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Cast: Mariah Gale, Chris Fuoco, Megan McCormick, Jonah Stuart
A disturbed young woman falls in love with a sadistic serial killer, follows his crimes and stalks him, hoping to become his next victim.
"Victim" is the debut Short Film from Director, Mark Battle, the story wastes no time in getting started, right away we are introduced to the serial killer, he has no name in the film. He is on the beach looking to find his next victim which must be female and a redhead. The one he finds works at a diner so he decides to go there for a piece of pie and then follow her home eventually picking her up with the excuse of dropping her off at home. After he does his thing he goes back to his hotel room and pulls out his little scrap book. He cuts off a small piece of the victim's hair and places it inside his little book, you can tell this was not his first kill since there are other locks of hair already inside the book. While relaxing in bed he gets a knock on the door but when he answers it no one is there but he does find flowers and a card that that has what looks like a lipstick kiss on it, we find out later what it really is. This doesn't seem to effect him too much, at least not yet. About this time we meet Abby, a redhead herself. It seems Abby is well aware of what the serial killer is up to but she doesn't want to stop him or report him, she wants to be his next victim and she will do unimaginable things to gain his attention. I could go into more details about the film here but that would only ruing the experience that awaits those that want to see the film so I will stop here.
There's no blood or gory scenes in the film, the violence will certainly grab your attention but it's only used when needed. "Victim" is a character-driven drama/thriller that replies on it's actors to carry the story along. There's very little dialogue but the film's two main leads, Mariah Gale who plays Abby and Chris Fuoco as the serial killer are both amazing, both use their facial expressions and body movement to do their talking for them and they are brilliant. It is hard to believe that this was the acting debut for both and I hope it's not the last time I see them.
This is also the debut for Writer/Director, Mark Battle who Co-wrote the script with Chris Fuoco. Mark's film making talents are on full display here, it's always great to witness new talent like this and I see a bright future ahead for him and I cannot wait to see what he does next.
"Victim" is the story of two very sick individuals, the film sucks you into a world you really don't want to go to but you just can't take your eyes off the screen. What both people do is shocking and disturbing yet the whole thing seems to have a certain beauty about it all. The film gets in your head and it sticks with you long after it's over.
"Victim" is a 38 minute Short that is creepy, effective and intelligent, it's a film that deserves to be seen. It is playing at the Massachusetts Independent Film Festival and NYC Indie Film Festival. Independent cinema at it's finest, great story-telling and wonderful direction combined with a terrific cast makes this a very unique, unsettling and memorable film experience. If you have the chance to see this on the big screen I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity.
Released by Sweven Films
***** Out Of *****
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VICTIM Theatrical Trailer from Sweven Films on Vimeo.