Review: The Clovehitch Killer

Director: Duncan Skiles

Screenplay: Christopher Ford

Year: 2018

Serial killers are considered by many, I included, one of the most horrific topics in horror movies. With this, I am not referring to a fictional killer like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and others, but those that have really existed like Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and other notorious killers that have shaken the world with their atrocities. The disturbing factor they all share is that the events are real and not fictional characters which menace doesn't transcend the screen.

In “The Clovehitch Killer” a shocking revelation shakes the life of an exemplary teenager when a series of dark events reaches to close of his family. In the small town of Kentucky where he lives, everything seems perfect, except for a series of unsolved murders, where several women were tortured and killed by a mysterious assassin that goes by the name Clovehitch. When Tyler discovers a series of strange photos belonging to his father, he starts to suspect that the person he trusts the most could be the Clovehitch killer and that his killings may have not ended.

The story of “The Clovehitch Killer” is inspired in real events of the serial killer Dennis Rader, although this is not mentioned in the movie. Just like Don, Rader was an exemplary citizen and family guy, active in church, a community leader and a Boy Scout guide, but with a dark secret he kept for years. Besides these similarities, the rest of the movie is fictional. Instead of focusing on the killer and its victims, “The Clovehitch Killer” focuses on the collateral damage that the killer has on his own family and on its victims' families.

Most of the plot is seen through the perspective of its son Tyler, interpreted by Charlie Plummer (“Lean on Pete”). With Tyler we can see bit by bit how the actions of his father and while he keeps discovering his secrets, how it affects the opinion he has on his father, his behavior, and his interpersonal relationships with friends and fellows. While the story progresses, it keeps getting deeper into the family drama and the suffering that Tyler must carry as he feels morally forced to choose between its family’s well-being and stopping the atrocities he suspects is his father's authorship.

The nature of the story is very emotive, but the principal axis that makes it effective is the acting. Plummer does an excellent job but is Dylan McDermott (“Olympus Has Fallen”) who surprises with his impeccable interpretation of Don. With ease, he manages to make you suspect about his actions and at the same time to believe there is no way he is capable of such atrocities. Every line he delivers captures the essence of the message that the director Duncan Skiles and the writer Christopher Ford (“Spider-Man: Homecoming”) wanted to convey about the character. The editing process is also precise in detailing emotions or subtle events that help connect the pieces of the story and that it flows easily.

“The Clovehitch Killer” has a simple formula and does not try to imitate what is done in other movies where the killer is the focal point and his actions responsible for generating tension and unease. It manages majestically that the emotions of the people that surround him be responsible for shaping the plot and that the actions of others and the ambient that is generated be the drivers of the tension. It does not need violent visuals or jump scares and instead deposits its trust in the plot and the acting and the reward is excellent.