Released a full year before Henry: Portrait of A Serial Killer (1986), Confessions of a Serial Killer (1985) directed and written by Mark Blair is a stark exploration of the brutal violence and crimes of serial killer Daniel Ray (Robert A. Burns). Based on the real-life murderer Henry Lee Lucas, UNEARTHED FILMS are bringing Confessions of a Serial Killer to Blu-Ray and DVD from the 23rd of July.
Opening on an opportunistic highway kill where Daniel traps and ultimately kills a woman in his car after a breakdown leaves her stranded, the film soon switches to events after the killer’s arrest. In the interrogation room at a police station, law officials are soon horrified as Daniel begins to confess to the murder of 200 people. Interwoven with flashbacks of his abusive childhood as well as past murders, Daniel recounts his story that also involves fellow deviants Moon (Dennis Hill) and Molly (Sidney Brammer).
Confessions of A Serial Killer is grainy and high on grime, adding to a feeling that audiences are in fact watching a documentary on the real police interview of Henry Lee Lucas confessing his supposed crimes with spree partner Ottis Toole (the validity of Henry Lee Lucas’ confessions has since been called into question). Lacking the sensationalism and glamorisation of modern true crime adaptations starring Hollywood heart-throbs like Evan Peters and Zac Efron, Confessions of A Serial Killer depicts the actual abhorrent and despicable nature of homicide and gendered violence and those that commit such crimes. Burns, Hill and Brammer are perfectly cast, displaying a twisted sort of chemistry that engages viewers into their sick compulsions.
Whilst Confessions of A Serial Killer is not exactly groundbreaking, it will leave viewers feeling like they need a shower to wash the ick away, and with its realistic performances, gives the impression of a spiritual ancestor to Fred Vogel’s August Underground trilogy.
3.5 Screams out of 5
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