I Know Who Killed Me - anyone see it?

[Perkinsun Dzees]

The trailer is pretty f'ing cool. Seems like an American giallo or something with echoes of "The Double Life of Veronique". This looks like the movie that "Captivity" wanted to be but failed miserably at.

I know Lindsay Lowhan has been taking a lot of the shots in the media lately, but damn that girl sure can act.

[RichC2]

This movie is getting slammed harder than a porn star.

[Seantn]

Fangoria loved it.

Here's their review. Apparently the movie is extremely graphic:

Spoiler:

I KNOW WHO KILLED ME, director Chris Sivertson’s sophomore genre effort (following 2005’s yet-to-be-released festival darling THE LOST), is a sumptuous feast for the senses. The director, in conjunction with cinematographer John R. Leonetti and production designer Jerry Fleming, imbues the flick with what has become his patently unpredictable punk-rock signature, while at the same time drawing style-wise from such filmmaking greats as Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma and Dario Argento. Composer Joel McNeely’s score evokes Jerry Goldsmith’s compositions for 1992’s BASIC INSTINCT to an extent, and as in that film lifts the rather sordid narrative up, providing it a touch of class. The other production values are equally solid, and the end result is a deliberately paced flick which happily eschews “torture porn” for an almost whimsical tone (albeit the Grimm’s Fairy Tales variety), yet which is punctuated with bursts of cringe-inducing violence and intense sexuality.

And yes, star Lindsay Lohan does indeed pole-dance in the film. She pole-dances a lot, and that alone is worth the price of admission.

Written by debuting screenwriter Jeff Hammond and produced by FRIDAY THE 13TH series alumnus Frank Mancuso Jr., I KNOW WHO KILLED ME co-stars Neal (THE HITCHER) McDonough and Julia Ormond as Daniel and Susan Fleming, two parents who must come to terms with the aftermath of the abduction and torture of their daughter Aubrey (Lohan). Having turned up sans a right hand and leg after 17 days of captivity, Aubrey seems to have additionally suffered a psychotic break, and is adamant that her name isn’t Aubrey at all, but Dakota, an ex-gentleman’s club hostess with little memory of her abduction. This does much to confuse not only her grieving parents, but also a local FBI agent and psychologist (Garcelle Beauvais and Michael Adler, respectively) and Aubrey’s boyfriend (Brian Geraghty). Is Dakota who she says she is? Is she Aubrey’s doppelganger? If either or neither, then where is Aubrey? And what of Dakota’s stigmata (spontaneous and unexplained wounds), which seem to have increased in frequency?

Sivertson languidly unspools I KNOW WHO KILLED ME’s narrative, teasing and enticing the audience as he reveals the characters’ backstories, and while the third-act narrative sags to an extent given the sheer amount of suspense it shoulders (as generated in the previous two), the finale remains quite satisfying. The director and his visual team bathe the film in deep blues and reds, a welcome departure from the dirty green, sodium-lit palette of similarly themed horror fare, and the end result is simply a beautiful, eye-popping visual treat, so stylized that one can’t help recalling Argento’s approach to SUSPIRIA. Other cinematic homages appear as well, from a DePalma-esque split screen to a nod to PSYCHO’s shower scene.

Sivertson utilizes his locations to great effect, lending a sense of foreboding even to locales as postcard-perfect as the California coastal communities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, although it’s his handling of Lohan’s pole-dancing routine halfway through the film that truly smokes. Forget GRINDHOUSE’s Rose McGowan (2007’s other cinematic legless stripper); Lohan absolutely owns this setpiece, with great assist from Sivertson’s framing. You’d think perhaps the director has logged considerable time in a strip club himself.

Performances are solid throughout, and although there are one or two flat line deliveries from Lohan (perhaps due to her personal issues during production) they are more than made up for by her entirely committed and hard-as-nails portrayal of Dakota (some of which is rather uncomfortable to watch, in light of her recent brushes with the law). Lohan and Ormond sell the strained possible mother/daughter dynamic as well, and the young actress and Geraghty make great use of the comedic aspect inherent in their relationship.

