The Black Mass — The Black Mass (Blu Ray)
On the 15th of February 1978 in Tallahassee Florida, American serial killer Ted Bundy carried out his final brutal and deranged series of killings/ attacks. The Black Mass is a recent film chronicling said day, and Mr Buddy’s deeds- it largely utilizes a fairly unconventional blend of POV, over-the-shoulder, or to-the-side camera work- which chillingly and disturbingly brings into the place of this monster. The film features a competent cast, unbalancing shifts in tone, subtle humour, and moments of troubling & brutal violence. Here from Cleopatra Entertainment- as either a Blu-Ray or DVD is a new release of the film.
The Black Mass is a 2023 American production- it takes its name from the description one of the victims gave of Bundy. The film is directed by LA-born actress & producer Devanny Pinn, and this is her directorial debut. She has eighty-five acting & fifteen producer credits to her name- she also appears in the film herself.
The film opens with Bundy(Andy Sykes) shaving in a hotel mirror- with muffled half-heard voices going on around him. He throws open the door to the bright sunlight, jumping into his yellow VW Beetle- with groovy brown and orange credits kicking in, as bright funked-out rock plays- this initially seems both jarring & somewhat disrespectful to the victims of the 15th of Feb. But fairly soon it makes sense- as the film is largely told from the killer's point of view- be it straight POV, over the shoulder, or to the side. I’ll have to admit this took me a while to get used to, and was a little frustrating- as you're trying to see how Slagle is doing with his portrayal of the killer front & centre- but again it makes sense, and with it creates it’s own brand of unease, alarm, and shock.
Every so often we get a time pop-up on-screen- letting us know what part of the twenty-four hours we’re in. I won’t detail the film's storyline in-depth- as it will rather spoil the whole thing- though I do feel you need to have a little bit of grounding/ understanding of the case, and how Bundy got to this point in his life. But the main focus of the film is the killer focusing in on & observing the FSU's Chi Omega Sorority House- so it has a largely female cast.
For the first half an hour or so we follow Bundy's charming & try to pull in people actions. Then we get the unsettling daytime peeping as he watches the ladies of Chi Omega getting on with their day. In this part of the film, we get one of the most harrowing scenes of the picture- where Bundy/ We are watching a student undress and shower. But instead of seeing it as it is- he imagines her first ripping & pulling the flesh of her back- to suggestively licking her bloody hand, before ripping her own head off and fisting the stump- real nightmare fuel.
The attacks themselves, when they appear in the films last quarter are both sudden & very brutal. Yet they are not done in a showy or glamorizing manner- been jarring, shocking, and ultimately highly troubling.
Acting wise Sykes managers to shift from charming-but-creepy, to deceitful and sneaky, though to arrogant and conceited, to the brutally deranged and perversely demented. The rest of the cast is all largely good too in their roles- and though the women Chi Omega characters are not fully painted, you get a feeling that they were real people. The 70’s setting/ dress/ look of the film is largely well-realized, but understated- so it’s not rubbed in your face.
The film slides in at the one hour and twenty-two minute mark, and unfolds fine- aside from my initial reservation about the use of POV. I’ve seen more than a few films based on Bundy- and this is certainly one of the better, more creative takes on the case. I think my main criticism is that there should have been some introduction/ explanation of how the killer got to this point in his life, as its resolve explains what happened after the 15th- with the use of texts & news reports.
I’m reviewing the Blu-Ray release of the film- this is a bare-bones affair, with just a film trailer and galley sitting alongside a trailer reel of Cleopatra Entertainment releases. It certainly would have been nice to hear from either Pinn or Slagle- be it an interview or commentary- but I know that’s not always possible.
The Black Mass certainly tries to do something slightly different with the serial killer film format, and I’d say if you're already familiar with the Bundy case then you’ll find this both impactful & shocking. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for Ms Pinn's next directed film, as this is a well-made/ realized picture and an impressive debut. I wanted to give this a three & half, but as we only do full marks here I’ve gone for a three.