MIDNIGHT MADNESS on INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY: Lore: Deadly Obsession (2011)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee
This Friday the 13th, ID. (Investigation Discovery) presents a night full of fright, with the premiere of LORE: DEADLY OBSESSION showing at midnight, and for good reason. A real life tale of vampirism, the story of Richard Trenton Chase, who was known as “The Vampire of Sacramento,” because of his obsession with the use of blood.
This film is based on a serial killer in the 1970s and it has captured the grittiness of that time, reminding me very much of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, and it pulls no punches. This film begins with a homeless man lying in an alley when Chase approaches and proceeds to bash his head in with a golf club, with blood splattering on the wall. That isn’t enough though for the killer as he takes a box cutter and violently and slowly slashes his throat. It was a brutal beginning to this vicious and violent film.
We begin to learn about the home life of Chase. His abusive mother and her failed relationships and continual harassment of her son almost make you feel sorry for him. When he is approached by three bullies and beaten, you do feel for him and I was on his side at this point, but that quickly changed after he killed a cat.
Chase begins to lose touch with reality. He believes that his heart needs more blood or he’s going to die, and that means ingesting the blood of animals. At the mental hospital, they called him “vampire” because of this habit. When he gets out of the hospital, he gives into his violent tendencies and begins killing and doing some strange things, including defecating on a bed, and putting dog feces in the mouth of one of his victims. He is incredibly disturbed, and the scenes where he kills are some of the most brutal I have seen, especially considering that this is a television movie.
I am a horror fan and I cringed at certain scenes and when you see the victims, you hope that they make it out alive, but you just know that they aren’t going to. The atmosphere of LORE: DEADLY OBSESSION is terrific. You are brought right into the time and you almost feel dirty as the detectives first enter the apartment of Chase. I can’t emphasize enough just how well done this was.
The delusions of Chase continue, believing that the prison guards are Nazis and that there are flying saucers are involved. Dylan John Seaton plays the role of Chase so well, bringing to life a character that is believable and creepy. I was very impressed with all of the acting in this film, but Seaton stole the show. I am a horror fan and it takes something special to give me the creeps, but this certainly did…especially when he discusses proudly what he did to an infant.
This movie premieres this Saturday at Midnight, but ID. Investigation Discovery has an entire night of ghoulish fun beginning on Friday the 13th, including PIG FARM at 9 PM, the official start of this mini-marathon.
LORE: DEADLY OBSESSION is a winner, much grittier and gorier then you would expect from a made for TV movie. It was well acted, well written, and produced well. I highly recommend it.
Ringside Report Rating: 7.5/10.