A sycophant is basically a self-serving follower, and while the murderous killers in 2017s Psychopaths aren't exactly followers of the fictional serial killer Henry Earl Starkweather, they certainly carry on his grisly work the night of his execution. The movie comes from up-and-coming writer/director Mickey Keating, whose sense of style stands out among many of his contemporaries in the indie horror genre.
Psychopaths tells the story of Alice, Blondie, The Strangler, and The Mask, four killers in their own right, not as much inspired by Starkweather, but "vessels" bent on continuing his bloody work in their own nuanced ways. They all see to their own agendas through the lens of the freshly-executed Starkweather, who promised a night of chaos that would commence with the full moon. The story is told gritty and neo-noirish through the voice of an unnamed narrator. The Mask, pictured at the top, and Alice, pictured directly above, are the most interesting of the psychopaths, though Blondie and The Strangler add their own colorful flavor to the massacre.
The stories of the killers intertwine with one another. The Mask is on a deadly, cryptic mission of revenge, Alice is an escaped asylum patient who sees the world through rose-colored, blood-splattered glasses, Blondie seeks her vengeance on male predators, and The Strangler sees to the strangulation deaths of women across the city of LA. Keating's movie is an homage to the serial killer-filled 1960s, with vintage tunes and psychedelic colors swarthing through the screen.
Blondie and The Strangler share a bit of airtime together, Alice channels images of the glamorous macabre with show tunes and stab wounds, and The Mask takes his singular vision through a storehouse full of masks to a gritty, neon, Nicolas Winding-Refn-flavored nightclub before engaging in a showdown with the police. The movie comes complete with a grindhouse feel, and it may even borrow a bit from Oliver Stone's mind-scrambling Natural Born Killers.
While Keating is making a name for himself in the indie horror scene, Psychopaths comes off less scary than his other offerings, sticking to a bloody, B-horror-like pattern, offering a glimpse into the lives of four very different types of maniac. Keating paints his scenes in neon lighting, red bulbs, and kaleidoscopic mayhem, forcing every character to cross paths with at least one other before the blood-drenched conclusion is reached. Psychopaths isn't Keatings' best flick, though it does show his tendencies to avoid repetition. In his canon of movies, each are standalone gems in their own right with their own sub-genre (aliens, psychological, caper/heist, slasher).
Alice takes her time with her kills, perfecting her makeup and having duplicitous conversations with herself in the mirror. The Mask channels his inner Michael Myers to return from a would-be fatal gunshot wound to the neck, only to continue his deadly ways. He also reminds me a bit of Frankenstein's monster, a gauze-heavy, burnt mess underneath his plethora of masks. A crooked, sleazy, scruffy cop crosses paths with The Mask as well, resulting in a vendetta that seems to come full circle.
There's no main idea, no bigger picture behind the insanity of Psychopaths. Keatings seems to have just cooked up a violent, sordid, vintage tale of chaos, exploring the minds of four very different killers, all on very different paths. All, except for The Strangler, end their night on their own terms, which does well to level out the insanity of the overall experience. This is a love it or hate it sort of offering from Keating, who seems to have set out with a take it or leave it mentality. Alice (Ashley Bell) has the most depth as a character and serves as Keating's leading lady. Bell previously starred in his western nightmare, Carnage Park. While Darling is undoubtedly my favorite Keating outing, Psychopaths serves as a character study for psychos, chock full of hallucinations and whirlwind murder highs and the decadent neurosis of the unhinged mind.
A sycophant is basically a self-serving follower, and while the murderous killers in 2017s Psychopaths aren't exactly followers of the fictional serial killer Henry Earl Starkweather, they certainly carry on his grisly work the night of his execution. The movie comes from up-and-coming writer/director Mickey Keating, whose sense of style stands out among many of his contemporaries in the indie horror genre.
Psychopaths tells the story of Alice, Blondie, The Strangler, and The Mask, four killers in their own right, not as much inspired by Starkweather, but "vessels" bent on continuing his bloody work in their own nuanced ways. They all see to their own agendas through the lens of the freshly-executed Starkweather, who promised a night of chaos that would commence with the full moon. The story is told gritty and neo-noirish through the voice of an unnamed narrator. The Mask, pictured at the top, and Alice, pictured directly above, are the most interesting of the psychopaths, though Blondie and The Strangler add their own colorful flavor to the massacre.
The stories of the killers intertwine with one another. The Mask is on a deadly, cryptic mission of revenge, Alice is an escaped asylum patient who sees the world through rose-colored, blood-splattered glasses, Blondie seeks her vengeance on male predators, and The Strangler sees to the strangulation deaths of women across the city of LA. Keating's movie is an homage to the serial killer-filled 1960s, with vintage tunes and psychedelic colors swarthing through the screen.
Blondie and The Strangler share a bit of airtime together, Alice channels images of the glamorous macabre with show tunes and stab wounds, and The Mask takes his singular vision through a storehouse full of masks to a gritty, neon, Nicolas Winding-Refn-flavored nightclub before engaging in a showdown with the police. The movie comes complete with a grindhouse feel, and it may even borrow a bit from Oliver Stone's mind-scrambling Natural Born Killers.
While Keating is making a name for himself in the indie horror scene, Psychopaths comes off less scary than his other offerings, sticking to a bloody, B-horror-like pattern, offering a glimpse into the lives of four very different types of maniac. Keating paints his scenes in neon lighting, red bulbs, and kaleidoscopic mayhem, forcing every character to cross paths with at least one other before the blood-drenched conclusion is reached. Psychopaths isn't Keatings' best flick, though it does show his tendencies to avoid repetition. In his canon of movies, each are standalone gems in their own right with their own sub-genre (aliens, psychological, caper/heist, slasher).
Alice takes her time with her kills, perfecting her makeup and having duplicitous conversations with herself in the mirror. The Mask channels his inner Michael Myers to return from a would-be fatal gunshot wound to the neck, only to continue his deadly ways. He also reminds me a bit of Frankenstein's monster, a gauze-heavy, burnt mess underneath his plethora of masks. A crooked, sleazy, scruffy cop crosses paths with The Mask as well, resulting in a vendetta that seems to come full circle.
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