KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person Review Country : USA Year: 2005 Genre: Psychological / Horror Format: Video Running Time: 100 minutes Distributor: Rapscallion Collaborative A disturbed young woman relives the events of her life that made her into a torturous killer in this in this taut tale of unrequited love and painful truth. Credits Written and directed by Justin Paul Ritter. Starring Helene Udy, Lee Perkins, Jun Hee Lee, Todd Gordon, Taylor M. Dooley and Nicole Jarvis. When a filmmaker feels the need to make a movie or die trying, the sheer determination exerted can be enough to make a diamond out of even the roughest independent feature. Justin Paul Ritter certainly possesses this quality, multitasking as writer, director, and editor to breathe life into his first film, KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person. KatieBird Wilkins, a woman with a passion for love, relives the events that lead up to her first killing during her final "session" with psychologist Dr. Mark Richardson, her doctor and lover. Director Justin Paul Ritter, in his directorial debut, weaves this disturbing tale of unrequited love and painful truth. Beginning in an urban apartment, the story traverses through past and present, taking you as far back as 1950s rural America. What begins as a lovers' spat between the Doctor and KatieBird soon becomes a chilling testimony of the relationships that molded her into a torturous killer. Before he can object the doctor finds himself chained to a bed and at the mercy of KatieBird. She then begins to tell him the story of her childhood and her relationship with her father, Merl. Cared for and loved as a normal child, KatieBird discovered one day that there was much more to her father behind closed doors. And when she is hurt by the local high school heart throb, Merl takes her into his world and teaches her the only way he knows to seek out the truth. Scared, confused, yet knowing this is the path that was meant for her, KatieBird begins to learn what was passed down to her father and her father's father...the truth that can only be found through death. Soon she too has captured her first victim and begins to learn and understand what true and truthful pain is. Hearing KatieBird's testimony only confirms Dr. Richardson's mounting belief that she is beyond being helped. Yet his twisted doctor/lover relationship with her keeps him mentally as well as, currently, physically bound to her. As Dr. Richardson loses control of the situation he learns far too late that he is to be her "last" victim....(summary from www.katiebirdthemovie.com) To some extent, this film is a rewarding experience, which keeps the movie exciting, but somewhere along the line (like, the beginning), the "horror" in this horror film was lost. To be fair, there are many reasons to love 'Katiebird'. Unfortunately, they have more to do with intentions than with follow-through. Being a filmmaker myself, it is hard for me to write the rest of this review, but I have to be honest, from a writer/filmmaker's perspective. Ritter's desire was to create a horror film that returned to the roots of horror from the late 70's and early 80's. Most admirable is Ritter's distaste for some of the baser, or, shall we say, more distracting conventions and cliches of horror movies, especially the notion that a movie can't generate genuine fear without teenagers, some measure of adolescent irresponsibility and a healthy dose of gratuitous sex. There are no gags, no comic foils destined to die first and (sweet Jesus, thank you) no MTV pop song of the week playing in the background. Once again, 'Katiebird: Certifiable Crazy Person' will earn respect from shock-seekers and true horror purists as every scene in the film is geared toward scaring making you flinch or cover your eyes. The problem is nothing in this movie will scare the hell out of you, though it scores points for trying and then some. KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person is a respectful homage to the horror greats of our youth and adolescence, but if you have seen any of these classics, then nothing this movie has to offer is going to surprise you. On paper, it sounds awesome: a horror film that combines The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, and Psycho (with a healthy dose of other classic killer notables)...how can you go wrong? Well, how many times can you feel terror at the disturbing images of teeth getting pulled out and faces getting ripped off? With the element of surprise gone, no number of saws ripping into flesh or bloodstained bathtubs can put you back into the game, and brother, there ain't nothing worse than sitting through a scary movie that won't let you be scared. Other nods to 80s horror, though not to the (arguably) well-acted classics, include the shallow performances turned in by unknown actors Helene Udy and Taylor Dooley who play Old KatieBird and Young KatieBird. While the decision to cast non-A-list actors is often not a choice but a necessity on independently financed films, it is critical that your principal characters can suck you into the story, especially for a horror film. The person who deserves all the credit here is actor Lee Perkins. He totally shines in this film as the father who tutors KatieBird in her murderous ways. I spent the entire film wishing that the movie was called Merl: Certifiable Crazy Person. Maybe a prequel would work better for a sequel. Another thing that didn't work for me was the overuse of split screens. In fact, the entire film is like this and it drove me nuts. And the score, I won't even get started. My wife was trying to study while I was watching it and made me go in another room because she couldn't even concentrate. Riddled with guitar feedback and synthesized bass lines, the score by Daniel Iannantuono will drive you certifiably insane. This movie goes completely bottoms-up when things settle down at the end. Ritter takes the trouble to wrap up and tie together a tale that began as less-than-satisfying but ends it with an insulting narration from KatieBird, written like the diaries of a madwoman. Almost to try and make you feel sorry for her....Well, I don't. Not totally bereft of merit, KatieBird: Certifiable Crazy Person is still one horror film that will be best paired as a stand alone genre piece. I just had higher expectations. OFFICIAL SITE DISCUSS ON OUR FORUMS Review by John Gray, for Pitofhorror.com