Some horror movies shock with a larger-than-life villain; some shock with brains-on-the-wall gore. And then there are others, like "The Snowtown Murders," whose subtle evil hits so close to home that you'll be lucky if you can get a good night's sleep after seeing it.
The Australian film, which won the Critics' Week Special Jury Prize at last year's Cannes Film Festival, depicts, in quietly haunting detail, the life of John Bunting, an Australian serial killer who murdered men he suspected to be homosexuals or pedophiles from 1992-99 with the help of his stepson.
The Justin Kurzel-directed movie, based on the real events surrounding Bunting's 11 murders in and around South Australia's Snowtown community, stars Daniel Henshall as Bunting and newcomer Lucas Pittaway as Jamie Vlassakis, Bunting's stepson and accomplice.
The trailer's feel is similar in tone to some darker indies, most notably sharing some of the unnerving ickiness brought to the screen by Harmony Korine with his 1997 ode to all things awful, "Gummo."
"The Snowtown Murders," distributed by IFC, hit theaters on March 2.
Check out the trailer (courtesy of Rope of Silicon):
