Movie Number- 55
Title– B.T.K. (2008)
Genre– Thriller
Branden’s Rating– 2 out of 10
Bridgette’s Rating– 4 out of 10
Average Rating– 3
Netflix Rating– 1 Star
Comments– You know those movie that start, and about five minutes in you wish you hadn’t decided to watch?  That is how I felt about B.T.K..  This movie was terrible, no doubt about it.  The story is “based on” Dennis Rader, better known as the B.T.K. Killer (which stands for “Bind them, Torture them, Kill them – his MO).  Right at the beginning of the movie, the director, Michael Feifer, lets us know that “this is a fictional story based on a true character”.  Well, what the hell is the point of that?  This movie was nothing at all how the real B.T.K. case is, so why even use his name except to make a quick buck?  It’s pathetic!  When there are people out there who do a wonderful job of telling the true side of a horrific story such as this (like Ann Rule or Harold Schechter) it’s disappointing to see this drudge with the name of a sadistic person tacked on only to make money.  To me, that is the definition of exploiting a terrible situation.  At least educate your viewer a little bit if you are going to use the name “B.T.K.” or “Ed Gein” or “Bundy” (all three movies of which Michael Feifer has directed).  This simply feels like laziness, and if the director is lazy, why and the hell should I spend time watching his movies?

Aside from the fact that this seemed like a way for the director to make a quick buck while exploiting the victims families of one of the most heinous serial killers in recent memory (due to the sheer number of victims involved), this movie was dreadfully acted (especially Rader’s daughters…good god…), and the story made absolutely no sense thanks to the fact the director chose another, cop-out, lazy ending.  Was it all a dream?  Was he really arrested?  What the hell did I just watch?  This is not the worst movie I have ever seen (that title still belongs to FearDotCom for the time being), but it was pretty damn close.  This is an awful excuse for a film, and I recommend you staying as far away as humanly possible.  Terrible-Disappointing.

Branden Chowen

Branden has been a film fan since he was young, roaming the halls of Blockbuster Video, trying to find the grossest, scariest looking VHS covers to rent and watch alone in the basement. It wasn’t until recently, though, that Branden started seeking out the classics of cinema, and began to develop his true passion for the art form. Branden approaches each film with the unique perspective of having studied the art from the inside, having both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in acting. He has been a film critic since 2010, and has previously written for Inside Pulse Movies, We Love Cult, and Diehard Gamefan. His biggest achievement as a film critic, to date, has been founding Cinefessions and turning it from a personal blog to a true film website, housing hundreds of film and television reviews, and dozens of podcasts.