Starring: Mike Marsh, Ryan Hutman
Directed By: Sean Tretta
Written By: Sean Tretta
Grade: B
The Great American Snuff Film is based on the book, “Murder on Film: The Crimes of William Allen Grone” by Iowa Nixon. Grone was a serial killer who was charged with 13 felonies in 1996 including rape, torture, and murder. Aside from the
people he did manage to kill there were others who were missing. Those were other victim’s of William Allen Grone’s. Journals were found as well as some footage on his camera. In his journals he explained what he was doing and why. They showed a very dark and troubled man. His film was his way of trying to rise from these troubles. Being a director who held his actors’ lives at his fingertips was exhilarating to him. It gave him a sense of superiority and power that he never had in his own life. He put this feeling in to the filming he called “The Great American Snuff Film”. This footage is shown at the end of the film and it was used to convict his execution in 2001.
William (Marsh) is a serial killer who likes to capture his victims on camera. His assistant is Roy (Hutman). He seems to have as fun as a time with their victims as William does, maybe even more. Roy just wants to be a part of the action and have a good time with the victims. He is very much controlled by William though. William has a plan for everything and he wants to take his time. He thrives on the waiting time before anything actually happens. William loves to see his subjects in fear, wondering what will happen to them. Roy has very little patience though. He mostly listens to William, but it is hard for him to control himself at times. They met each other at a porn shop. Roy asked William what kind of videos he liked and he responded by saying he prefers to make his own.
The current victims were kidnapped after a night of partying. That was the last fun night many of them would have. From that point on, we only see the two girls. They are taped up everywhere so they cannot move at all. For days they have to lay on the hard floor of an old, dirty trailer in the dessert. When William and Roy interact with them, it is really to mess with them. They draw out the torture to keep them scared. They do stick them with needles, burn them with cigarettes, chain them up, leave them in an old, dark shack, and threaten them. Soon problems arise though. Roy can barely contain himself. Having the girls there is such a thrill to him and he can’t wait to kill them. This does not fit in to William’s plan though. Roy promised to listen to him, but one day when William is off at work he takes matters in to his own hands.
The Great American Snuff Film is a very intense film. However, they don’t have a ton of gore or violent rape or murder scenes. This just makes the film better though. Director/ writer, Sean Tretta was able to accomplish what seems like a pretty accurate account of a killer. There is the right amount of gore, yet there really isn’t very much. It was much more about the isolation and feeling of imprisonment. The murders were filmed so the worst was saved for last. This makes sense since this is the way that William would have done things. You get the impression that he wanted to draw things out, just torturing his subjects until he personally ended their life. There is some nudity, but again thankfully it wasn’t overdone. The Great American Snuff Film has succeeded upon the lines of independent horror filmmaking. It didn’t go too Hollywood, it kept things simple. It didn’t over do anything, it gave us the right dosage.
Overall the acting in the film was pretty good. The first person who was killed didn’t do a very good job. The way he presented himself just seemed obviously staged. He was quickly killed though and luckily we didn’t have to spend much time with him. Mike Marsh did a good job of portraying William. He had many issues that led far back in to his childhood. William had been abused growing up and was never able to sexually feel like a man when it came to women, so he wrote them all of as whores. These things come through to the man that we see. Ryan Hutman doesn’t quite match him as Roy, but he serves as a good sidekick. The conflict between the two of them show us that William doesn’t have limits to his immorality. The female victims seemed to be very realistic. They struggled, were in fear and pain, and tried fighting back. They tried to escape and one of them almost did.
The best thing about The Great American Snuff Film is that it takes us on a visit through the mind of William Grone. So many horror films just have a villain who is never really seen. It doesn’t matter who he is, what he is about, or how he thinks. Analyzing this gives you the reason for murder in the first place. The story is usually told from the perspective of the victim. This is easy though, because we identify with them. If we were in that position we would act much like they do. So there really isn’t any challenge there. However, this movie is narrated by the killer himself. We learn about things in his past, but he doesn’t give that as a reason to why he kills. He says he enjoys doing what he does for simple pleasure. It is ironic though that he was abused growing up and he in turn abuses others. It is because he wants to be on the other side of things. This goes for his relation to women as well. He wants the power, he wants to see them suffer. William sees his filming of this as something great. He thinks it will change everything. He has heard that no real snuff films have been found and he wants to be the first.
The Great American Snuff Film feels less like a horror movie and more of a murderer’s video journal of torture. It gives you the sense of a real snuff film. In fact , it ends with the footage that the actual William Grone shot of his victims. It is a confirmation that the movie does a good job of portraying him and what he did. The Great American Snuff Film is intense and drawn out. At times it doesn’t seem like you are watching a movie and in way you only barely are. After all, these were real events with a real killer and real victims. It is not an easy film to watch. However, it is realistic, frightening, and very interesting.
Grade: B
- Review by Kelsey Zukowski
