The exotic lore of Kabbala takes center stage in Serial Beauty, a murder-mystery directed by Sigal Erez. Beautiful women are mysteriously murdered on Mondays, where the killer has a strange motif of posing them in elaborate outfits. Detective Garret O’Brian (Tyler Cook) is on the case with the help of forensic scientist, Josh (John William Connoly), and police captain, Doris (Angela Alise). The coroner, Vadim (Tihomir Dukic), notices the women have Hebrew letters tattooed on their toes by the murderer.
Garret is struggling to solve the case, and in a moment of desperation, he calls his ex-fiancée, Lana (Alexandra Grossi). Lana separated from him after her pregnancy went wrong; this was due to the baby passing away under strange circumstances. Once she joins the case, the plot thickens with two oddball suspects. A nun, Yael (Sigal Diamant), is under suspicion; she has knowledge about the murders, revealed when Garrett and Lana investigate a Jewish service. Ezekiel (Edward Gelhaus) is another suspect who has ties to Yael and is very delusional. He has extensive knowledge about the bizarre lore of Kabbala and the Talmud. Are these crimes tied to an ancient prophecy?
“Beautiful women are mysteriously murdered on Mondays, where the killer has a strange motif of posing them in elaborate outfits.”
Serial Beauty is an unusual mix of romantic drama and occultism. Sigal Erez and Andrew Sogamoso’s screenplay is idiosyncratic in its structure. The first half has the beats of a typical crime storyline with the standard investigation formula, while the second half leans into melodrama and the bizarre aspects of Judaic culture. The film shines in its second half, due to the great performances by Tyler Cook and Alexandra Grossi. Cook and Grossi take the “ex-lovers” trope seriously, and their performances keep the audience engaged.
Daniel Kurst’s editing is clever, as he incorporates inserts of Biblical imagery between the heavy exposition scenes. The cinematography by Daron Keet excels when shooting the sporadic murder sequences. Those sequences are the closest the film comes to feeling like a Giallo thriller. Audiences online greatly exaggerate how “bad” Serial Beauty is, and they fail to see that Erez’s concept is bold and ambitious. It all comes down to minor errors like night scenes (many look like they were shot late in the afternoon) that might ruin one’s suspension of disbelief. I give Erez props for giving the flick an exciting cliffhanger!
Serial Beauty is an enjoyable B-movie murder mystery that is perfect for a lazy day, and it is worth a view due to the excellent cast.
"…Ezekiel (Edward Gelhaus) is another suspect... He has extensive knowledge about the bizarre lore of Kabbala and the Talmud."
