Review: Made Me Do It

Director: Benjamin Ironside Koppin

Screenplay: Benjamin Ironside Koppin and Matthew John Koppin

Year: 2019

Slasher horror has seen a small resurgence in recent times, particularly on independent films such as "The Lurker", "Midnight Kiss", and “The Torment of Laurie Ann Cullom” and in mainstream cinema with the “Black Christmas” remake. Independent proposals have taken the lead in bringing different things that give a breath of fresh air to an overused genre. “Made Me Do It” is another independent proposal in horror cinema that seeks to innovate the genre with its own ideas. 

A young woman returns to her parents' house to take care of her brother while they are away. Once in the house, they begin to be stalked by a masked murderer. While they try to survive the attack, they slowly start uncovering the dark past of the killer, which is key to their survival.

The first thing that draws attention to “Made Me Do It” is the experimental style in which it is presented. During the entire movie, two stories are intertwined: the main one in which we see the two protagonists and their interactions and the secondary one in which we see the villain and its tempestuous past. It is in the secondary story where director Benjamin Ironside Koppin, in his first full-length feature, takes more liberties to present a style that exemplifies Thomas’ chaotic mental state with disturbing and sometimes incoherent imagery. 

Much of the story in “Made Me Do It” is based on the study of the psychology of a young man with a mental handicap and how his surroundings turn him into a murderer. In the segments about Thomas’ story, we see that he was exposed to constant abuse and which the only refuge lies in the voices inside his head that lead him into violence. During the plot development, it is left in the sir if the voices are part of Thomas’ psychological state or if they come from a supernatural source, which is important in several parts and in the unexpected ending. 

Although the movie manages some interesting ideas, its execution is not the best. Intertwining both stories and jumping from one to the other affects the rhythm of the movie, especially in the beginning where the rhythm is too slow, something that improves as the movie goes on. The dialogues and parts of the plot are weak, and some feel forced and do not respond to the interesting proposed ideas. These issues are exacerbated by the weak acting that never gets to convince about what’s going on and take the viewer out of the movie. 

“Made Me Do It” presents an experimental style that offers innovative ideas to break the mold of the typical slasher ad even conventional horror movies, With this, it seeks to innovate in the slasher genre with some interesting ideas, but the issues in its script and acting prevent it from exploiting its potential. The movie goes from less to more and, of you can ignore its problems, it’s one that fans of slasher movies can appreciate.