THE CLOVEHITCH KILLER: An Eternal Debate & Strong Characters Are Not Enough

There are movies that move you with an undeniable force – whether it be with great admiration and love, or distaste and disgust. It’s hard for me to really categorize and understand how I feel about The Clovehitch Killer. While I had really enjoyed it and was glued to the screen, when it ended, there was a feeling of “What was the point?” There was such a dissonance between by my interest in the characters on screen, and the dissatisfaction of a lackluster ending. The last time I was so torn between my conflicting feelings was following my viewing of mother! – a film to this day I remain undecided on.

What I do feel is this is a movie that will speak differently with each viewer. A slow-burner, The Clovehitch Killer toys with your mind, leaving you to question what you already know to be true. While it seems too predictable to be true or enjoyable, the second act plays out in a twist of fashion, cracking the leading men’s storytelling and expectations, leaving viewers to wonder not who but what the Clovehitch killer is – what it represents. This coupled with the ingenuous and in-depth character study paints what should be a hands-down success, though the jury, for me, is still out on this one.

The Clovehitch Killer

In the bowels of the bible-belt community, each year is marked with the somber anniversary of the ten woman slain by the Clovehitch Killer – who ten years earlier had fallen silent in his rampage on the women of the community. With the identity of the killer seemingly lost to history, the town struggles to move beyond the horrific murders, quietly clinging to the hope that the killer will one day be found.

Tyler (Charlie Plummer), too young at the time to remember the events that have left a permanent scar on the community, has followed in the footsteps of his father, advancing in his local boy scout-esque troop, aiding in and feeling the weight of a suppressive community that shuns those who differ from the norm. Sneaking out to a meet-up with a local choir girl, he later finds himself the victim of bullying and false accusations as the young girl discovers an image of a woman in BDSM in the truck Tyler claims to be his. A trademark of the Clovehitch Killer, Tyler is immediately labeled a perv and isolated from his peers.

Curiosity begins to loom, though, as Tyler is constantly reminded of the image, piecing together its nature with the murderous rampage from ten years earlier. Suspicion grows as Tyler slowly begins to look at his father in a different light. An honorable and humble man of the community and family, Tyler begins to find pieces to a puzzle that point directly to his father, shattering the reality and the man he has always known.

Could his father be the infamous Clovehitch Killer?

Creating CloveHitch

Clovehitch is not a film about murder, avoiding gore almost entirely. It is about character – thankfully an element that the film excels in. Broken into two parts, the two central characters Daniel and Tyler, father and son, along with Tyler’s friend Kassi, are given a depth that fills the screen with their intensity, insecurity and determination. The script written by Christopher Ford gives these characters the strength in dialogue, and direction provided by director Duncan Skiles gives them freedom to grow.

Dylan McDermott delivers a resoundingly strong and confident performance, tackling the duality of his characters with ease. The heart of a community and home, balanced perfectly with the seeping frustrations of a man, a creature, forced to retreat from his natural instincts. McDermott immerses himself into his character, slowly eluding to audiences through his meticulous traits that there may be something deeply disturbing that will explode rather than bubble to the top. The intensity in McDermott’s eyes is ever present, yet his cool exterior masks the killer within. Only his eyes, hidden and masked by his glasses, are the true portal to his soul.

Charlie Plummer is quietly shy as Tyler and existing in a family of strict rules and beliefs. Gliding through life as is dictated to him, he begins to create his own cracks, parallel to the cracks beginning to form in his father’s composure. When isolation from the neighborhood children and troop cut him off from those he would find solace in, he begins to take his first steps into the world, unearthing secrets that have long been buried. His mission to unearth the truth behind the Clovehitch Killer and his father’s involvement give him the steps he needs to take control and shape himself to become the man he wants to be for the house and in life.

Madisen Beaty as Kassi is given the only meaty female role within the entire film – and even that falls into classic tropes on the treatment of women in thrillers. She is above the norm, resilient, confident and willing to spring into action at any moment – no matter what anyone thinks over her. Yet, she is unable to break free of the classic utilization of women in horrors and thrillers that continue to follow them.

The treatment of Samantha Mathis as Cindy, mother and wife, is as an underutilized character, created only to be a standing mother in the family unit. Thankfully, she is countered by the strong and resilient Kassie, as mentioned earlier, whose unrelenting driving force to find the truth strengthens not only her character but also alters and shapes Tyler as he progresses through the pieces of his shattered perceptions. Honestly, the role of Cindy as a sub supporting character, in the embodiment of a mother, may not have triggered as many bells if the same thing had not just happened to Mathis earlier this year for her role in Boaz Yakin‘s Boarding School – another role where her usefulness and value in the film was underutilized and only as a tool to set and drive an initial storyline. Here too, her character was unable to see the evils lurking around her and her son under their roof.

Can a Serial Killer ever Retire

The Clovehitch Killer asks viewers to consider the timeless debate of nature vs. nurture. Can a serial killer ever truly stop killing? Can they ever truly become dormant? Can the desires and impulses of the human species be denied their realization?

The Clovehitch Killer is meticulous and cold – an organized killer whose mastery is hidden within his daily talents and hobbies – making him the most lethal and cunning of killers. Honestly, his lifestyle both home and as a killer is extremely reminiscent of the Iceman – calm, peaceful and loving home life, ruthless killer in the shadows of the night. Can someone so driven to torture and kill stop themselves forever? Can you nurture oneself, train your mind to suppress these murderous desires, find means of coping? Or is the murderous nature within just that, natural – a flaw designed by nature?

Can you defy your own nature?

What went wrong…

I feel one of my issues, as much as I loved the character of Daniel, was that there was no true illusion created on whether he is or isn’t the famed killer who has alluded authorities for years. I felt a bit of annoyance watching, aware of this failed illusion. Yet, while it was not intrigue in the killer that kept me watching, it was a need to be sure he was the killer – much like the character of Tyler who NEEDS to know the truth.

What was mind-shattering within this film? Sadly, nothing. I find this was another aspect of the film where I found the greatest dissonance, what really draws me away from a two thumbs up point of view on it. There was nothing mind-shattering. Nothing mind-altering. There is a moment about two-thirds of the way through that could have provided it, instead I was left feeling as though what was being presented was confusing and out of place. By the time I had caught up to what was happening, I had already been disconnected to the story and the characters.

I wanted the unbelievable, a tug of war of emotions inside of me, to feel as Tyler was feeling. That sense of fear for characters, empathy and uncertainty.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, The Clovehitch Killer did not completely deliver what I had expected to see. There wasn’t even something better or different than what I had imagined strictly on the film’s synopsis. Yet, as I find myself pushing the film away from my mind, I am drawn back once again to its depth of character and the debate of nature vs. nurture that hangs so carefully above the entire film – tied to each character and the actions they partake in.

One thing I can say for sure is I do, much like mother!, believe that The Clovehitch Killer does have the ability to speak to different audiences. And while I an not completely sold, others may find the enjoyment they are looking for.

Have you seen The Clovehitch Killer? Did you like it or do you feel it puttered out in the end? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!

The Clovehitch Killer was released in the US on November 16, 2018 in theaters and on VOD. For all international release dates, see here.