Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

An independent film with much more to expect than first assumed. When firrst released Addicted to Murder managed to capture the attention of the Blockbuster Video chain and became one of the first micro-budget - straight to video movies distributed by them, paving the way for wider distribution-and-acceptance. This is a well acted, and edited independent horror film with a little too much sub-plot. A young boy befriends a vampire beauty named Rachel [Laura McLauchlin / Twisted Tales (1994); Vampires and Other Stereotypes; Aka: Hell's Belles (1994)] As Joel [Mck McCleery / Killing of Bobby Greene, The... (1994); Track 16 (2001)] gets older he enbarks on a strange relationship with the girl; where by he manages to murder her over and over again, only so that she can get high off the feeling of her own death. Of course she doesn't die, because she is immortal. In one gorey scene, Joel pulls out a chainsaw, and grinds it into her, and she seems to enjoy it. He becomes so desensitized with death that he goes on a maniac death spree much like the Henry Lee Lucas character in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), and ends up losing track of his vampire friend. Many years later our killer walks the streets of New York City, loney and depressed, as armchair panel experts discus the recent `New York Manguler' on television. ...When he finds Angie [Sasha Graham / Crimson Nights (1998); Gargoyle Girls (1998)] at a suspiciously named bar called `The Hungry' he finds someone like his lost love... It seems that she too is a vampire, who manages to keep him caught in a limbo world somewhere between the living and the dead. Finding it a little strange that he happened to meet two vampires in one lifetime, he decides that they must be put to an end

Addicted to Murder deftly mixes two prominent horror subgenres and comes up with something quite unique. It brings together two different kinds of monsters -- that is, it tosses a brooding serial killer into the world of bloodsucking vampires. The story unfolds in nonlinear fashion, using flashbacks and jumping around the timeline. Although the narrative can be a bit confusing at times, it still pulls you in with its almost hypnotic allure.

Joel Winter (Mick McCleery) had a rough childhood growing up in Michigan. Abused by his parents and taunted his peers, Joel nevertheless had a very special friend named Rachel (Laura McLauchlin) -- who just happened to be a vampire. Somewhere down the line, they realized that they could satisfy each other's cravings. You see, Joel likes to play with knives and Rachel has this need to be killed (granted, she can't really die because she's a vampire). It's a completely mutual relationship -- he repeatedly kills her (whether by knife, chainsaw, or electrocution) and they both walked away more or less satisfied. But after Joel's mother dies, Rachel abandons him and he moves to New York City.

Joel, of course, still has these cravings to kill. And that, he does. He has become a virtually emotionless murderer, stumbling through life trying to find some kind of meaning. Killing is a strange kind of release for him, but it still doesn't make him feel anything. "Why don't you feel anything, Joel?" he asks himself in the mirror after butchering an innocent woman. Soon Joel meets another sexy bloodsucker named Angie (Sasha Graham), who reminds him of you-know-who -- but what exactly does Angie want from him?

Directed by Kevin Lindenmuth, Addicted to Murder has an uneasy, nightmarish quality that never lets up. Set mostly against the mean streets of New York, Addicted to Murder is gritty and strangely surreal. Visually -- although the picture quality is a bit murky -- this film is a pleasure to look at, with Lindenmuth using some striking camera shots and a rich tapestry of colors to enhance the mood. This movie has atmosphere, that's for sure.

I just wish the nonlinear narrative hadn't been so frustrating. Maybe it's just me, maybe I had most of my brain cells switched off when I watched Addicted to Murder, but the narrative structure didn't quite gel with me. Also interspersed throughout the movie are TV interviews with people regarding Joel (his ex-wife and a psychologist, for instance). These also just seem to get in the way.

The clever script (written by Lindenmuth and horror novelist Tom Piccirilli) has much to admire, though, which only makes one wish that the rough spots had been ironed out a little better. The performances by Sasha Graham and Laura McLauchlin are pretty darn good, and Mick McCleery sure knows how to brood. There's a lot to treasure in this shot-on-video epic, and it makes one wonder what Kevin Lindenmuth and company could accomplish with an actual budget.