THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER

 



THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER
Director: Duncan Skiles 
Writer: Christopher Ford
Staring: Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Madisen BeatySamantha Mathis 
Thriller / Crime / Drama  
109 mins / November 2018
Streaming: Hulu 

Are you in the mood for a slow-burn thriller, complete with creepiness, skin crawling, hair raising elements? The Clovehitch Killer just might be the movie you have been looking for. It was for me. Calling this film creepy just doesn't cut it. Maybe if I use a capital C? No. Nope. Still doesn't cover it.

Tyler (Plummer / Looking for Alaska) is living what he perceives as a normal teenager life. Tyler likes girls. Driving. And occasionally, sneaking out of the house to meet girls with his dad's truck. He is very involved in Boy-scouts, and his church. As are his parents. In fact his father, Don (McDermott / American Horror Story, The Practice), is the leader for Tyler's troop.

When a girl finds a bondage image ripped from the pages of a smutty magazine in the truck Tyler is driving, she spreads the roomer that Tyler is a pervert. Cindy (Beaty / Once Upon A Time in Hollywood), who hangs around outside the church, is rumored to be something of a little tramp with a fetish for the macabre. 

Tyler turns to Cindy for help, but not just because his reputation is being dragged through the mud, but because he can't shake the realization his father just might be the local serial killer. The two pair up and begin sharing clues and evidence.

As they leave no rock overturned, their search for answers alerts the Clovehitch Killer. Their own investigation has not gone unnoticed. The closer they get, the more desperate the killer becomes.

This is a fantastic film. I have no other way of putting it. Fantastic. Man, was it creepy -- did I already mention that? Somewhere at the beginning of the review? I think I did. Because, you know what? It was creepy!

Ford (Spider-man: Homecoming) carefully plots out the entire story. It is a thorough. He makes sure there are no questions left unanswered. While I found the action a bit surprising, maybe a little disappointing, I got it. I understand why Tyler does what he does, even if I don't agree with . . . how it all turns out.

It all comes down to the acting. Plummer and Beaty are good together. A little sexual tension, and plenty of awkward moments. However, McDermott's performance is absolutely unnerving (and, might I add, creepy?). 

Like I said at the beginning, if you want to kick back and watch a flick that immediately pulls you, twists your stomach into a knot, and doesn't let up until the final credits roll . . . The Clovehitch Killer is what you should be watching!

Phillip Tomasso
Author of the crime novel YOU CHOOSE 

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