I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

What do you call a detective who is haunted by the victims of a serial killer? How about schizophrenic? Megan is a workaholic whose career and engagement are shattered when this happens to her. She becomes obsessed with the first victim, is removed from the case, but two years later having been reinstated in an administrative post she is back in the thick of things when another innocent is killed, then another.This film is based loosely on an actual series of unsolved murders; the names have of course been changed, but the twist in the tale is too silly to comment on, though it is safe to say that if he is ever revealed, the real alphabet killer will not be anyone like this.There is however one scene that should strike a chord with especially Americans at this point in time with the spate of shootings of innocent members of the public by psychopaths in uniform. A suspect is shot unnecessarily, and the police close ranks to ensure that no one is held accountable. Sound familiar?

The Alphabet Killer is based very, very loosely on a real story. But screenwriter Tom Malloy pretty much made this story entirely his own. The basic facts of the case are that there once was a killer whose victims were young girls whose first and last names started with the same letter. And that killer dumped the bodies in towns with names beginning with that same letter. For example this film's first victim is Carla Castillo, found in Churchville. Where does this movie want to go from there? Well, it turns out not to really be about the killer but about the young detective investigating the crime, Megan Paige. Eliza Dushku plays the role and the movie was always going to sink or swim on her performance. Dushku just about manages to keep the film afloat.The film veers toward the supernatural and/or psychological as Megan Paige begins to be haunted by visions. Is she really seeing things or just losing her mind? She ends up having a nervous breakdown and losing her position as a detective, demoted to a desk job. But when the bodies of more young girls turn up, following the alphabet pattern Megan had obsessed on, she's back on the case. Her new partner, played by screenwriter Malloy himself, is understandably wary. Eventually the two bond and make some progress in the case. But the killer remains elusive and Megan will not let the case go. Her frustrations manifest themselves in more of these visions or hallucinations or whatever they are. Megan is losing it again and it's a race against time to solve the case before she goes completely crazy. And of course before the killer strikes again.All in all it is pretty familiar serial killer stuff like we've seen in so many other films. The focus on an investigator who happens to be losing her mind is a bit of a different angle. But ultimately things play out pretty much as you would expect from the genre. Dushku performs a challenging role reasonably well. The supporting cast, including some familiar faces such as Cary Elwes and Timothy Hutton, is fine as well. But the film never threatens to make the leap from being decent to being really good. The story starts with promise but once it settles into its rhythm there is the sense that initial promise is not being paid off. The story kind of lags, things are a little mundane. They try to spice things up a bit by throwing in those haunting, sometimes scary visions of Megan's. But that gets a little repetitive and loses its impact. You know the film is going to go for a big reveal at the end but when it does the effort falls somewhat flat. The ending is actually rather predictable, not nearly as thrilling as it needs to be for the film to really excite you. Ultimately The Alphabet Killer is a decent little movie but that is about the best that can be said. Not a terrible way to spend 100 minutes but far from spectacular.

I'm not only into horrors I'm also a collector concerning serial killers. Books have never failed but most of the movies are a deep disappointment. So far I have seen a few flicks that I would recommend if you are into serial killers. Try to find To Catch A Killer. It's the best version about a serial killer I have seen so far. Brian Dennehy gives a perfect performance playing Gacy. No fictional facts in that flick. But it is a extreme hard one to find and if you do, expect to pay more than 100$!! But I am supposed to tell about The Alphabet Killer. The Alphabet Killer is a 2008 thriller-horror film, loosely based on the Alphabet murders that took place in Rochester, New York between 1971 and 1973. Eliza Dushku stars as the main character, alongside Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside, Bill Moseley and Timothy Hutton. The film is directed by Rob Schmidt, director of Wrong Turn, and written by Tom Malloy, who also acted in a supporting role. All promising but don't count on that. The story is based on the role of Eliza Dushku, the police officer involved in the search for the killer (fictional), but can't find him so she's loosing her mind and tries to kill herself. Nothing of this happened in the real story. The storyline takes place nowadays while the killings happened in the seventies. The only correct things are the facts that he killed 3 girls, and takes place in Rochester N.Y. and the case is up to today unsolved. Another teaser are the actors involved. Bill Moseley, good actor but is only maybe 2 minutes in the movie. Michael Ironside, also maybe 10 minutes in it. So forget that. There are no killings shown, no blood, no gore, only what is happening with the officer concerning the research for the killer. It's sad that a movie is sold with the headline "based on a true story" and gives us names that aren't really a long time in the movie. Luckily I found it on Blu Ray for 2 euro's. If you really are into the story than I can give you this, Between 1971 and 1973, three young girls, ages ten to eleven, were found sexually assaulted and slain near Rochester, New York. The girls all had double initials for their first and last names and were found dead in suburbs with names in which the first letter co-ordinated with the girls' initials. Two prime suspects later committed suicide. A third suspect, Kenneth Bianchi, went to California where he went on to become one of the infamous Hillside Stranglers, but to this day he insists he had nothing to do with the so-called Double Initial, or Alphabet, murders. The crimes remain unsolved...

