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 he Hillside Strangler" is another in the recent
series of grimy true crime films focusing on infamous serial
killers, this one by the team of director Chuck Parello (responsible
for the rather dull "Ed Gein", as well as the lamentable "Henry:
Portrait of a Serial Killer 2") and writer Stephen Johnston (who
scripted "Ed Gein", as well as "Ted
Bundy" and "Starkweather"). Given the two men's considerable
genre experience and the bonus of having a truly shocking,
ready-made real life horror story to work with, it might be expected
that the finished product would turn out to be their crowning
achievement. Sadly, though, this is not the case.
The film begins with aging mother's boy Kenneth
Bianchi (former brat pack actor C. Thomas Howell, "The
War of the Worlds") heading to Los Angeles after his application
to join his local police force is rejected. He moves in with his
sleazy cousin Angelo (Nicholas Turturro, who genre fans may
recognise from "Hellraiser:
Inferno" as well as from his long stint on "NYPD Blue"), and the
two decide to set themselves up as pimps. However, things quickly go
wrong, and their anger and barely restrained hatred of women leads
them to a degenerate spree of sexual violence and, eventually,
murder.
Although it does enjoy the genuine atmosphere
and feel of the best (or worst, depending on which side of the moral
fence the viewer lurks) 1970s exploitation cinema, Parello's
decision not to impose any kind of moral judgment on the killers
means that "The Hillside Strangler" has the feel of a rather
po-faced document of the crimes, without any of the dreadful,
ghoulish glee that made "Ted Bundy" so shamefully enjoyable. As a
result, the film seems to struggle with its identity, proving to be
neither a serious attempt at exploring the events and psyche of the
murderers, nor a piece of out and out schlock.
One of the main reasons the film feels
unbalanced is in the way it does not present a clear or complete
picture of the crimes. Although we are shown the main characters'
development from psychosis ridden perverts to full fledged killers,
Johnson's script tends to leap about, focusing solely on the actual
murders themselves, and never paying enough attention to the bigger
picture. This is most apparent towards the end, which wraps things
up a little too hurriedly to be satisfying.
It is also worth noting, for those who care,
that the film does play a little with some of the facts of the case,
leaving out several important character details which would have
added a little more depth, or at least shed more light on the
reasons for the duo's homicidal development. This is quite a problem
for the film as a whole, as it never appears to take the killers
seriously enough, treating them as laughable buffoons one moment,
and then suddenly throwing in graphic depictions of rape, murder and
necrophilia the next.
All of this would perhaps have been more
acceptable if more effort had been made to explore the two killers,
as Parello makes only passing comments to their inner demons,
clumsily labelling them and relying on the viewer to accept their
actions. As such, the film is never wholly believable, and though
well acted (especially by Howell), "The Hillside Strangler" is not
convincing enough to truly chill the viewer.
Fortunately there is
enough in the way of visceral content, and Parello doesn't shy away
from the graphic details of the killings, though he does tend to
focus more on the brutal rape scenes and their aftermaths rather
than show actual gore. As a result, there is a great deal of nudity
in the film, most of which is played for titillation and which,
given the hateful tone of the film, makes the viewer feel
uncomfortably voyeuristic, leaving a distinctly bad taste in the
mouth. Although such misogynism is by no means unexpected, Parello
tends to rely upon it a little too much, and by showing scene after
scene of unfortunate women being stripped, beaten and sodomised, he
quickly numbs the viewer and leaves himself with very little else to
say.
Perhaps it is due to the recent glut of similar
efforts as much as anything else, but "The Hillside Strangler"
offers nothing new. It has no genuine insights into the case of
Bianchi and Angelo, and simply feels too familiar. And despite
boasting a high quotient of the worst kinds of sleaze and hateful
brutality, the film nevertheless lacks any real or lasting impact on
the viewer.
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