The Hillside Strangler (2004)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Best movie of this year hands down!

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono were two cousins who were convicted of the rape, torture and murder of 10 females of various ages in LA 1977/78. This film is an interpretation of their reign of terror.Unpleasant. If you are going to do a serial killer movie, one based on real life perpetrators, then you surely have to make the characterisations of fascination value away from their despicable crimes. Unfortunately director Chuck Parello and co-writer Stephen Johnston fail to do this, leaving the film with a paucity of worthwhile human story moments. It's not helped by the fact Nicholas Torturro as Buono is badly miscast, he's just impossible to take serious in a role that calls for the ultimate seriousness.On the plus side, C. Thomas Howell as Bianchi hits the right notes. Howell is something of an undervalued actor in dark roles, as far back as 1990 where he played a vengeful killer in a film called Kid, he's been doing good moody work in thrillers. Elsewhere John Pirozzi's cinematography is on the money, keeping the murky tones of the film in harness, while Gregg Gibbs' production design has all the late 1970s requisites. 5/10

We see far too many women killed in this movie, but this was the world of the notorious Bianchi brothers (the hillside strangler duo) who lured lone women into their car, and killed them, leaving them on a hilltop, like you briefly see in the thriller, Copycat. At times, even I found this one pretty hard at watch. The performances are equally impressive, if at times, frightening. I loved what Howell did here as the exceptionally pathetic loser, Kenneth Bianchi, obsessed with being a cop, though he kept failing the exam. He was truly creepy and believable. This is his best performance since The Hitcher. Kenneth fell in love with a beautiful woman, while running his fake psychiatric practice. Then the out call brothel service, began, where twisted soul, Howell and Turturro, (effectively powerful AND scary as the more dominant and violent brother, Angelo) lured these innocent girls over from interstate at the promise of a big modelling future. When arriving they soon discover their fate as prostitutes, forced to have sex with dirty old men, the first customer so eager to drop his drawers. At times I really found Angelo intolerable, if detestable, where he could suddenly snap into a rage, just like that. The evil duo later take care of this madam situation, where this Latino lass I think, was scr..ing them over. Her murder was unnerving moment, among some others. Kenneth at first, we see is living with his mother. He then flies to L.A to live with his brother, where we meet the Aunt, Jenny, a pathetic middle aged type, a regular object of intimidation and abuse by Angelo. Another deeply disturbing seen comes in the later part of the movie, with Kenneth, now alienated by his brother, strangling and raping another girl in his apartment. I guess he just got bored and couldn't stand the loneliness. This was probably the most unbearable scene in the whole movie, which almost had me turning off. We almost think he's been caught too, when the cops make a visit, but it's over something else. Another pretty intense scene, was a domestic between Howell and girlfriend, that ended with him sobbing pathetically, just like he did at Mommy's, before falling into Mom's lap. Eventually the two were brought in and brought to trial. No more bizarre was a fan letter to Kenneth by a female psychotic, once a patient at his fake practice, thanking him, where she had killed Bianchi's woman, though I don't know if that part is a hundred percent authentic, considering the latter. Too, was great, Howell's creepy smile, while reading these letters. As in a wave of real serial killer movies, being dished out, this one demands attention, not just for it's insight, but a lot of thanks goes to the very good performances of it's leads, but some of this is pretty hard to watch. Be warned.

I made the wrong decision, when i saw this Disgusting movie. I am surprised some people have given this film good reviews. It was completely Out of this world and shockingly Nasty. I have never seen such a unpleasant movie before. I thought Clockwork Orange was Disturbingly nasty, this one goes 10 steps ahead. The movie focuses on 2 cousins who kidnap, torture and rape their victim again and again. If the director wanted to make a movie based on real life incidents like the hillside stranglers. Why did he make it from their point of view, He should of made it from the Polices point of view. This movie is the most shockingly disturbing film I've ever seen. It should of been banned instantly, Cant believe i had to see this crap. Not recommended at all, I know some people like a challenge of a movie, but this one is not worth a look.

This is certainly a weird bag of mixed "sweets", and about 4 fifths of it tastes like manure, and by that I do not mean the murder-sequences. The director, Chuck Parello, doesn't seem to have a clue about what a good script entails, and he is extremely eager to consult "The Great Book of Clichés" at almost every turn. While the real life Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi probably were quite simplistic and pathetic, however under the ever watchful eye of Parello, they come off most of the time, as nothing but ridiculous caricatures. It is not a good sign when you actually find yourself laughing your head off at lines obviously meant to be menacing, but which on the contrary becomes truly great, unintentional comedy. There is so much hilarious dialogue going on here, that it's unfathomable, and it goes without saying, that this in the end will ruin the deep and unsettling impact Parello probably would have liked it to have. It could almost seem that Parello was hoping, in the future, that the film could get some sort of turkey-award, because many of the images on display here, are just beyond belief. After a woman has been strangled, and Buono checks for life-signs, confirming that she is gone, if you look closely, you can see clearly that she is still breathing! Now, that is what I call good acting, it's truly a feat of accomplishment not being able to do the simplest thing, to play dead. The Royal Shakespeare Company next, I assume? Then you have sequences that seem over-the-top unlikely(And trust me, they are many!!), like fex. when they lure one of the first girls to do some hooking for them. At first she seems genuinely scared, and the whole scene is quite believable, but after a little while she seems quite content being the whore of the house! How are we to interpret this, I wonder? Is she still in a state of massive shock, with the result that numbness has set in, leaving a deadened impression on her face, that could be mistaken for serene calm? Or has she really come to her senses, realising after some serious contemplation, that this new line of work really is the best carriere option for her? That these two psychotic madmen really were heaven sent? You are left with one last alternative, and in this context it is most likely the most plausible one I fear, that Mr Parello simply doesn't have a clue how to piece together images in a concise and believable manner. And concise is probably a foreign word for him, because he doesn't seem to quite know which type of film he is directing; am I directing a Italian gangster movie? Is it a comedy? Is it a movie about dancing? No, wait I'm actually directing a movie about two real-life serial killers!! Well, what the hell, let's just mix them altogether, it probably will turn out more believable that way! Since I've actually given it a 3, that could only mean that there actually were a few sequences that I found to be intense, compelling and disturbing. One of the first murders, I actually found to be one of the most unsettling I've seen in quite a while, and after watching horror films for about 16-17 years now, it goes without saying that I can watch almost anything. So congratulations Mr Parello, for having that brief moment of clarity! I also found some rewarding intensity in the scene where Buono is arguing with his mother, and for the most part I think the women playing the victims did some good acting, in that they seemed genuinely scared, and that they managed to evoke some pity on my part. As a conclusion though, the film is quite simply manure, with just a few bits of candy strewn on it for good measure. And of course, that is far from good enough. See "Bundy" or "Dahmer" instead.