The Alphabet Killer is a promising tale that's ultimately undone by a bad casting decision and an ending that is pointless and unsatisfying.Based on a true story from the early 1970s where three young girls whose first and last names started with the same letter were murdered and their bodies dumped in New York towns with names which also started with the same letter, this film dispenses with the original era and is set in the present day. That decision starts the movie off on the wrong foot as there are aspects of the true tale that don't neatly fit into the 21st century. It's like making a film about Jack the Ripper but setting it in 1950s London.When the first dead girl turns up, Rochester, New York police lieutenant Megan Paige (Eliza Dushku) is assigned to the case. As the months pass and no progress is made in finding the killer, Megan grows increasingly obsessed and starts seeing and hearing the dead girl crying out for help. She finally tries to kill herself to end the torment.The story then jumps forward a couple of years. Megan has been diagnosed with adult onset schizophrenia. She's trying to manage it with drugs and group therapy sessions where she meets Richard Ledge (Timothy Hutton), a wheelchair bound former math teacher who suffers from his own mental disorder. Megan is no longer a detective but still has a job in the police records department, thanks to her old partner and ex-fiancée Kenneth Shine (Care Elwes), who's become a police captain. When another dead girl turns up, Megan pleads to be allowed to help with the investigation and Ken reluctantly agrees. He assigns Megan to tag along with officer Steven Harper (Tom Malloy) as he investigates the case, with strict rules about her only functioning as a consultant. As Megan and Harper try to track down suspects, they have to overcome the interference of police captain Nathan Norcross (Michael Ironside) from a neighboring jurisdiction who wants the capture of the Alphabet Killer for his own force. Megan also has to deal with her own schizophrenia returning in full force.There's really not much of a mystery at work in The Alphabet Killer. A few suspects are quickly introduced and just as quickly discarded and there aren't any investigative twists and turns to the story. This movie is all about the inner turmoil of Megan Paige and Eliza Dushku isn't up to the task. She's a beautiful woman and does have some acting skill, but she possesses what you could call a "limited instrument". Dushku is like a female Mark Wahlberg. If you put her in a role that's suited to her, she can be quite effective. When you ask her to do things beyond her comfort zone, she noticeably flounders. Here, Dushku is playing a complex character who dominates the entire narrative and there are absolutely no levels to her performance, no depth of subtlety to her acting, which wouldn't be so bad if the film were trashy and melodramatic or if there was another major character to carry the storytelling load. But Megan Paige is the heart and soul of this attempt at dark and serious drama and Dushku cannot pull it off. She doesn't need to be ashamed or embarrassed by her work, but she's like a career AAA minor leaguer who doesn't have the game to make it in the Major Leagues.The ending of this film is also one of those where even if you did like the movie, it will leave you disappointed and unsatisfied. Nothing is resolved and you're left wondering why you bothered to watch The Alphabet Killer in the first place. Dushku is one of the producers of this movie and, following the rule of Producer Self-Nudity, she does show off her upper front. Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans might enjoy those scant few seconds. The film is also reasonably well written and the rest of the cast are fine, though again, none of them are given anything interesting or significant to do.It's unfair to blame one person for the failure of a motion picture, yet there's nothing else to do in this case. If an exceptional actress had been cast in the main role, The Alphabet Killer might have turned out to be something worth watching. One wasn't, so it's not.