Serial killer films are awfully tough to pull off with much success, probably because recently we have been inundated with these attempts to creep us out. It seems like five or ten films in this genre appear yearly. Thus, we have grown numb to the onslaught of brilliant psychopaths. Most fail miserably. Others are mildly successful, at least in terms of box office receipts.
"Anamorph" falls far short of the best but also runs far ahead of most of the rest of the recent competition. Yes, a lot of it is derivative and yes the killer here is so smart that there really is no way he could conceive of all of the stunts and no single human being would have the time required to produce all of the flourishing un-niceties we see on screen. It would take a team of special effects men and women and a barrel full of talented artists at least a couple of weeks to accomplish what this lone nutcase can produce in a scant couple of hours.
In spite of all of these negatives, "Anamorph" does indeed succeed because of some fine acting, especially by Willem Dafoe as the lead detective on the case and more importantly because the mood and look of the film is incredibly effective. The uncomfortable factor is nearly off the charts. It really has nothing to do with the villain but rather our view of the results of what the villain is doing and the direction and writing of Henry Miller, in his major film debut.
Stan (Willem Dafoe) is a tortured detective that appears throughout to be a barely breathing corpse. It's not his health that is questionable. It is his drawn, drained and beaten down look. Years earlier, he was involved in a similar case that was front page news. Stan eventually got his man, or maybe in reality he didn't? Since a possibly innocent man died from a bullet to his forehead at the hands of the police, it is not entirely certain. When bodies start piling up again in a similar manner, many, including Stan, begin to wonder if it is the work of a copycat or possibly the original serial killer.
Anamorphosis refers to distorted projection or perspective requiring the viewer to use special devices or occupy a specific vantage point to reconstitute the image. Our killer is constructing all of his murders so that when viewed at different angles they may contain different information and clues. The idea is spooky enough and in combination with Miller's view of New York City as a washed out world existing a scant step away from hell, the overall effect is an incessant skin crawl festival. There is virtually no color in this world. Everything is either a shade of gray or white and everything is grainy and gritty. Not a single image was crystal clear and or bright. The final result is a very rare occasion where a not quite up to snuff story is more than made up for by a grungy, supernatural view of a physically and emotionally scarred New York City .
