NOW ON BLOODSTREAM TV! I’ve seen plenty of movies about serial killers, but most let me watch from a safe distance. Director Joshua Rivera’s Deformelody: An American Nightmare follows one broken man’s slide from the fleeting fame of a child actor to the life of a serial killer, and Rivera makes sure we ride shotgun the entire way.
Right from the start, we are in the unceasing stream of consciousness of The Killer (Joshua Rivera). He never shuts up, and we hear every word. He’s 33, a former child actor in commercials, and his life is falling apart. He sleeps in his car and drinks to quiet the voices in his head, which doesn’t work.
As far as he’s concerned, America is a joke. Everyone is glued to their phones, screaming at one another over politics, and worshipping celebrities who don’t deserve it. For a brief moment, he is quieted by an “angel” singing in the park. But the peace doesn’t last, and he looks right into the camera and unleashes his manifesto. He’s going to bring a divided country back together by killing everyone equally. He starts with women because they are easier prey.
He’s not a slasher… he sees himself as the great equalizer. He goes after litterers, Karens, anyone who annoys him, and soon anyone in the park he can catch. And somehow, the LAPD never seems to notice. But the random killings are just the warm-up. Where exactly is this odd, psychotic journey headed, and why does it all lead to his Final Girl (Caroline Mitchell)?
Final Girl (Caroline Mitchell) bathed in red light before a pop culture collage in Deformelody: An American Nightmare.
“He’s going to bring a divided country back together by killing everyone equally.”
Deformelody: An American Nightmare falls right into our WTF category. While on the festival circuit, it’s been described as American Psycho meets South Park, and that’s not wrong. Quite frankly, I’m a bit exhausted, as writer/director/star Joshua Rivera effectively puts us right in the headspace of his schizophrenic killer.
Shot entirely on a Galaxy Fold for just $4,000, the film’s imagery is impressive. It’s not just footage of him stalking victims and killing them; when The Killer’s mind splinters, we get ultra-fast edits, lighting and color changes, and incredible kill POVs. It’s all proof that you can make an emotional impact on screen with your cellphone and no money, if you put your guerrilla filmmaker mind to it.
In the end, it’s all about story, and Deformelody: An American Nightmare is disturbing, to say the least, which is exactly why it’s destined for micro-budget indie greatness. I was able to somewhat keep up with Rivera’s lightning-fast dialogue, was intrigued by the imagery, and was drawn in by one kill after another.
Rivera clearly knew what he was going for in Deformelody: An American Nightmare. It’s a profile of a unique serial killer whose kills are motivated by the conspiracies running through his head and driven by the voices speaking to him. This film is why indies are becoming superior to bloated studio films. You may not like the subject matter or the morality of our protagonist, but you can’t deny that Deformelody will affect you strongly one way or another.
Deformelody: An American Nightmare arrives on Bloodstream TV on October 9, 2026.
"…disturbing...which is exactly why it’s destined for micro-budget indie greatness."
