Night Stalker: Caça a um Assassino em Série

Muitos dos meus amigos e familiares não compreendem que eu possa gostar de filmes de terror. Porque me exponho voluntariamente a algo que eles consideram ser negativo, algo que me deixa ansioso e assustado. Tento em vão explicar-lhes que os filmes de terror não são negativos para mim, não me sinto ansioso após os ver e que no máximo me deixam um pouco «atordoado», mas isto é ainda mais válido no que diz respeito aos dramas de qualidade que eles veem. Tento explicar-lhes que os filmes de terror são entretenimento de género, construído sobre a capacidade do realizador de brincar com o espectador, com as suas emoções, e ao mesmo tempo com uma forma de fazer cinema que requer muito mais inovação do que os melhores dramas sobre relações. Consigo ver cinco filmes de terror num dia e trinta num festival de cinema. Isso faz-me apreciá-los ainda mais e ter ainda mais vontade de os ver. Porque quero viver num mundo de fantasia de imaginação ilimitada dos seus criadores, ao qual só o género de ficção científica pode corresponder em termos de variedade. ____ Mas o que para mim é terror, no mesmo sentido da palavra como para todos os que não compreendem o género de terror, são coisas como esta minissérie. Construída não sobre a imaginação de cineastas criativos, mas sobre uma base documental real, revelando uma anomalia incompreensível, um elemento malévolo do nosso mundo, personificando o máximo desgosto e maldade. Basta-me ver coisas como esta série uma vez por ano. Antes dessa, foi o filme húngaro O Filho de Saul. Refletindo também a realidade e também, ironicamente, sem o termo «terror» entre os seus géneros oficiais. (21/01/2021)

A crime documentary from Netflix about the hunt for a notorious serial killer who terrorized Los Angeles in 1985, killing in the name of Satan. Three hours of suffocating and unpleasant material about Richard Ramirez, who oozes evil miles away. It is interesting that this guy killed without any pattern. He raped old, young, women, men, and even children, and only a few people were only attacked. It is not pleasant to watch, the crime scene photos are very brutal, the dialogues are impressive, and the collection of evidence is incredibly demanding. It watched in one breath. It is really very good and definitely a must for fans of serial killers and gritty crime. 8/10. (07/02/2021)

It reminded me a little of Fincher’s Zodiac, and I’m not speaking so much about the formal aspect, but about the feeling that watching both films evokes: the repeated frustration in the face of an inhuman enemy who doesn’t follow any rational pattern and leaves almost no clues that would allow to put a stop to their almost mystically terrifying actions. But whereas Zodiac casts doubts and deconstructs the procedural investigation, in this case, the killer was caught and the process results in oppressive satisfaction. The creators manage to tell a fairly intimate story about two police officers who almost never closed their eyes during the investigation and feared for the lives of their families, and, through the often brutal nature of the crimes and the amount of period material, the viewer is unknowingly forced to relive that atmosphere (on which Zodiac greatly relied) inside their own head. They also tell the events chronologically and we look at the murders according to when they were motivationally connected to key suspects, which works well to keep the curiosity about which of the trails will eventually lead the detectives to the tireless maniac. The range of motivations around the entire case is extremely complex and they not always manage to bring them to life – some of the testimonies are not very constructive, while others are hurt by tedious re-enactments (this format should provide a continuous flow of information connecting the hypotheses of the time with a retrospective reflection in various thematic circles), but the documentary is still very well structured and holds your attention from the first to the last minutes (which is also aided by the smart dosing of key twists and the questions at the end of each episode, in the style of a serial narrative). I didn’t even mind the high degree of subjective opinions or the occasional glorification of law enforcement officers that pushes aside the deeper emotions – but it’s not about psychology, it’s a description of exhausting procedures, and I quite liked it. 85% (15/01/2021)