Shudder Sunday: Perpetrator (2024)

“Perpetrator” may not be the most straightforward journey, but it’s an entertaining ride that pays off for those who commit to the long haul.

Written and directed by Jennifer Reeder, a rising star in the genre (V/H/S/94, Knives and Skin), Perpetrator is a hauntingly bizarre addition to her legacy of creating movies about relationships, trauma, and coping.

The film follows the feisty and angry Jonquil (Johnny) Baptiste, excellently portrayed by Kiah McKirnan (Night Sky). It opens with Johnny breaking into a house and stealing anything she thinks she can sell. Johnny takes her loot to an isolated location with what appears to be an abandoned car and gets in. Her fence, a person who buys stolen goods, gives her enough money to pay rent but not enough to survive. He tells her sex is the only way to get more.

A fight incurs, and Johnny escapes and returns home, where it quickly becomes apparent that she is taking care of her father.

The plot switches gears, and the viewer gets glimpses of something unusual. Johnny is experiencing hallucinations and visions that seem to get worse as she draws closer to her 18th birthday, a significant family event that she is unaware of.

So, after a strange phone call between her father, Gene Baptiste (Tim Hopper), and her great-aunt, Hildie Baptiste (Alicia Silverstone), Hildie brings Johnny to live with her.

Then, she learns about the family curse, a mysterious and evil force that has plagued the Baptiste family for generations.

Perpetrator‘s storyline is unique, keeping the film interesting and engaging.

While some aspects of the plot may be hard to follow, the originality of the narrative is sure to captivate the audience and keep them intrigued.

Instead of the usual monsters in horror, we see 17-year-old Johnny searching for herself as she comes of age. Her mother is missing, Johnny’s father won’t talk about her mother, and now she is experiencing strange visions and dreams about blood.

Reeder’s script, which provides a brief glimpse into Johnny’s experiences, adds depth and complexity to the characters, leaving the audience impressed and captivated.

Alicia Silverstone’s portrayal of the creepy and weird great-aunt Hildie is a testament to the strong performances in the film. She almost steals the movie with her firm, no-nonsense, but creepy-as-hell character.

McKirnan shines as the lead, allowing the viewer to see beyond the ‘I don’t care attitude’ to the emotionally fragile woman underneath the facade. Her journey to discover who she is and where she is from is profoundly emotional and one the audience can connect with.

The film opens with visual queues of posters with missing women on telephone poles. Flashes to a warehouse with surgeon tools dripping blood lying on a tray. To someone following a woman who senses she is being followed and keeps furtively looking behind her. The escalating eerie music in the background adds to the apprehension.

Perpetrator excels in its visuals; there is more than enough blood to satisfy even seasoned slasher fans.

Cinematographer Sevdije Kastrati and her crew did a fantastic job ensuring that all the blood in the film looked realistic—and there is much of it. Her team also created the unique atmosphere of the movie and used a range of colors to enhance and not detract from the blood.

When Johnny was doing her Forevering transformation, Kastrati outdid herself. She captured the feral look with its evil intensity so that viewers would enjoy it and freak out.

Nick Zinner’s music score is a standout feature of the film. It adds an emotional ambiance that heightens the eerie and suspenseful atmosphere. His haunting tunes create an auditory landscape that perfectly complements the visual, enhancing the viewing experience.

However, it doesn’t all work. Perpetrator is original in its plot, but the journey to the finale is confusing and peppered with unbelievable events. Still, the story remains interesting right up to the end. The characters are well-developed, and you cannot help but connect to them emotionally.

The story moves non-linearly. The characters are entertaining, and some are even humorous, but the sometimes outrageous scenes can be jarring and take you out of the story.

Reeder does a fantastic job of bringing you back to the movie’s focus, and you can only help but wonder if these deviations were deliberate. Maybe they were her way of providing a break from the emotional intensity and giving a closer look into the murderer’s persona.

Ultimately, the film’s strengths outweigh its weaknesses, making it easy to recommend.