October 2013:
Mesmerized by Adult director Chuck Vincent's "straight" psychological Horror film Deranged,I began talking to a family friend about Vincent's work,who I was told had made an interesting Thriller,which he had seen in the early 90s on UK TV.Taking a look around most of the major UK sites,I was disappointed to find no sign of a DVD or Video of the title.
November 2014:
With a DVD seller kindly saying that he would convert Videos to DVD,I began taking a look at Amazon US for films which have only come out on tape.Getting close to the final page,I was shocked to discover,that whilst it had disappeared in the UK,that Chuck Vincent's film had actually come out on Video in the US,which led to me getting ready to finally find out if looks can kill.
The plot:
Wasting time shooting nothing but wedding videos,amateur film maker George Ringer is approached by businessmen Jack Devonoff,who offers Ringer a pile of cash to secretly film a woman called Laura Williamson,who Devonoff suspects is involved in some dodgy activities.Desperate for cash,Ringer accepts the job,and begins to film Williamson from a near by apartment.Looking out at Williamson's life,Ringer initially sees it as one of care-free decadence, until he catches Williamson talking to a secret lover,whose hands are filled with piles of cash.Thinking that he has got all the info needed,Ringer goes to report to Devonoff,but soon discovers that he has made a deadly mistake in taking a step into their decadent life style.
View on the film:
Backed by a tense score from Suezie Cioffi and Ian Shaw,co-writer/ (along with Craig Horrall) co-editor (along with James Davalos) director Chuck Vincent and cinematographer Larry Revene keep away from turning the title into a simple peep show,by expertly using windows to be the way that Ringer (played by a terrific,nervous Tim Gail) is able to see into Williamson's (played by a stunning Kimberly Lambert) world.Making Williamson's world at first to appear to be on a high,Vincent and Revene impressively show that as Ringer tries to break into a decadent lifestyle,that the windows start to crack,as Ringer smashes into Williamson's decadent lifestyle.Along with the subtle use of windows,Vincent also uses stylish whip-pans to show the decaying Film Noir world,and dying decadence society that Ringer & Williamson inhabit.
Being made on a low budget,the writers make sure that lack of cash does not stop them from creating a seedy Film Noir landscape.Entering the movie looking rather naïve,the writers superbly show Ringer's peaceful surroundings to become a rotten Film Noir world,as everyone around him becomes increasingly seedy, as he pushes closer to Williamson's window,with Ringer's manner being brittle towards people that interrupt his growing obsession.For the last 30 minutes,the writers display an excellent skill in unlocking vicious twists which had quietly been placed right at the start,with Vincent's rapid camera moves building a thrilling atmosphere,thanks to Vincent revealing what Ringer has been unable to see from his narrow window view,as George Ringer discovers that looks really can kill.
Mesmerized by Adult director Chuck Vincent's "straight" psychological Horror film Deranged,I began talking to a family friend about Vincent's work,who I was told had made an interesting Thriller,which he had seen in the early 90s on UK TV.Taking a look around most of the major UK sites,I was disappointed to find no sign of a DVD or Video of the title.
November 2014:
With a DVD seller kindly saying that he would convert Videos to DVD,I began taking a look at Amazon US for films which have only come out on tape.Getting close to the final page,I was shocked to discover,that whilst it had disappeared in the UK,that Chuck Vincent's film had actually come out on Video in the US,which led to me getting ready to finally find out if looks can kill.
The plot:
Wasting time shooting nothing but wedding videos,amateur film maker George Ringer is approached by businessmen Jack Devonoff,who offers Ringer a pile of cash to secretly film a woman called Laura Williamson,who Devonoff suspects is involved in some dodgy activities.Desperate for cash,Ringer accepts the job,and begins to film Williamson from a near by apartment.Looking out at Williamson's life,Ringer initially sees it as one of care-free decadence, until he catches Williamson talking to a secret lover,whose hands are filled with piles of cash.Thinking that he has got all the info needed,Ringer goes to report to Devonoff,but soon discovers that he has made a deadly mistake in taking a step into their decadent life style.
View on the film:
Backed by a tense score from Suezie Cioffi and Ian Shaw,co-writer/ (along with Craig Horrall) co-editor (along with James Davalos) director Chuck Vincent and cinematographer Larry Revene keep away from turning the title into a simple peep show,by expertly using windows to be the way that Ringer (played by a terrific,nervous Tim Gail) is able to see into Williamson's (played by a stunning Kimberly Lambert) world.Making Williamson's world at first to appear to be on a high,Vincent and Revene impressively show that as Ringer tries to break into a decadent lifestyle,that the windows start to crack,as Ringer smashes into Williamson's decadent lifestyle.Along with the subtle use of windows,Vincent also uses stylish whip-pans to show the decaying Film Noir world,and dying decadence society that Ringer & Williamson inhabit.
Being made on a low budget,the writers make sure that lack of cash does not stop them from creating a seedy Film Noir landscape.Entering the movie looking rather naïve,the writers superbly show Ringer's peaceful surroundings to become a rotten Film Noir world,as everyone around him becomes increasingly seedy, as he pushes closer to Williamson's window,with Ringer's manner being brittle towards people that interrupt his growing obsession.For the last 30 minutes,the writers display an excellent skill in unlocking vicious twists which had quietly been placed right at the start,with Vincent's rapid camera moves building a thrilling atmosphere,thanks to Vincent revealing what Ringer has been unable to see from his narrow window view,as George Ringer discovers that looks really can kill.