As for the FX work on hand, I KNOW WHO KILLED ME received an R for not only “sexuality, nudity and language” (including amputee sex with Lohan) but for “grisly violence including torture and disturbing gory images,” which the feature delivers in spades without traveling down the road of such recent films as CAPTIVITY. The special makeup FX provided by David Dupuis are most impressive, particularly given that the film was lensed using the Panavision Genesis system, a format so sharp that many a visual trick would be unmasked. Not so here; shots linger and gore fills the frame to the point of causing audience squirms, whether due to the filmed deleterious effects of dry ice on naked flesh (you may want to look away) or the DIY approach to limb reattachment. The violence serves the script, however, and as edited by Lawrence Jordon, the action is a crisp, rhythmic waltz; no shaky-cam, MTV “what the hell is going on?” cuts here.
See it.

[Mr. Salty]

It's at 8% at Rotten Tomatoes, an improvement over the 5% it had a few days ago.

[Seantn]

About 1 hour ago it was 0%

[Seantn]

Have you seen it? I'd like to read a few more reviews.

[Seantn]

Another positive review from Bloody-Disgusting:

I guess I don't need to spoiler the review because if you're in a thread about "have you seen it?" then there's obviously going to be some discussion about the film itself.

I was going to begin this review with a haughty diatribe about the whirlwind of media frenzy which is Lindsay Lohan, and her continual issues with drugs/alcohol/DUI’s/rehab/on-set bitchiness, but frankly, that’s a sorry cop-out. It’s unnecessary filler. And it’s irrelevant to the movie itself.

So, I’ll instead begin by saying that I Know Who Killed Me is a more-than-pleasant surprise, well-filmed, well-acted, especially by (gasp) Lohan herself, and a surprisingly intriguing and gruesome little thriller. The film is directed by Chris Sivertson, hot on the tail of his first feature, The Lost (adapted from a Jack Ketchum novel of the same name), and is a definite sign of great directorial things to come.

Lohan stars as Aubrey Fleming, a high school kid who excels at writing and piano. On the night of the big football game, Aubrey goes missing and is presumed to have been abducted. Seems there are a number of young females in the area turning up as corpses with mutilated arms and legs. The killer’s M.O. is compromised, however, when a passer-by finds Aubrey hacked to pieces in a ditch, but very much alive. When she awakes, short a few limbs, she remembers nothing of the incident, and most terrifying of all, has sunk into a strange amnesia with no recollection of anyone with the name Aubrey. She claims she is someone else with an entirely different past. Could it be post-traumatic disorder, or something far most sinister at work?

I Know Who Killed Me will unfortunately live or die with the Lohan stigma – some will avoid it, some will flock to it (13 year old girls, anyone?). I call this the ‘Tom Cruise Syndrome.’ But truth be told, she clocks in a fine, and often times complex, performance. She is, without a doubt in my mind, a great actress. And here she is immersed in some racy and gruesome material that I applaud her for taking on.

There is a complexity to the movie, in the actual film-making itself, which I found I was thinking about long after I left the theatre. The killer’s motives are hinted at throughout, for instance, in various subtle shots and scenes. This is especially true with the mutilation of the victims. Quite ingenious, frankly. The use of two primary colors – blue and red – aren’t merely stylistic choices, but hint at deeper significance. Also, in a welcome turn of events, the ‘twist’ isn’t a revelatory ending, but rather unveiled about ¾ of the way in, which leaves Sivertson with a truly nail-biting conclusion that doesn’t rely on hare-brained leaps of faith. I was riveted until the very end. And, perhaps most importantly (and as mentioned earlier), the more I got thinking about it afterward, the more things clicked into place. A movie that stays with you after the screening is an effective one indeed.

If I have some gripes, they are minor. Some of the acting in the initial sequences is wooden, including a couple of plot exposition scenes with Lohan that stand out like a sore thumb. Also, the first act of the film seems…rushed, for lack of a better term. Each scene is a short spurt of information, like the film wants to sit down and tell us more, but doesn’t have the time. So, instead, it rushes things a little too much. And finally, in the second act, things get pretty slow-paced, putting the tension on the back-burner in order to deepen the story.

