Written and directed by Teddy Grennan, after a young movie buff gets kicked off the police force, he realizes with the help of his pregnant teen girlfriend, that the serial killer who is terrorizing their city is copy-catting the murders from famous horror films. Starring: Sam Brooks, Tommi Rose, Michael Weaver, Tu Morrow, Libby Blake.

The best place to start with Catch a Killer is going in with the right attitude, because this film is about entertainment and horror fans, so if you’re looking for an intensely slick and mysterious story, you might be disappointed. Teddy Grennan creates something that’s much more along the lines of old-school final girl style horror or 1990s crime cinema, it’s a little bit cheesy and maybe not everything quite adds up but it also doesn’t really matter. Grennan fills it with a youthful atmosphere, there’s a lot of movement to his direction which keeps that thriller edge going and there’s a good tension at work.

If you’re going to nitpick with the writing then you’re simply not going to enjoy Catch a Killer very much because there’s quite a few shortcuts but if you can look past that, then you can have fun with it. Grennan keeps things to a tight eighty-two minutes and the progression works well, it’s not rushed but it also keeps itself moving throughout. There’s something to Otto (Sam Brooks) that’s reminiscent of Josh Hutcherson’s Mike in Five Nights at Freddy’s. He’s not perfect but he still makes for a wholesome leading hero.

Brooks’ performance matches the style of the film, he doesn’t take himself too seriously but he also tries to fill that private-detective role. Capturing that classic feel of becoming embroiled in a case and obsessed with solving it. Although he’s perhaps a lot…lot, younger than your usual embittered ex-police officer. He also has a solid chemistry with Tu Morrow playing Otto’s fiancée Lex, something that is definitely not always a given in films like this.  Whereas the actual detectives, played by Tommi Rose and Michael Weaver fill the shoes perfectly of the stereotypical, over-confident, poor listeners that we’ve seen in many a thriller or horror flick. They serve a purpose, and they do it well.

Catch a Killer loves to throw horror references at you like it’s Ready Player One, it knows its target audience and it’s really going for it. It’s reminiscent of crime thrillers from the 1990s, it can be cheesy and perhaps a bit predictable but that doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. It moves well, it keeps the pacing nice and speedy, and it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Genuine horror-thriller fans may be able to see its big finale coming but they’ll also be likely to appreciate its entertainment value.

Verdict: ✯✯✯ | 6/10

Celebrated its World Premiere as part of Nashville Film Festival 2024 on September 21