|
A
Cold Day in Hell
Produced
& Directed by Juliet Turvey,
1994
(1
x 12 mins) Bournemouth University / B.A. Media Production Video Major
The
Muswell Hill serial killer Dennis Nilsen, dubbed "the British
Jeffrey Dahmer", was arrested on 9th February 1983. He was found
guilty of murder six times, and of attempted murder twice. The press
described Nilsen as an alcoholic homosexual, who couldn't come to
terms with his life in the closet. From 1978 he resorted to murder
and necrophilia, luring young homeless men and male prostitutes to
his home in Cranleigh Gardens and strangling them.
He
played with their corpses and stashed them under his floor boards,
before dismembering them, burning them or flushing chunks of their
flesh down his lavatory. When the rotting remains blocked sewage
ducts along the street, and neighbours who complained about the smell
saw him trying to flush them out at night, his crimes were
discovered. He was finally imprisoned for life.
Juliet
made a valiant attempt to condense Nilsen's entire life story into
ten minutes, and to hint at the reasons for his descent into murder.
Unfortunately this was possibly too ambitious. This film mixes soap
opera scripting and symbolism with too many meaningful stares, filmed
on a wobbly camera. Reconstructions are intercut with fantasy
sequences in dark voids, many involving revived corpses. Mercifully,
the visualisations of strangulation and necrophilia fall short of the
true horror of Nilsen's activities. Almost all the acting is
shocking; Hunt is so irritating it comes as a relief to see him
garotted.
On
the plus side, Joyce's central realisation of Nilsen is often very
creepy, although his lack of stature in certain wide shots
occasionally leads him to resemble Ronnie Corbett rather than a
serial killer. The only other compensation is the stunning,
specially-composed soundtrack.
Dennis
Nilsen: Kim Joyce
Young
Nilsen: Paul Wilson
with
Adam
Hunt, Mike Satchell, Jenny Orridge, Angela Dixon, Louise Bangay
Writer:
Ian Powell
Camera:
Mark France
Lighting:
Steve Thomas
Sound:
Ed Swatman
Special
Effects Make-Up: Gerard Kelly
Original
Music: Too Blue (Matt Baron, Matt Sladen)
Production
Assistant & Caterer: Claire Molloy
On
Line Editor: Simon Harries |
