The Horror Show
The Factory
Directed by Morgan O’Neill
I have to admit I was pretty excited to find The Factory on Netflix. I love serial killer films and I love John Cusack. Throw in Jennifer Carpenter from “Dexter” and this movie was set to sail on high hopes.
John Cusack plays our main character, Mike, a cop who has been obsessed with a serial killer for years. The serial killer preys on prostitutes and lonely women on cold winter nights in Buffalo, NY, knowing that they are the perfect victims; no one will care, no one will come looking. Mike and his partner Kelsey (Carpenter) have been on the case for years, attempting to track down this cold blooded killer and put an end to his madness. When a transsexual stripper goes missing the night before Thanksgiving, Mike and Kelsey have a feeling that the killer might be active again after a lull in his kidnapping and murderous ways.
We take a break from “the case” to explore Mike’s troubled family life. His teenage daughter is rebelling in every way possible; smoking in her room, sex with her older boyfriend, trash talking her parents. If you were a teenager, chances are you probably acted like this girl. Now I have to say, I understand Mike’s daughter Abby plays a big part in this movie, but I wish they would have chosen a different actress to play her or maybe given her less screen time. Mae Whitman overacts, needs some serious lessons in what “drama” is and isn’t a convincing crier. Even when throwing a temper tantrum or flipping off her mother, her actions seemed forced and don’t flow well with the rest of the movie.
Fast forward a little bit and we find that Abby has snuck out of the house after being told she cannot go visit with her boyfriend. She runs away to her boyfriend’s job at the diner where he then breaks up with her and she freaks out, runs from the diner, and stops to smoke a cigarette in the freezing cold. Our serial killer (played by Dallas Roberts) pulls up and offers her a ride. The next thing we know Abby is missing and Mike practically loses his mind and his job trying to get his daughter back. What horrific mysteries lie in our killer’s basement awaiting Abby? I’ll tell you what they are, some sick and sadistic things.
The Factory is a fantastic horror thriller with some predictable elements but also a fantastic twist ending. The acting on Cusack, Carpenter and Roberts’ end is flawless and the trio make an excellent movie together. The fact that this movie boasts “based on a true story” and does not lie makes it an even better film. What’s even better than that? They take an already horrifying real life experience and embellish upon it, twisting it and making it even more nightmarish. The film is never over done to the point where you want to fast forward or stop watching. The only thing I will say is that I wasn’t a big fan of Dallas Roberts’ southern accent. He should have stuck with his Milton-esque tone of voice from The Walking Dead and that would have worked fine for this role.
If you are so curious to discover which true life horrors The Factory is based off of, I would encourage you to first watch the film as so you do not spoil to much plot development for yourself. Although, like I stated earlier, the plot of the movie is embellished and made to be much different than the true events, the true events will give away a major plot twist. But, if you don’t care about spoilers or you’ve already seen the movie, I would suggest checking out this article: “To Hell and Back” and read up on the real life horror story of Gary Heidnick, the man on which the serial killer’s character is based.
I would recommend The Factory to lovers of crime horror and thriller and anyone with an interest in true crime turned horror film. The writing was great and directory Morgan O’Neil does an excellent job on only one of three movies under his directing belt. I’m sure if he sticks with this genre, he has a promising future in store for him. The acting won’t disappoint, except for the few times you’ll have to cringe at the over-acted teenage angst and fake southern accents, but John Cusack and Jennifer Carpenter more than make up for it.
Stevie Kopas, Associate Editor HMS
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