The Horror Show
Nightcrawler
by Dan Gilroy
Most of the time, when I see Jake Gyllenhaal is going to be in something, it’s pretty much a given that I’m going to watch it. But when I saw that he was going to be in Nightcrawler I was a little excited. He was recently in another psych-thriller called Enemy and we all know he’s no stranger to the thriller/horror/sci-fi genre with films such as Donnie Darko, Source Code, and Zodiac.
I can understand that the majority of people wouldn’t actually consider Nightcrawler a horror film, but I beg to differ. According to The Psychology of Scary there are three primary factors in horror film allure: tension, relevance, and unrealism. Nightcrawler definitely meets the criteria.
It all starts when we meet Louis Bloom (Gyllenhaal) on a dark night as he’s stealing fencing and piping to make a quick buck. A security guard arrives to investigate Louis’ activity and (spoiler) Louis “takes care of him.” We then go on to find that Louis is a lonely yet charismatic man, desperate for a job and will try anything to make some money. On his way home Louis passes a tragic car accident and discovers that a team of cameramen, headed by Joe (Bill Paxton), film gruesome accidents and crimes and sell them to the local news stations.
A light bulb blinks over Louis’ head as he realizes he can make a living doing the exact same thing. Joe turns him down when he asks for a job so Louis heads out and starts a business of his own. What we get once Louis really becomes good at his new “job” is a glimpse of the true manipulative sociopath he really is. The thin line between cameraman and “director” begins to blur as Louis (spoiler) even goes so far as to set up some of these so-called accidents in order to get the best footage.
Louis, as much as you may have liked him at the beginning of the film, or maybe you didn’t, really becomes a truly unlikeable character by the end. Gyllenhaal does, once again, a great job portraying his lead. He can definitely portray “crazy” like no other.
The film is long, so prepare yourself for that, and there are quite a few times where I was bored. However, it’s a worthwhile watch to see the lengths that some people are willing to go to in order to make some money and feel important. The story in Nightcrawler is one of high standards, a man who is a nobody that has a real sense of self-importance, and is willing to do whatever it takes, no matter who it might hurt, kill, or ruin, in order to end up on top.
Stevie Kopas, HMS
The Horror Show Menu.