The story, though slightly mundane, offers a quality psycho killer character study, with an entertaining dose of voyeurism and slasher horror. And, even with the microbudget look and feel, "American Killing" manages to be a fun watch. The start of the movie seems slightly clunky, the energy is nearly non-existent for the first 40 minutes, with hints of what is to come sprinkled in- just so you know something is off with this guy and things will pick up.
The working element for me was the cool way that Jeb blurs the line between protagonist and antagonist- really making you connect with him on both levels. Plus Trevor Peterson's performance is amazing. All in all most of the cast are good, which makes this low-budget chiller read as quality indie filmmaking. The things that work far exceed the things that don't.
I do wish there would have been a bit more gore to push this closer to those classic psycho flicks like "The Intruder", "Maniac" and "New York Ripper", but the softer approach (relatively speaking, there is plenty of killing in this one) still allows for a slow, creepy thriller worth checking out.
The working element for me was the cool way that Jeb blurs the line between protagonist and antagonist- really making you connect with him on both levels. Plus Trevor Peterson's performance is amazing. All in all most of the cast are good, which makes this low-budget chiller read as quality indie filmmaking. The things that work far exceed the things that don't.
I do wish there would have been a bit more gore to push this closer to those classic psycho flicks like "The Intruder", "Maniac" and "New York Ripper", but the softer approach (relatively speaking, there is plenty of killing in this one) still allows for a slow, creepy thriller worth checking out.
