Mindkiller

Warren is an awkward and shy librarian who is so lonely and inept at speaking to women that he obsesses with self-help media to try to boost his confidence. But despite his efforts, so far his efforts have come up far short of his goals, and has all but given up the ‘self-help’ genre for good. Or at least he does until he stumbles upon an old manuscript hidden in the library archives that claims to help the reader “expand” their mind. Warren pours over the whole thing during a single night and, sure enough, the obscure text seems to have done the trick. But it’s not just simple positive thinking that’s helping Warren out. The manuscript hasn’t just boosted his confidence, but also awakened his psychic ability, which enables him to manipulate physical objects and the people around him. At first he uses his new skills to get back at the people who have wronged him, like his a-hole boss. But as his power grows stronger Warren slowly starts to change from a mild-mannered geek into a power obsessed douche, and the few friends he has have started to notice. But by the time they realize what’s up, it might be too late for them to bring Warren back from the brink before his power and his obsession finally get out of control.

Mindkiller is yet another one of those random, low-budget, sci-fi/horror flicks from the late 1980s with a cool looking cover that you come across while scrolling through the movies offered by the free streaming services. And, as anyone who’s at all familiar with 80’s horror cinema knows, the more interesting a film’s cover art is usually correlates to how crappy said horror movie is going to be. Them’s just the facts. And Mindkiller really does little to buck that trend. That said, though it may be 80’s horror trash, there are still a couple of good tidbits to be found within, even though they amount to little more than measly crumbs and can’t at all contribute to the film ever being considered in any way to be “good”.

Okay, let me just get this one point out of the way first: I like the story presented here. Yes, it’s basic, and the plot is the familiar tale of how the kindly geek/outcast miraculously comes into some sort of power, gets everything they want, and then ultimately becomes corrupted by said power much to the detriment of themselves and those closest to them, tragedy ensues, etc., etc…. It’s been done. I get it. But for a low-budget horror flick like this, and one that’s not necessarily all that well written at that, it’s done surprisingly well, and actually presents some nuance to the formula. For instance, Warren doesn’t end up being the only person to read the manuscript. His coworker and friend Larry does as well. But because Larry doesn’t share Warren’s more detrimental and hidden personality traits like crippling insecurity, jealousy and repressed anger, Larry doesn’t turn into a power hungry evil dick. So instead of suggesting your typical “absolute power corrupts absolutely” shtick, the film seems to be suggesting that people with a stronger moral compass can, in fact, control themselves. Which shows far more level of thought than you’d expect from a movie like this. Granted, Larry still ends up using his powers to attract women and likely manipulates them against their will into being interested in him, which by itself is still very bad and presents an entirely different can of worms in the whole moral dilemma department. But in the great scheme of things, using your powers to try to get laid is a much weaker sin than outright manipulating women to have sex with you and trying to kill your roommate and your girlfriend (who you manipulated into being your girlfriend against her will), so I’m just gonna give Larry a pass for now.

And before you ask, yes, this movie does not treat women very well. Yet surprisingly, it also gives the leading lady, Sandy, an incredibly strong amount of agency. When Warren first realizes the potential of his new power, the first thing he does is go to a bar and use it to pick up women. When they basically fall at his feet, he immediately goes and tries the same thing on Sandy. And as the viewer, you’re expecting it to work like a charm because, hey, that’s clearly the type of movie this is, right? But shockingly, it doesn’t. Because Sandy’s will is stronger than Warren anticipated, she turns him down. It might take her some effort, but she does it, forcing Warren into a crossroads. He could do the right thing, realize the error of his ways and give up, or he can push harder. Naturally he does the latter and she agrees to be his girlfriend. But every time she’s seen with him there’s always a clear discomfort about her. Like she really doesn’t want to be anywhere in his presence, and she’s eventually able to pull away entirely. So the movie seems to be trying to do this weird balancing thing with its female characters, and it doesn’t really work, because the nitwits outnumber the clever gals about 100 to 1, but I’m still kind of impressed they even attempted a strong female lead when just about every other horror trash you’ll see will head in the opposite direction.

The other highlight of the movie is that some of the practical effects are actually kind of neat. I mean, they’re not “great”, and the film’s crappy VHS visual quality really obscures a lot of stuff that would probably make everything look better, but the gooey creature effects by Vincent Guastini and Ted Bohus towards the end of the film are actually very impressive, especially by this film’s otherwise very low standards. They’re so good in fact, that I’d wager the bulk of the film’s funds probably went into their creation.

Unfortunately, everything else about the film is pretty God awful, and honestly, I think that’s me being nice about it. The film quality is grainy and blurred, the composition isn’t all that hot, the script is junk and the film is mostly filled with actors who never went on to do anything else. Except for Kevin Hart (no, not that Kevin Hart. White man Kevin Hart), who has a handful of titles under his belt, including Lone Wolf, which also ain’t that hot. But the film’s biggest culprit? The SOUND. Dear God….the sound. I’m convinced that most of the noises this film emits from your speakers were specifically designed with the sole purpose of trying to annoy the viewer to death. Now, half the time, the sound is actually okay. It’s often a little too low and unclear, because I’m guessing they only had one mic to work with, but it’s okay. But the other half? Oh. My. God. That one lone mic they rented comes back to bite them in the ass. Things that should be background noises like static and music completely overpower the scenes they’re in, drowning out the dialogue and conspiring to piss you off more than the film’s main character could ever hope to. And don’t even get me started on the weird-ass ambient noises in the background. I just KNOW they’re there because the creators hate you. There is an entire scene involving Larry, Brad, and a recording of howling coyotes that blare at you with the subtlety only a screechy, scratchy record cranked up to full volume can produce. Why am I listening to this? Why are THEY listening to this? Why would anyone even want to make a record of that? What would compel anyone to buy it? Why is this even in this scene? WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS, MOVIE!?! TELL ME, DAMN IT! I swear they added that stupid recording just to see how many people they could get to call them and complain about busted eardrums. And the worst part is I don’t even know who to blame for this, so I have no idea who to call to complain to. It’s agony I tell you. AGONY!

CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!?

If the horrible sound issues in MIndkiller weren’t so God-awful I’d almost call this movie a hidden gem. But they are, so it’s not. I mean, sure, it’s got plenty of other issues (like, a lot, A LOT), but the basic plot is actually pretty decent, it moves at a good pace, and the characters are surprisingly likable if you can overlook most of the questionable acting and dialogue choices. But sadly, Mindkiller is one of those movies you watch where you can tell the creators had a good idea, but they also lacked the funds or skill to truly pull it off successfully. Like, it’s there, they’ve got most of what they need, but it still needs a couple more ingredients and time in the oven. That way maybe the audience would have been able to tell what the characters were saying 100% of the time, instead of, like, 60%. But alas. If you like low budget films and have a high tolerance for audio-induced pain, then this could be an interesting diversion. But most everyone else will likely want to avoid it.

MIndkiller is available on a variety of streaming services.

MIndkiller is also available on DVD.

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