Release Date: April 3, 2007
Tag Line: Evil has a beautiful face.
Description: Winter—1990. The most notorious serial killers in the history of Canada begin their psychotic dance with death and depravity as an entire country is held captive in fear. In stunningly acclaimed performances, Laura Prepon (That 70’s Show, Slackers, Come Early Morning) and Misha Collins (TV’s 24, NCSI) breathe perverse life into their real-life counterparts, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homoka, dubbed by an anxious press “The Ken and Barbie Killers.” As the gruesome events unfold and lovely young girls disappear, the utter lack of remorse from Paul, coupled with his quirky charisma, paint a delusional world of normalcy for Karla.
Running time: 102 minutes
Rating: R
Plot: You know what the most disturbing part of this movie is? It’s a true story, for goodness’ sake. It’s nearly impossible to make stuff like this up. The whole story is told by Karla to her psychiatrist (Patrick Bauchau) while in prison, as she awaits her chance for parole. Trust me—these aren’t your garden variety serial killers here. Paul is definitely the one driving the bus, trying to fulfill all of his sick sexual fantasies and forcing Karla to join in “the fun.” It’s basically the story of an abusive relationship taken to the extreme. (I doubt very seriously that Ken and Barbie have this type of relationship. In fact, I suspect that Barbie is the one who wears the pants.)
Acting: Collins is ridiculously convincing as Paul, and Prepon does a great job as his co-dependent cohort in crime. How good is Collins? If he was my friend in real life, I would have a hard time looking at him the same way again. He’s that good. (“Wanna go bowling? Great. You’re not going to rape and kill anybody, are you?”) I never really liked Prepon on That 70’s Show, but she won me over with her role here. Just like the actual case, you don’t know whether to believe her version of the story or not.
Special Effects: Murder galore, but not a whole lot of blood, which is fine. This movie is driven primarily by the plot and the performances of its characters. Gore is a secondary consideration.
Ridiculous Dialogue Sample (this was one of many, my friends):
- “Stupid fu**kin’ b**ch. Stupid fu**kin’ b**ch. It’s a stupid fu**kin’ b**ch convention.”
Keep an Eye Out For. . .
- The fact that Paul is always munching on something when he’s nervous—ice, popcorn, you name it. (Too bad he never chose broken glass.)
The Bottom Scoop: You have to be in the proper frame of mind to watch this, but it’s good. It starts slowly, but definitely picks up speed, to the point where it feels like it’s careening out of control, which is exactly what the filmmakers want. Because that’s what Karla feels as Paul drags her deeper and deeper into his own personal, twisted abyss of demented reality. You’ll even start to get angry at her, because can’t somebody stop this guy? A little 5’ 8”, 160-pound twig of a man is beating women, raping girls, and committing atrocities. Would have been nice if somebody had snapped that twig in half.
Recommendation: This is no feel-good drama. It’s an in-your-face, detailed account of two of the most infamous serial killers in Canadian history. And you thought all Canadians were easy-going, fun-loving dopes like the McKenzie Brothers. Crazy Americans. Take off, eh? Seriously, this is not a Lifetime movie. Only rent it if you’re prepared not to flinch.
Quality Rating: Four scoops
Riff Rating: No scoops (There’s no way to riff this; it’s way too brutal.)
Reviewer: Matt Deutsch
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