KATIEBIRD *CERTIFIABLE CRAZY PERSON

KATIEBIRD *CERTIFIABLE CRAZY PERSON
By Aine

Katiebird *Certifiable Crazy Person, first film and blood, sweat and tears effort from director, Justin Paul Ritter, is a definite throw back to the gritty films of old. The buzz on this film had been spreading, and after having missed my chance to see it at a convention I attended, I was looking forward to seeing it. However, after sitting down to watch Katiebird, I can’t help but feel mixed on it.

First I should give a warning: this film isn’t really horror in a straight sense. I’d call it more of a psychological profile told primarily in flashback sequences. Usually my policy is that you are only allowed one or two flashbacks per movie and they better be good, I hate flashbacks, they make me wince, but somehow Ritter makes it work. Actually, it works too well, because I found myself enjoying the flashbacks much more than the present day scenes.

Another thing to warn the average viewer about is the constant, and I mean CONSTANT use of split screens. Almost every scene used them and I found it very distracting most of the time. I’m all for creative editing and I understand it was meant to be representative of Katiebirds fractured personality, but it just seemed excessive. Nonetheless, I don’t feel that the split screens and flashbacks alone should deter you from seeing Katiebird.

The film tells the tale of Katiebird, who is, you guessed it, a certifiable crazy person. Played by three different actresses throughout the movie, Katiebird tells the tale of her upbringing and how she became who she is. It’s definitely reminiscent of Henry: Portait of a Serial Killer, but with more information on the journey, which is something I always felt Henry lacked. As I mentioned before, the past was much more interesting than the present and quite honestly, I wish there was an entire movie just about Katiebird’s teen years.

Of the three Katiebirds, little Katiebird, teen Katiebird, and adult Katiebird, I definitely prefer teen Katiebird. I know I’ll probably catch some heat for this from my fellow writers, but I enjoyed her performances. She had the teen angst down, that crazy gleam in her eye, and the subtle innocence that I didn’t want to take my eyes off of. She toyed with her first victim like a cat with a mouse, and it was, for me, the best of the killings to watch. Her scenes with Lee Perkins, a.k.a. “Daddy” were fantastic and gave the only real tension on screen.

And speaking of Lee Perkins, he did nothing short of amazing work in this film. I found myself wanting more and more of his character. Please, please, we need more on him. I wouldn’t mind seeing an entire film with his history as well. Merl (Perkins) is definitely a strong actor and hopefully we’ll see more of him in future films.

Katiebird *Certifiable Crazy Person just didn’t get me that excited. I did like it and I definitely think that other fans of the serial killer sub genre will be interested as well, but sometimes that’s not enough. I think that ultimately, it is a damn fine effort, with a decent idea and a passionate director and group of actors behind it. Despite its shortcomings I would recommend that you check it out for a change of pace from all the hacking and slashing and remaking going on these days. Justin Paul Ritter has a promising future in horror and I sincerely hope he will stick with it and go on to even bigger and better things.