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Overall Rating : 6/10
Directed By : Chuck Parello
C. Thomas Howell (H.G. Wells' War Of The Worlds (The Asylum) )
Nicholas Turturro (The Hollow)
Allison Lange (Christina's House)
Supplied By : Tartan Video
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Dec. 6, 2005
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| PLOT The case of the Hillside Strangler is one of the most unusual and gruesome in the annals of American crime. While most serial killers tend to work alone, the twisted criminal careers of Angelo Buono and Kenneth Bianchi proved that evil can run in the family… |
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| THE REVIEW THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER, from Tartan video, turns out to be a profoundly interesting look inside the true story of real life killers; cousins, Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono. Ken, has dreams of becoming a police officer. When he is rejected, he has nowhere to turn to but his cousin Angelo, whom is living in LA. Ken decides, with the help of the suggestion of his mother, to fly from New York to Los Angeles to stay with Angelo. It is in LA that Ken hopes to find his calling, he applies for the local police force, only to be let down again. In one of his last ditch efforts, Ken, fabricates his past with a few phony degrees and certificates that certifies him as a 'legal doctor"...in which he tries counseling individuals for a short while. Still going nowhere, both of the cousins, more so, the sex crazed Angelo concocts a scheme where the two men equally decide that they will recruit and distribute prostitutes for some easy cash. Soon we find the once naive Ken, scouting women under the false claim that he is a modeling agent and he wants them for upcoming modeling jobs. Everything is legit up until this very point, or so we think, until one model double crosses her old bosses by giving our two cousins a list of their clients, The two former bosses, arrive at Angelo's body shop, which is also secretly the front of their prostitution ring, They destroy the shop and leave with only a warning. Infuriated, Angelo and Ken hunt down the said prostitute and brutally strangle the young woman. The boys liked the pleasure that this murder brought forth to them so it becomes a sick hobby that they would enjoy each night. As the bodies pile up, the two former average joes become the well known figures, known world-wide as 'The Hillside Stranglers" I like watching these kinds of movies, preferable true crime ones, because you almost all the time leave with some insight and historical knowledge. THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER is no exception. I had saw the original TV movie about Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, entitled "THE CASE OF THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER. which aired in 1989, awhile back. I did enjoy the TV movie a lot, when compared to this one, the TV film was more in-depth about the events that lead up to the crime and how they would lure the women in. In the motion picture version, which is this one, the actual murders, strangulation and sexual exploits, are tackled with a much greater emphasis. This film happens to show you just how crazy two normal men, can instantly go insane in just a short time span. I cannot necessarily say that watching true events, in this case homicides being played out on screen is entertaining, but what what I can say is that, the murders depicted here are brutal and give you an authentic feel. The film can be slow in some parts, the beginning of THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER, is mostly for character introduction and character build up, which in turn with some of the dialogue can drag a bit. The film however, is an entertaining one, the viewers are put right into the lives of serial killers as we follow their every move and watch as what was once just a thought(strangulation) becomes a full blown obsession for the two men. The only thing lacking in this film, that was in the made for TV movie is the Character depth. In the TV movie, the viewers were persuaded to maybe care for the two killers, and you were actually kind of remorseful when they were arrested. C. Thomas Howell, here as Ken Bianchi, is great and seems to have done his research on the case. He does well as a guy whom was once a shy man, only to become a vicious serial rapist and murderer later. Nick Turturro, if someone told me that Nick Turturro would be playing a serial killer EVER in a movie, I would've said 'you're crazy! But the once NYPD BLUE star, pulls in an above average performance, as a somewhat ladies man. Angelo Buono. An entertaining film with pretty good acting and great depiction of true to life crime, bundled with only a sum of the historical knowledge of the case. |
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| GORE
METER 4.5/10 I will rate the gore in terms of shock, mainly because the killing method, which was strangulation, hardly ever renders blood. Very little blood, but tons of shock moments. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 1.5/10 this film was virtually scoreless, but happens to be not needed here, the story alone is interesting enough. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM True Crime, is one of my favorite genres of horror. THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER, is a good film, if you are looking for realistic depictions of Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono's crimes, I do recommend this one! However, if you want a more insightful look at the case alone, then I recommend the TV movie, THE CASE OF THE HILLSIDE STRANGLER. |
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