Cyrus: Mind of A Serial Killer

Written and directed by Mark Vadik, Cyrus: Mind of A Serial Killer follows an ambitious reporter (Danielle Harris’ Maria) as she and her cameraman (Tony Yalda’s Tom) arrive in a small town to explore the legacy of a serial killer called the County Line Cannibal. Maria’s investigation eventually brings her face-to-face with a man (Lance Henriksen’s Emmet) who claims to know the true identity of said psychopath, and the film subsequently explores the origins and modus operandi of the murderous title character (Brian Krause) through a series of flashbacks. It’s a fairly strong premise that is, for the most part, employed to pervasively underwhelming effect by Vadik, as there’s just never a point at which the viewer is wholeheartedly drawn into the proceedings – with the hands-off vibe exacerbated by Vadik’s decision to employ as needlessly deliberate a pace as one can easily recall. And while the movie is, by the standards of the direct-to-video horror scene, relatively well made, Vadik’s ongoing difficulties at cultivating an atmosphere of dread ensures that the narrative’s more overtly gruesome moments are drained of their impact. (This is to say nothing of the almost uniformly amateurish roster of supporting performances, with Krause’s strong work unfortunately an exception rather than the rule.) The end result is a disappointing low-budget endeavor that seems unlikely to appease even the most ardent of horror fans, which is a shame, certainly, given that Vadik has populated the cast with a number of genre-friendly faces (including Doug Jones and Tiffany Shepis).

*1/2 out of ****