When I arrived at NC State in the mid-80s, there was a bit of a buzz when the Rialto hosted a midnight screening of Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. According to what I was told, the film hadn’t played Raleigh since the original run when a woman was murdered. The cops swore the victim killed in a way that resembled a scene in the film. The theater owner agreed to stop showing it. A few years later, the word spread that the authorities suspected that the murder was committed by Ted Bundy as he was making his way to Florida. Was it true? I’ve never heard anything that connects Ted Bundy to killings in North Carolina. But you never could know since he was responsible for over 30 across the country. The midnight screening of A Clockwork Orange went off without a homicide. Although if I’d known about the Ted Bundy connection, I would have been looking for a Yellow VW Bug parked outside The Rialto before buying a ticket. The Black Mass takes us back to the time when Ted Bundy roamed the country looking for victims and his most infamous night.
Unlike a sprawling biopic, everything takes place on January 14, 1978 in Tallassee, Florida. A new guy (Shameless‘ Andy Sykes) has arrived in town. He tells people that he’s starting law school at the college. But is he? He cruises around town in his yellow VW Bug with an ever-changing story. He is more interested in buying booze than law books. He spends the day checking out various locales. He scopes out a cheerleader practice in front of a sorority house. He seems eager to make acquaintances with the ladies. But he’s not looking for a proper date or one night stand. He fakes an injury and asks one woman to help him move something out of the trunk of his car. He quickly cancels it when he notices someone watching them. He claims he needs to get back for an important phone call. This was the ’70s when you didn’t have a cellphone. He begins to sneak and peep on the ladies. When he watches a woman in the shower, he imagines her body as a bloody mess. Every woman is a future victim to him. While he imagines himself as suave, but he’s not quite as smooth as he imagines himself. This results in him getting bounced from a bar. is he ever going to get a break? This isn’t a comedy. We do see what happens when he returns to the sorority at night.
The Black Mass is not merely about Ted Bundy and his body count. This isn’t like the wave of straight to video serial killer biopics from the turn of the century. Ted is a new predator in the town, but we’re not overwhelmed with his bloody biography. This is about the dangers of being a woman where every guy has a chance of being Ted Bundy. Can any woman on a college campus feel safe when a male student seems interested in them? Director Devanny Pinn really delivers this fear. She mixes up POV shots with tight over the shoulder shots the back of Bundy’s head to give us a perspective. The scares are there as Ted lurks outside the window of the sorority. Pinn doesn’t go all Tarantino by giving us a fictionalized outcome. We see the damage that was done during Ted’s visit to Tallahassee on that day. The production design and wardrobe really give us a feel for the time. The best touch is a macramé vest worn by a sorority girl. The Black Mass will creepy you out the next time you see a yellow VW Bug creeping around the neighborhood.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. The color on the transfer has been given a Super 70s tint. You get a ’78 vibe from colors on the polyester outfits. The Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital 2.0. There’s a funky soundtrack by Fernando Perdomo that sounds extra smooth.
Slideshow (1:26) is a montage of press photos and behind the scenes shots. Now I want a Mott The Hoople t-shirt.
The Black Mass Trailer (1:13) has the creepy yellow VW Bug.
Trailer Gallery includes The Ghosts of Monday, The Long Dark Trail, What The Waters Left Behind: Scars and Lion-Girl.
Cleopatra Entertainment presents The Black Mass. Directed by Devanny Pinn. Screenplay by Eric Pereira & Brandon Slagle. Starring Andy Sykes, Nicky Whelan, Kathleen Kinmont, Jeremy London, Jennifer Wenger, Chelsea Gilson, Lew Temple, Lisa Wilcox, Mike Ferguson & Devanny Pinn. Running Time: 81 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: Febuary 27, 2024.
