The Clovehitch Killer

UK Release Date. 18 March 2019
Certification. 18 
Running Time. 1 hour 49 mins
Director. Duncan Skiles
Cast. Madisen Beaty, Samantha Mathis, Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer.
Rating. 59%

Review.

Duncan Skiles debut feature as director, The Clovehitch Killer is an adequate offering. Small-town, Christian High School student, Tyler Burnside (Charlie Plummer) begins to suspect his father, Don Burnside (Dylan McDermott) may be a serial killer.

Set aside the preposterous premise of the adolescent investigation - a modern-day Hardy Boys meets Nancy Drew incarnation - and the apparent ease in which Tyler's concern for his upstanding conservative family's reputation is prioritised over that of the Clovehitch Killer's victims - there's an intriguing storyline trying to emerge.

Dylan McDermott impressively portrays small-town virtue and wholesomeness, a seemingly regular church-going family man and Scout Leader with a hint of creepiness, barely enough to raise our suspicion. As the film progresses, McDermott's matter-of-factness during increasingly disturbing behaviours escalates from unsettling to skin-crawling.  

A smart script by Christopher Ford results in an engaging narrative and the deliberate pace generates a real sense of intent as the film develops. Confident in itself, the story unfolds with purpose and allows the two young actors to impress - Charlie Plummer as Tyler and Madisen Beaty as Kassi.

Stylistically, there are immediate comparisons with David Fincher's filmography, particularly the direction and the terrifyingly matter-of-fact manner in which the film presents the serial killer components. Simple and straightforward, The Clovehitch Killer does everything it needs to, without overextending beyond its reach.