‘Perpetrator’ Review – A Tonally Confused B-Horror Flick

Supernatural magic, the oppressing power of toxic masculinity and giant buckets of blood ready to be swam in are just a few of the many forces at play in indie horror director Jennifer Reeder’s (Night’s End, V/H/S/94) latest film, Perpetrator.

The free-spirited Jonny (Kiah McKirnan) struggles to navigate the difficulties of growing up and seeing eye-to-eye with her isolated father (Tim Hopper) as she gets sent off to live with her mysterious aunt, Hildie (Alicia Silverstone). When the night of her 18th birthday arrives, Jonny finds herself unknowingly cast under a family spell called the “Forevering.” As she tries to put together the pieces behind the peculiar disappearance of girls at her new school, Jonny fights to reclaim her power and discover who she really is.

There’s a lot going on in this bold, ambitious, campy, bewitched and ultimately giant mess of a film that tries to channel It Follows, Suspiria and The Shining all at once (with little success). There are some strong, trippy visuals and scene transitions throughout that catch the viewer’s eye. For example, the recurring motif of a hand reaching out before falling, submerging into an ocean of blood is undeniably intriguing. Nick Zinner’s magnetic score also channels a seductive, 1970s retro vibe, making for an eerie addition.

But for every interesting plot thread, theme or artistic choice that Reeder introduces, there’s at least 10 other elements she also tries to simultaneously include that never fully mesh. Reeder’s take on the genre is refreshingly feminist and queer, but mishandles these themes with a poorly conceived, unclear storyline and a confusing mix of tonal inconsistencies.

Is it supposed to be campy, genuinely scary, a coming-of-age discovery story, a horror comedy and a mystery thriller all at once? Some of the smartest and cleverest horror films successfully balance multiple different ideas and genres, but Perpetrator — a film that is rarely scary or even funny except when it’s not trying to be — is not one of them.

Sudden jump cuts, inconsistent plot details and a lack of growing momentum in the film’s pacing make for an often exhausting experience that never lives up to its potential. The end product feels mostly like a cheap, glorified college student film, as interesting as its best moments are.

The most fun and engaging performance is definitely Silverstone’s turn as the mystifying, carefully spoken Hildie who takes Jonny in and helps her harness her inner power. Silverstone’s screen presence is immediately clear with her straight-faced expression throughout even the most ridiculous moments. Unfortunately, Hildie largely disappears for the second half and her absence is sorely felt. McKirnan also does a solid job as the lead, bringing her character’s personal journey to life beyond the page. The problem is that each actor, as talented as they may be, feels like they belong in separate films with how they approach the film’s tone.

The biggest overall issue lies at the center of the film’s confounding world-building. The rules of the “Forevering” mysticism that Jonny finds herself swept up in are left purposefully ambiguous at times as she’s left to figure things out for herself. Yet the script randomly jumps to heavy exposition in scenes between Jonny and Hildie that only further confuse and muddle the narrative. Reeder’s script can’t decide how much it wants to let the viewer in on the mystery, only further isolating the audience. This uncertainty is a pattern throughout the entire film that makes each brief interesting choice and development fall flat.

A horror film that takes this many swings is inevitably going to find its audience. Sadly, the misses ultimately outweigh the hits. It’s still a film worth checking out for diehard fans of B-horror flicks, but it’s certainly not the cult classic it’s dying to be.

Perpetrator will debut in select theaters and be available to stream on Shudder on September 1, 2023. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvkVyZPKhEs]