If you didn’t like the first two in the “Amateur Porn Star Killer (APSK) series,” you won’t like this one. And keep in mind that the cut of “Amateur Porn Star Killer 3: The Final Chapter” I am reviewing is not the final version of the film, which will be in 3D at some point and is the subject of controversy and late re-editing. More on that later in the review.
The formula present in the other APSK films remains firmly intact. Find a woman (or girl). Sweet talk her. Have some sex (forced or not). Kill her. Record the whole thing. While the first two films were disturbing, there was almost an air of restraint to them, which is a point many would argue especially considering the sex isn’t simulated. This Final chapter has a different feel to it, however, one that was hinted at in the Movie version of the second film.
“APSK 3” is more sadistic and gleeful than the first two. It portrays a killer (Shane Ryan) becoming unhinged. It is still less graphically violent than even a PG-13 film but that makes it more real, as witnessed by the first kill. It is a brilliantly done scene that sticks with you until the end and may actually elicit a gasp. The rest of the movie keeps that spirit too as women are paraded onto the screen and never seen again.
Writer/director Ryan has previously said this is the last film in the series (a smart move), and it ends on a high note. It can’t compare to the first film in terms of sheer luridness, but it shows a definite progression to the story and leaves viewers with the uneasy feeling that though this may be the final chapter for us, it’s not the end for the killer. The shots of his face toward the films conclusion reveals what we all understand, too. Things are going to get worse. He knows it. We know it. But how long until he thoroughly self-destructs?
This will not appeal to horror/exploitation fans who like to be spoon fed and only care about gore. This is for horror/exploitation fans who understand the artistic aspects of the genres. This is, after all, an artistic snuff film. It is transgressive and terribly realistic — just like the other two movies.
There is one confusing issue here, though: 3D. I can’t figure out why Ryan is doing this, as nothing really stood out as needing that visual trick. I can only think that it is a hook to get people to view the work. I admit that when I first heard it was going to be released this way, I thought he was trying to sabotage the film, as my discussions and interviews with the director have revealed that these movies take quite a toll on him. I’m not so sure of the sabotage theory now, as the 2D version confirmed that Ryan’s at the top of his game, but I still have doubts about it being necessary to do in 3D. As of this moment, however, 3D is actually up in the air, though Ryan has said it will be done when the box set arrives. The reason behind the delay? The DVD release has hit a bit of a snag.
The actual publisher of the DVD, according to Ryan, refused to publish it at the last minute. It seems that said company either has dealings with (or became a division of) a company with ties to children’s entertainment and flipped when it saw the third film (despite having published the first two). Apparently, the company originally also told Cinema Epoch (the distributor) that it wouldn’t do any future DVD releases for it. Ryan told me that his has now been settled since Cinema Epoch convinced the publisher that the movies it distributes are not pornography. A new distributor has also been found for APSK 3, but Ryan reports he has had some creative control taken away from him and had to re-edit the film in a short period of time. Either way, a little controversy never hurt a film, and it won’t hurt this one, either.
By now, you know whether or not you want to see this movie. Fans of the first two will want to check this out to see how Ryan’s progressed. They may be disappointed that it doesn’t end with anything seeming like a formal conclusion, but the ending presented makes sense and is designed to induce maximum uneasiness. Overall, the entire film works just as well as the previous two. Ryan may be moving onto other things, but these films impact has just begun to be felt.
I’ve watched the recently released “Amateur Porn Star Killer Trilogy in 3-D” DVDs. It contains all four movies, with all of them but “APSK2 (Movie Version)” in “3-D”. “APSK2 (Movie)” and several of Ryan’s short films are in 2-D on the second disc.
The 3-D was a big mistake because it’s not really 3-D. (I’ll come back to the first movie because it actually has a couple of nice 3-D moments.)
APSK 2 (Snuff) and, strangely, an interview with the female lead of APSK are simply pushed back into the screen by offsetting the red from the picture. So it’s a flat picture, but it’s farther from you. APSK 3 is moved the other way so it’s closer. That’s it. They’re totally flat, but not flush with the screen so you have to wear the (red/cyan) glasses and lose the color but really gain no benefit.
APSK does a little something with the 3-D, but it’s hardly useful. All the footage of the former victim (his first, we learn in APSK2) is offset in front of the screen, as are the onscreen titles. All the other footage is pushed back. The only interesting or redeeming part is when the two are overlaid in full screen you can clearly make out the two pictures on different planes, which is a nice effect, but only accounts for a few seconds of the whole movie.
Overall, an extremely poor implementation of a bad idea. 3-D video cameras are a lot cheaper than 3-D conversion and could have greatly enhanced the verite nature of the project, but this useless conversion was a big lose.