At one point or another, many teenagers might believe their parents are somehow evil. Mostly, it’s a hyperbolic thought that springs to mind after your parents take away your phone privileges or deny you the right to go to a party. But in the case of Tyler and his dad in the film “The Clovehitch Killer,” there might be something more sinister below the surface.
In the trailer for the IFC Midnight film, we meet teenager Tyler and his new girlfriend. Beginning with the requisite awkward “bring the girl over to dinner” scene where the young boy is ridiculed in front of his new lady-friend, the footage for the film takes a dark turn when the teenager begins to uncover clues that his Boy Scout troop leader dad might be a serial killer with double-digit deaths to his name.
We were lucky enough to see “The Clovehitch Killer” at the Los Angeles Film Festival where we were surprised by the film’s realism and new take on familiar tropes, leading to a film that rises above what might be seen as a typical genre film. “With moments of murderous intent occurring in broad daylight and dialogue that spurns that of conventional thrillers, ‘The Clovehitch Killer’ must be seen devoid of expectations,” our reviewer said.
The film stars Dylan McDermott, Charlie Plummer, Samantha Mathis, Madisen Beaty, Brenna Sherman, and Lance Chantiles-Wertz. ‘Clovehitch’ is directed by Duncan Skiles, who also co-wrote with Christopher Ford.
“The Clovehitch Killer” hits select theaters and VOD on November 16.
Here’s the synopsis:
A shocking revelation turns a teenage boy’s world upside down in this chilling look at the evil that can lurk below even the most wholesome surface. Tyler Burnside (Charlie Plummer) is a Boy Scout, a volunteer at his local church, and the dutiful son of an upstanding, community leader dad (Dylan McDermott). Only one thing troubles the quiet Kentucky town he lives in: the unsolved murders—in which ten women were brutally tortured and killed by a psychopath known as Clovehitch—that rocked the community more than a decade ago. When Tyler discovers a cache of disturbing images in his father’s possession, he begins to suspect that the man he trusts most in the world may be Clovehitch—and that his deadly rampage may not be over. With unrelenting tension, director Duncan Skiles crafts a picture-perfect vision of the all-American family—and then piece by piece rips it to shreds.