Starring - Brandon Kirk (H.P. Lovecraft's The Old Ones, Night Caller), Cassandra Gava (Conan the Barbarian, Night Shift), and Brinke Stevens (Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, The Slumber Party Massacre)
Release Date - 2025
Genre - Horror/Thriller
Tagline - "The true story of an American psycho"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
This looks to be the year of true crime for Horror Society and myself. I've reviewed dozens, if not hundreds, of films about serial killers and madmen but I rarely get in true crime flicks to review. Yet, here I am just four months into the year and I'm reviewing my second true crime flick. Several weeks back Unearthed Films sent over Evilenko for review. The film is based on the heinous crimes committed by Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. It had been a very long time since my last true crime flick so I was really looking forward to it. It was a solid enough film which made me turn to Tubi to watch a few more true crime flicks before I got back into reviewing. A few days back I was sent the press release for the new Chad Ferrin film Ed Kemper. I was really interested in this one so I reached out to Epic Pictures and they were kind enough to send over a link for me to check out. I want to thank Epic for sending this one my way!
The film follows Ed (Kirk) who is released from state care after spending years locked away for the murder of his grandparents when he was only 15 years old. His mother blames him for his father leaving her and takes it out on her. Ed gets a job and tries to get acclimated into society but finds himself drawn to female hitchhikers. It doesn't take long before he is killing and then raping them before posing their corpses in different positions to photograph. Eventually, his mother goes too far and he kills her before he is brought in by police.
Ed Kemper is one very interesting guy. Those that have met him in real life, especially those that have interviewed him for magazines and so forth, have stated that he is a very nice and well spoken individual even though he committed those horrible crimes. What makes his story even more interesting is the fact that he narrates audiobooks for the blind and has over 5000 hours recorded on titles like Star Wars, Flowers in the Attic, and The Rosery Murders, and so much more. This doesn't overshadow the atrocities he committed but it's not something you would expect from a gruesome killer. This true crime thriller from Chad Ferrin really does capture the intelligent side along with how he used his charm to lure female hitchhikers into his car. It's not my favorite true crime film but it's up near the top for sure. The acting in this one is great. Brandon Kirk steals the show with his portrayal of Kemper. I had seen and watched videos of Kemper for years and while he does have some resemblance to the infamous killer, he doesn't really look like him. With that being said, his demeanor and tone of voice does resemble Kemper. I thoroughly enjoyed him here and look forward to seeing him appear in other genre efforts. We also get a small performance from legendary scream queen Brinke Stevens along with a powerhouse performance from Cassandra Gava. Gava and Kirk's chemistry on camera made the film for me. The story for this one focuses on the relationship between the the deranged Kemper and his verbally abusive mother. It makes this a huge part of the story without over doing it. We then follow Kemper as he branches out to his murders, rapes, and photographing the corpses before his eventual arrest. It has solid pacing, the scenes don't over stay their welcome, and the story is very easy to follow. Kudos to the writers on this one. Finally, the film does use some computer generated images to enhance a few of the scenes. It's very noticeable but not bad. We also get some great practical effects that are rather gruesome. We don't get a lot of gory deaths but the prosthetics and props look absolutely amazing. Overall, Ed Kemper is a top tier true crime flick. I've been of a fan of the Ed Gein film starring Steve Railsback for years now and this one is up there with it. It's got a great cast and does play close to the real story of Ed Kemper and his crimes. Check it out.
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