Movie Review: The Alphabet Killer

Synopsis: Based on the double initial killings in Rochester, New York in the early 1970s. Megan Paige (Eliza Dusku) is a police officer who is highly committed to the job. Megan's obsession leads her to a breakdown and a violent episode which lands her in the hospital. She eventually loses her fiance and her job. Two years later Megan is back working as an advisor, but her more or less normal life goes to hell again when another murder is called in and her fire and schizophrenia are rekindled.

I had a little bit of hope for this film for several reasons. First, I'm sort of a serial killer buff and I've read a bit about "the alphabet murders" and am interested in that case. You can read a bit about it here for yourself. Secondly, the cast features several "name" players like Cary Elwes, Tim Hutton, Eliza Dusku, Michael Ironside and Bill Moseley. That's a pretty decent cast right there. Lastly, Rob Schmidt directed it and he's the guy who did the horror flick "Wrong Turn" a few years ago that I really like. Unfortunately though, all of these things didn't add up to a good film as I'd hoped.

Sadly (for me anyway), it's just "very loosely" based on the alphabet murders. It's really only a minor plot point almost as it's more of a story of Dusku's character and dementia. She's investigating a similar case, set in modern times, and it doesn't really delve into the original murders much for detail or enlightenment on the case.

Despite the solid cast, I didn't think anybody gave much of a performance either. Michael Ironside does a good job but I wasn't impressed with anyone else's work. Maybe it was the material. Maybe the director just didn't get the most out of them. It all ends up just pretty standard fare... nothing special and boring at many points. The pace of the film drags a bit often due to nobody really standing out and the slow-moving plot.

In the end it's just a fairly predictable serial killer story. There are the usual clichés such as a child-obsessed priest, the crooked cop, the honest cop, the one true friend, the big ending "twist" and Dusku seeing some ghosts, or at least thinking she is, that don't really add to the film.

It's not a particularly awful film, it's just a bit dull with a lack of imagination and follows the same boring formula as many others have. I was hoping for much more.

5/10