The serial killer with a moral compass trope is one familiar to culture. And it feels wrong to argue that one representation holds any greater weight than any other. Yet it’s hard not to approach any representation of the trope without feeling the shadow of the phenomenally successful mid 00s TV show Dexter (2006-2013). It is this shadow that Saint Clare is incapable of escaping.
Clare is sixteen and a seemingly normal teenager. She goes to her Catholic high school, is devoted to her friends and is raised by her grandparents. But, as the comparison to Dexter will have already teed in, she is a serial killer, one whose acts are wrapped into a strict moral code.
Much is put on Bella Thorne whose icily detached turn is a choice that does the film no favours. We spend so much time alone with Thorne and her blank unreadable expressions that we find ourselves as detached as her Clare seemingly is. A baggy middle and a mystery which is absent of any sort of compelling component in order to propel the film forward makes Saint Clare a frustrating watch. Couple this with a rushed finale where ALL is revealed at a whip smart pace and the film’s early promise in compelling initial scenes fades away.
The rest of the cast have little to do. Frank Whaley eeks out some laughs as a supernatural confidant to Clare, and Rebecca De Mornay is perfectly serviceable but somewhat wasted in their scenes. It is novel seeing Ryan Phillippe here, a mainstay of 90s teen cinema, but Phillippe has so little to do, only really landing on an impression in the dying moments of this work. Cruel Intentions (1999), this is not.
Guinevere Turner has a writing credit on this film but the script lacks any of the bite, wit or satire of her previous work on American Psycho (2000). Director Mitzi Peirone can certainly mount a beautiful shot and there are moments where Saint Clare looks gorgeous. But the film lacks tension, with scenes being allowed to run far too long, as well as the narrative being given far too much room to breathe. You ache for Saint Clare to be a better constructed piece, one that offers even the slightest hint that this film might climax in a different place than you expect.
It is unfair to solely place a film amongst the works that have influenced it, be it the creatives other films or stories that have approached the tropes before. But even separate of these Saint Clare is a perplexing watch, one that offers little for an audience either seeking a coming-of-age drama or a compelling horror. Thank you, next.
1.5 Screams out of 5
Saint Clare had its UK Premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest 2024 and will be released on digital via 101 Films later this year – date TBC
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