Posted: 06/28/2011

Cyrus

by Robert Baum

Danielle Harris (Halloween IV, V, and Rob Zombie’s recent relaunch of John Carpenter’s 1978 classic…Halloween) is a reporter investigating the disappearance of well over 200 Midwestern University coeds and meets up with an ominous fellow
(Lance Henriksen, of course). The disappearances appear to be the work of a serial killer (Brian Krause) named Cyrus. Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer is a direct-to-DVD chiller courtesy of writer/ director Mark Vadik. It’s an effective, disturbing effort that despite packaging that differs little from the many blood and gore efforts that have become the rage in the last decade in multiplexes and have debuted on cable and DVD.
The cinema verite approach to much of the story separates it from its host of cinematic blood brothers of recent years, notably Wes Craven’s masterful 1996 Scream and its 1997 follow-up. Here Harris is in the Courteney Cox role. Henriksen is effectively creepy as the chronicler of the title character’s exploits. Yet perhaps in trying to humanize a monster, Henriksen speaks of Cyrus with a sense of pity. It’s an approach which is bound to incense true-life victims of crime. It carries no moments of laughter inducing, though many horror fanatics by now have come to laugh at the screen merely at the first drops of blood and screams cried onscreen. A far cry from the mockumentaries crafted by Christopher Guest in recent years; but then again, as one character notes, “It ain’t no fairy tale.”
As always, Henriksen has proven to virtually be the actor’s actor of the direct-to-DVD realm. In addition to such genre regulars as Harris and Henriksen, regular readers of Fangoria will probably be familiar with veteran scream queen Tiffany Shepis among the cast. Doug Jones (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) and Rae Dawn Chong are among the more familiar names in the cast. The release from Anchor Bay Entertainment includes a trailer and a making of documentary.

Robert Baum is Currently a Bryn Mawr, PA-based film afficanado and pop culture junkie.

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