Written by: Bill Taft
Directed by: Paul South and Bill Taft
Starring: Seth Correa, Steve Williams, and Denise Carroll
Reviewed by: Brett G.
“I‘m going to try something new out on you!”
There’s been plenty of real-life serial killers and psychopaths who have gone on to either inspire or be the subject of many motion pictures: Ed Gein, Henry Lee Lucas, Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and even the anonymous Texarkana Phantom Killer. Some of these men have even achieved a bizarre, cult celebrity status, no doubt due to their exploits on the silver screen. Kansas City serial killer Bob Berdella and his mid-80s reign of terror aren’t nearly as well known, but the Northeast Film Group has set out to change that with the release of the aptly-titled Berdella.
Though Bob Berdella’s name isn’t as recognizable as the aforementioned madmen, his crimes are no less heinous. Between 1984 and 1987, he raped, tortured, and murdered at least six men in Kansas City. The film chronicles these crimes and Berdella’s other exploits during that time period, including his operation of “Bob’s Bizarre Bazaar,” a small novelty shop that peddled strange and occult wares. We also see Berdella running a boardinghouse that housed a vast array of vagrants, particularly drug abusers who would become victims.
Berdella operates out of the same mode as something like Maniac or Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. It’s a really low-fi affair that doesn’t attempt to glamorize or stylize the events that unfold. Instead, the camera captures the rawness of it all, and there seems to be a layer of grit and sleaze pervading every shot. Berdella doesn’t quite feel like a documentary, nor does it play out like one, but South and Taft’s approach seems to always remind us that this all based off of real events. This approach is the film’s biggest strength because the chilling idea behind it all is powerful enough to carry the film. There’s no need to make it an overly cinematic experience because the subject matter doesn’t really demand it. Even the film’s low, pulsing, and pounding score feels a bit incidental, yet still effective as it broods in the background.
That said, such an approach also reveals the film’s biggest weakness: there’s no true narrative through line that keeps the whole thing moving in any discernible direction. Instead, Berdella feels like a series of vignettes and exercises in violence that aren’t really connected. There are other recurring characters in the film besides the title character, but they have very little impact. Instead, we’re pretty much left with Berdella and his victims, and there’s not even too much of an attempt to understand Berdella himself. There are hints here and there about what makes him tick--there’s a reference to his mother and some religious connotations--but by the end of the film, he’s just a really weird, sick guy. He’s somewhat interesting in his depravity, but I’m not so sure he’s a compelling figure. I think it would have been interesting to really dig into the psychology behind the man, but instead we get the unfiltered schlock, from Berdella’s drug abuse to his sexual proclivities (hanging out at gay bars, anally raping victims, and even masturbating to pictures of his victims).
This is not to discredit the job that Seth Correa does in bringing the killer to life, however. He’s easily the star of the piece, and even though the character itself is pretty thin, Correa is able to layer him a bit. Like so many films of this ilk, it’s the duality of the character and situation that works so well. It’s hard to believe that a cold-blooded psychopath was resting underneath the unassuming mid-western demeanor that Berdella exhibited in public, and Correa’s portrayal captures this well. Likewise, the idea that this guy could be your next-door neighbor is also chilling; I particularly like how Berdella’s nastier side always seems to emerge at night because the low-lit photography really captures the ugliness of the city’s underbelly. The “Bob’s Bizarre Bazaar” set piece is also interesting because it also lends itself to some depraved moments, such as Berdella selling the skull of one of his victims.
Violence-wise, it’s a pretty nasty film, though much of it is implied. We see Berdella hack up his victims in a variety of ways, whether it’s with a meat-cleaver or a power drill. Like the rest of the film, it’s pretty raw stuff, and it really isn’t too over-the-top; instead, it just seems like the film is being faithful to the real-life events. Ultimately, that’s pretty much how the film as a whole plays out because it doesn’t seem to be interested in doing anything beyond showing how depraved this guy really was. After seeing the film, it’s hard to argue against that, so I would say Berdella succeeds in that respect. It has many of the expected flaws from a film of this nature--acting is pretty poor with the exception of Correa, and it reveals its budget at times--but at 80 minutes long, it manages to capture the bare essentials that the true crime story has to offer.
The film is playing at several film festivals in and around the Kansas City area, but viewers across the country can pick up the DVD from Northeast Film’s website. The screener provided to me promises a pretty nice presentation--the transfer is anamorphic widescreen and seems to accurately capture the low-fi, DV look of the film accurately enough., and the soundtrack is also adequate. Special features include deleted scenes, a Berdella biography and timeline, a trailer, still photos, and posters for the film. I would say that anyone with a morbid interest in serial killers would find this fascinating, while others with a more passing interest will probably take a morbid interest in the proceedings, especially those who enjoy true crime films. It’s certainly not entertaining at any rate--but it isn’t meant to be. Rent it!
For more information, please visit the BobBerdella.com.
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