A couple wonderful stand-outs, though: Sivertson often leaves things in our, the viewers, hands. Lengthy explanations are not needed; he lets us fill in the blanks. I can’t tell you how refreshing that is from the horror genre (especially the serial killer sub-genre). As well, there are a number of ingenious scares and he does not let up on the gore or disturbing images when they are needed. Woah, I mean, some scenes are truly stomach-churning.

This is a very good film from a promising director. Some may find the crux of the story hard to digest, but I truly do not find it affected my enjoyment of the film. It’s scary when it wants to be, gruesome when the time comes, and the work of a director who not only knows the genre, but respects his audience. High recommendations, despite what I felt walking into the theatre.

Oh, and as a final note – this movie has a little of everything for those with any opinion on Lindsay Lohan. For those who hate her, you’ll no doubt revel in the icky torture scenes. For everyone else (myself definitely included), there are some surprisingly sexy and steamy strip scenes. Which never hurt my opinion on a horror film before, that’s for certain. Heh.

[AllHallowsEve]

Originally Posted by Brian Orndorf

I think Bloody-Disgusting forgot to take their meds.

Well, you obviously saw it... What did you think of the film? You mention meds: why are they needed for the film's viewing?

Does the film have any merit? Were there any memorable moments? Is it good for scares? Is it good in that "Mommie Dearest" sort of way? How were the performances? What didn't you like about it?

You're giving us nothing here.

------------------

This film is getting beat hard by critics. Although, there could be extra knocking due to Lindsey Lohan's caricaturable self-presentation lately. People tend to love a circus act and feed off it: Ms. Lohan is the star of the month. That's not saying that the film is good, however. It probably is pretty bad.

I haven't seen it.

[chris_sc77]

Originally Posted by AllHallowsEve

Well, you obviously saw it... What did you think of the film? You mention meds: why are they needed for the film's viewing?

Does the film have any merit? Were there any memorable moments? Is it good for scares? Is it good in that "Mommie Dearest" sort of way? How were the performances? What didn't you like about it?

You're giving us nothing here.

------------------

Dude sometimes you dont need to see a movie to know that it is indeed beyond a shadow of a doubt 100% pure shit.

[TheMovieman]

I'll probably see it once it goes to the cheap theaters (which won't be long).

[Brent L]

Originally Posted by Perkinsun Dzees

but damn that girl sure can act...

Yeah, act like a stupid spoiled whore.

[Silverscreenvid]

I saw the movie today.

Absolutely disgusting. Poorly written, badly acted, ineptly edited, badly photographed, with some special effects imagery that borders on the comical, plus an amazing amount of gore. This movie would be funny in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way if it were not for the graphic violence with borders on the repulsive. How this film got an R rating, I will never know. Rob Zombie and Eli Roth make equally grisly movies, but they have a sense of creepy humor and style, this film has none.

Lindsay Lohan is a lock for the Worst Actress Razzie award and this film is a heavy favorite for Worst Film. Her career may never recover from this. Anyone who thinks that this movie has any subtlety or psychological depth to it probably thinks the same thing of a box of Cheerios.

Spoiler:

As the Fangoria review alluded to, the killer cuts Lindsay's fingers and hand off and one leg as well. This is shown in nauseatingly explicit fashion, as is an effort on her part to sew a finger back on. Apparently, there are two Lindsays, the seeming mother of Lindsay had a baby who died at birth and her father went to the crack whore next door who had just given birth to twins and bought one of the babies and convinced his wife that "good" Lindsay was hers. "Bad" Lindsay grew up to be a stripper, while "good Lindsay went to high school.

But there's more. Apparently, the two twins share some kind of stigmatic psychic bond, so that when one twin suffers an injury, the other has the exact same wound. So when the psycho kidnaps "good" Lindsay and starts cutting off her fingers, "bad" Lindsay's fingers literally turn black and fall off in a gush of blood. Art Bell, yes, that Art Bell, explains how the phenomonon works in one of the film's few genuinely funny moments.

Of course, "bad" Lindsay, sans hand and lower leg, seduces "good" Lindsay's boyfriend, who never got to second base with "good" Lindsay. He is undeterred by her missing limbs and they engage in a romp in the hay (sadly, Lindsay never shows her juicy bits, unlike some of the other strippers in the movie) that had me wondering just how he could perform under the circumstances (and it is very obvious that the actress in the scene actually does have two legs).

