the audience applauded

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

As Good As It Gets

Yes, apparently people in Hollywood think that "flyover country" is entirely inhabited by redneck cannibals. I think they've been milking that meme since "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and it was tired then. So the plot is a dumber than dirt film crew interviews a guy who knows the identity of a notorious serial killer. And he relates in disjointed narrative about how this guy became a serial killer who kills people and then serves them up at a roadside butcher shop. The film treats you to about two hours of misogynistic violence and really, nothing to redeem it. Should have retitled this "Lance Henrickson needs Booze Money", because it's the only explanation for his participation I can understand. I think Rae Dawn Chong was in this, but I couldn't see where. (I think she played one of the interview subjects.)

Aside from a few interesting performances from various cast members, CYRUS: MIND OF A SERIAL KILLER has virtually nothing going for it. You'd be better of going with alternative serial killer titles like HENRY LEE LUCAS: SERIAL KILLER or DEAR MR. GACY as at least these are films which attempt to tell a proper story rather than this nonsensical, made-up amateur-hour attempt.The film begins with an elderly man being interviewed for a documentary about a serial killer. Kudos on the casting director for getting hold of Scream Queen Danielle Harris to play the reporter, but truth be told her acting isn't up to much. However, the subject of the interview is played by Lance Henriksen, who also narrates the story; he's by far the best thing in the whole film and I could listen to his gravelly voice all day. It's a shame that most of the material is beneath him.After a mildly promising set-up in the first half-hour, this turns into a very silly gore flick with one grisly murder after another. It all feels very ho hum and uninteresting, repellent but not disturbing; just a waste of time and effort. Tiffany Shepis and Doug Jones both pop up to offer cameo appearances and lessen the boredom, but this is still one of the worst serial killer movies I've sat through. The most amusing thing about the film is that the whole thing seems to hinge around a final twist that will be obvious from the very first scene.

Cyrus is a sadistic serial killer. A cute girl investigative reporter is looking into his story. Good things are unlikely to follow.It strikes me that good horror films about slasher killers fall into one of two categories: either attempts to tell a serious story about something which doesn't need sensationalising, or else blood-soaked romps which revel in blood-soaked slaughter but don't take themselves seriously.Cyrus, unfortunately, is a romp which takes itself seriously and accordingly comes across as sensationalised sadistic unpleasantness without the saving graces of either taking its subject seriously or having a sense of humour.And it's a shame, because it has some good performances, particularly from Brian Krause, laying to rest his good guy image from TV's Charmed.

If you let go of the fact that what you're watching isn't going to be a blockbuster, you may actually enjoy yourself with this film. Yes, it's a B-grade horror movie, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad (though many usually are). Here goes nothing:The story centers around Maria (Danielle Harris), a reporter, and her cameraman, Greg (Corey Gibbons), who are investigating a series of disappearances/killings, tipped to be done by a man named Cyrus (Brian Krause), "The County Line Cannibal". The movie starts off with the two of them traveling to a small, Midwestern county to speak to Cyrus's best friend Emmett (Lance Henriksen) who possesses eerily intimate knowledge of Cyrus's killing methods, and recounts the tales of the County Line Cannibal's final 7 victims to the small crew, explaining the disappearance of three young college girls the reporters were initially investigating. I have to admit, I did like this movie - a lot, and I generally don't like B-grade movies at all. The entire reason I hired this movie initially was for Danielle Harris (who's part is significant only at the beginning and in the final moments, but she is scattered about the course of the film) and I didn't expect much from this, but I genuinely enjoyed it. It was bleak and gritty and it was realistic (as it should be, being based on a true story and all). People are too caught up in immediately hating horror movies these days they make the premature decision to hate something before they've given it a chance. The acting from Krause, Harris & Henriksen was splendid, and the others (being relative newcomers) didn't do too shabby a job with their parts either. It takes a while for the movie to pick up the pace in the beginning but your patience will be rewarded. If I'm honest, in the last 10 minutes of the film, the 'twist' becomes rather obvious, but rather enjoyable none-the-less. If you're being realistic about what you're seeing here, and don't go in expecting it to be something that it's really not, you'll enjoy it. Expecting it to be something exceptional or a new step up in horror, and you'll just go home disappointed. It's nothing new, it's nothing terribly original, but it's entertaining and in a way, thought- provoking: "Who do I feel sorry for, the victims or Cyrus?". The answer's not as cut and dry as you think it is.Rating: 7/10