DVD 7th Day

Seriously depraved pervert and serial killer Allen (an excellent and convincing performance by Mark S. Sanders) makes his systematic rounds bumping off various folks while obsessing over the comely Denise (a personable portrayal by the pretty Daisy Gibb). Meanwhile, Allen suffers painful flashbacks concerning his abusive childhood and dysfunctional family. Director Jason M. Koch, working from a grimly engrossing script by Mark Leake, relates the sordidly compelling story at a steady pace, firmly grounds the premise in a thoroughly grimy and believable everyday reality (Allen works as a lowly put-upon dishwasher at a restaurant), astutely nails the dismal loneliness of Allen's miserable messed-up existence, and presents Allen's day-to-day routine in a plausibly detailed manner. Moreover, the matter of fact depiction of the brutal and gory violence packs a vicious punch. Both Steve Rubic's sharp cinematography and Paul Joyce's droning'n'rattling are up to speed. But it's the chillingly blunt and unflinching way this picture shows Allen as a bumbling, troubled, and socially maladjusted human being instead of making him out to be some foul one-dimensional creep that in turn gives it an extra unsettling edginess. Worth a watch.