The various psychological imagery that impressed Fangoria is delivered at about a third grader's level of subtlety, with imagery such as a tattoo on a guy's chest seeming to come to life as a beating heart, reminding me of my youth when Popeye's tattoos showed a similar degree of livelihood.

I haven't even mentioned the scene where "bad" Lindsay goes looking for where the killer has stashed "good" Lindsay and finds his basement filled with prosthetic limbs dangling from the ceiling and then she gets the killer's glass knife which he conveniently left on the floor and saws the killer's hand off (he puts it in a bucket of ice and tries to reattach it with little success) and then she is able to find just where "good" Lindsay is buried, apparently by getting psychic guidance from an owl who shows her the way.

The film goes beyond stupid, beyond grotesque, and some of the actors are amazingly inept. Even if Lindsay hadn't been involved with the law, this film would have haunted her resume for a long time. As it is, it could be a career breaker. At least it explains why she's been trying to drink herself into oblivion the last few weeks.

[magman]

FWIW, here's Brian Orndorf's DVDTalk review:

I Know Who Killed Me review

[Seantn]

Yeah, act like a stupid spoiled whore.

I think Brent L forgot to take his meds.

[nateman]

I'm all in for a bad horror movie but I refuse to see any movie starring Lindsay Lohan. Her personal troubles aside, shes still a god awful actor & I don't know why anyone would want to see her in a movie.
I did sit see Freaky Friday & thank god Mark Harmon & Jamie Lee Curtis were in the movie to at least make up for Lohans shitty acting. Mean Girls was on TBS awhile ago (would never buy that shit on DVD) & I turned the channel after 5 minutes.
Like I said I'm all in for a horrible horror movie but if Lindsay Lohans in it, I wont even pick it up on DVD when it comes out. Is it just me or do all horror movies starring big name celebrities suck as of late?

[duluthdemon]

Originally Posted by AllHallowsEve

Well, you obviously saw it... What did you think of the film? You mention meds: why are they needed for the film's viewing?

He was just playing around, man. I know the internet is serious business, but Orndorf was joking.

Just check the theatrical review section more often.

[duluthdemon]

oh, and the film is a lock for one of the worst pictures of the year.

Fangoria and Bloody-Dusgusting have a rep about trading "positive" reviews for studio access. I wouldn't trust anything they write.

[KillerCannibal]

Faggoria? I haven't trusted them for years...

This movie looks like shit and Lohan S-U-C-K-S as an actress and a person. End of story.

[MovieMaster11]

Looks like the movie "The Invisible" w/ a coked out female lead.

[Seantn]

Faggoria? I haven't trusted them for years...

Was that before or after you started your successful stand-up career?

[Patman]

Good to see that Julia Ormond is still alive and quite MILF-ish.

[GoldenJCJ]

Julia Ormond is in this? How does her obligatory love triangle fit into the story?

[Patman]

Actually, it does, once all the details are revealed. It's just a different kind of love.

[Trevor]

Awful. Was going to put effort into explaining why, but the film is not worth wasting another second of my life. After hitting the "post quick reply" button, I hope to erase all memory of those two hours of my life.

[DRG]

This was just bizarre. There were times when I thought maybe a good movie could have been salvaged from pieces of this, but all in all this was just awful, albeit in a comically bad way. I had no choioce but to laugh out loud at certain scenes...

Spoiler:

- Crabman (from My Name is Earl) as a prosthetic specialist explaining to Lohan about her new robotic limbs, which appear to be straight out of The Bionic Woman

- The idea that those super high-tech limbs seem to run on cheap batteries, as they have to be recharged almost nightly. Not to mention that Lohan actually forgets to recharge said limbs several times throughout the film.

- The fact that everyone in the film at some point loses their patience and yells at Lohan for being 'Dakota', which at this point they all believe to be a psychological split personality trauma caused on the hellish experience she just escaped. Because obviously she's just intentionally trying to 'punk' her family and the FBI right after being tortured and mutilated by a psycho.

- The nonchalant way Dakota acts when she wakes up and finds her limbs have mysteriously disappeared... she acts as if she came out to find her tires were slashed.