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Killer Mindset: Mockumentaries That Give Homicide a Human Side

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Let’s admit it, we’re fascinated by serial killers. The constant reminder of our own mortality shown through the deeply disturbing acts of a human monster is, honestly, pretty damn bleak.

Slashers have sliced, diced, and secured their place as a staple of pop culture. We constantly see new Ghostface killers, small-town sadists, and unstoppable juggernauts hacking through a hoard of wayward youths.

Mockumentaries like Man Bites Dog, Charm (Random Acts of Violence), Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and The Poughkeepsie Tapes give a more realistic glimpse (albeit a fabricated one) into the hyper-productivity and psychological maneuvering of a killer.

Each mockumentary has its own distinct style, so the films I’ve covered have some noticeable differences. That being said, they each demonstrate the human side of a serial killer, but in dramatically different ways.

Man Bites Dog

Man Bites Dog takes the direct approach of following an urban psychopath as he stabs and shoots his way through the city. Ben is a confident, clever, friendly serial killer. We see him through his daily life; visits with his parents, discussions of architecture, and chaotic murder.

The unnerving connection that Ben develops with his film crew demonstrates how manipulative and mesmerizing these madmen can be. The filmmakers witness firsthand the full extent of what he is capable of, and yet, they are drawn further into the action.

Shot entirely in black and white, this Belgian film goes to some really dark places.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a cheeky re-imagining of the creation of a Big Name Killer like Jason, Michael or Freddy.

A documentary crew follows Leslie Mancuso, a charismatic and likable nightmare-in-training as he stalks his chosen Survivor Girl. He prepares various traps and predicts her reactions, methodically choreographing their encounters.

The whole film is chock-full of typical horror tropes. More importantly, it humanizes the enthusiastic murderer by showing him as an Average Joe. He has goals. He has turtles. He has to do a lot of cardio (it’s not easy to catch up to running, screaming teenagers at a menacing walking pace).

Watching Leslie, you can understand how so many killers are able to hide in plain sight. He is devoted to his career in “the business of fear”, yet you can’t help but root for him.

Part mockumentary, part feature, the film jumps between documentary footage and polished multi-camera action sequences. We end up with a film that shows the dedication of a young man who yearns for purpose. It just happens that his purpose is murder.

The Poughkeepsie Tapes

Truthfully, I can’t stop thinking about The Poughkeepsie Tapes. In an abandoned house, investigators discover over 800 videotapes, numbered for the police to watch in order. Filmed by the perpetrator, the films act as a visual record of the horrific, sadistic torture and murder of several victims.

Writer/Director John Erick Dowdle (As Above, So Below) has created a spot-on “true crime” documentary. A sense of realism is created by using interviews with criminology and psychology “experts” inter-cut with graphic scenes from the videotapes. There’s a keen attention to detail with deep roots in reality.

The psychological affect that these tragedies have on the victims and their families is visibly painful. The Poughkeepsie Tapes is an emotionally charged psychological horror and a chilling reminder that yes, stuff like this actually happens. These psychopathic killers truly do exist.

Want more ultra-violence? Click Here to check out the trailer for an actual real-life documentary about attempted murder.

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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