Review: LETHAL OBSESSION

For much of the general viewing public, the vastly under-exposed and endlessly creative world of low-budget filmmaking is commonly overlooked. While there are many genres that make up this bracket of filmmaking, perhaps the most popular and well followed of them is the horror genre, but the following is usually limited to existing fans of the genre. LETHAL OBSESSION would fall into this broad genre of low budget horror filmmaking, but should not be written off by anyone as just another slasher flick.

The first thing I tell people about viewing their first low-budget horror film is not to go in with any expectations. This isn’t meant as a way to make excuses for any shortfalls or somehow lessen my responsibility for recommending a film is that person doesn’t enjoy it, but rather to point out that in more cases than not, low-budget filmmaking must sacrifice the more commonly familiar production trends by way of financial necessity. However, this is in now way synonymous with it inherently being a bad film. For low-budget filmmakers, regardless of the genre, it’s all about the story.

LETHAL OBSESSION is written and directed by Chris Jay and co-directed with Jason Hignite. The movie tells the story of Detective Stevens (Kevin Stich) as he tracks a mysterious masked serial killer that preys on women working as adult Internet entertainers. The unique twist to this story is that the killer strikes while the women are performing on their webcams; therefore the murders are broadcast live and uncensored over the Internet.

Detective Stevens is really the central character in LETHAL OBSESSION as he struggles to crack the case, leaving the masked serial killer — resembling part Jigsaw from SAW and part Rocky Horror wearing a Kabuki-esque mask a la V For Vendeta — as more of a supporting character, but also ties in as a mystery of identity, giving the audience an extra layer of intrigue.

Elizabeth Waters (Kitsie Duncan) is not a likeable character, not just because she runs the adult webcam site, but also because she shows little remorse or concern for the murdered webcam girls or the safety of those not yet having become victims. Then again, the audience isn’t meant to “like” Elizabeth Waters, so the performance by Duncan plays off well. To be quite blunt, Waters is a real bitch, and Detective Stevens isn’t pleased about her attitude.

As the story unfolds and the mystery develops, LETHAL OBSESSION leads the audience down a couple of potential paths in determining the killer’s identity, which I will not disclose, but I will say the audience can be assured not to be left out in the cold, wondering what happened by the time they’ve finished LETHAL OBSESSION. The ending is not predictable, nor does it come out of left field.

The acting in LETHAL OBSESSION won’t win any awards, but once again, keep in mind this is only relative. I’ve seen far worse acting in Cinemax flicks with far larger budgets and far less story. Acting can be one of the biggest hurdles for low-budget filmmakers. LETHAL OBSESSION does a decent job of spreading out the talent and keeping the dialogue real and not succumb to melodrama. Nothing about the film is over the top.

One of my favorite elements of watching LETHAL OBSESSION is the music. So often, music plays such an integral role not only in the story, but also in the overall success or failure of a movie, regardless of the budget. The soundtrack, provided by multiple bands including Otis and the Roofies, Rebel Inc, LONEgevity, Jocef and others, creates a fantastic dark and moody atmosphere for the story to unfold. The music sets up a somewhat Gothic, brooding tone, stepping up the hard rock side of the sound during the kills and simmering down into a softer, looming undercurrent in between.

While the visual style of LETHAL OBSESSION is clearly influenced by the equipment, the handheld, shaky camera work and the grainy, existing light look adds to the storytelling since online video plays such an integral role. In all honesty, the editing hits and misses, but nothing that draws too much from the story, especially given (once again) the visual style and online video element of the story. As for the special effects, the kill scenes and gore are an entirely different matter.

The kill scenes themselves — and this is an element of storytelling that is usually appreciated more by the genre fans than the general audience — a about 50/50 when it comes to originality. Some of them are relatively stock, tried and true kills, but others employ a bit more creativity, especially one near the end (not the pay off kill) which I have to admit — and this is despite my generally unflinching immunity to being disturbed — really had me cringing. Its more the implement and context than the gore factor itself, but I won’t spoil it for potential viewers.

I want to make one thing very clear… LETHAL OBSESSION does deliver on “eye candy” and for good reason. Telling a story such as this does sort of require that, and if the intention is to deliver a realistic, believable story in such a genre, attempting to do so with a PG-13 mindset would ensure the film’s failure before production even began. With that said, please do not make the mistake of going into this film expecting a purely T&A toss-away experience… it has more than this to offer. LETHAL OBSESSION falls somewhere between psychological thriller and disturbing shock cinema.

It should be clearly understood, and sort of a given, that LETHAL OBSESSION is not a film for children or those with weak hearts or weak stomachs. The film contains language, violence, gore and nudity… enough so that, if MPAA rated non-theatrical indie films, it would certainly receive an NC-7, but every bit of this plays its role and serves its purpose in telling the story.

In the end, what really matters on a holistic cinematic level is whether the movie holds the viewer’s attention. For me, LETHAL OBSESSION may not be a perfect film and is a short view at 69 minutes, but earns major movie brownie points for achieving this crucial benchmark of keeping me entertained.

LETHAL OBSESSION is available on DVD and includes the following extras:

• Trailers for LETHAL OBSESSION
• Bloopers — These aren’t just funny, but give an interesting and candid look behind the scenes.
• Behind the Scenes 1^st Shoot – Photo Slideshow.
• Drinking Games — Yes, the filmmakers included their own set of drinking games for fans to enjoy.
• Alternate Ending — It does offer a creepier, even disturbingly twisted ending, but I’m glad it was cut.
• Bonus Shorts and Trailers — An homage to some classic 80’s horror flicks.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars