Six Pack Sam. Sounds cool, doesn’t it? At learning that it is the name of a beer-guzzling serial killer, the name no doubt evokes a feeling of apprehension and even fear. Six Pack Sam is a sexual predator with a penchant for strangulation and it all fits perfectly, until publicity claims that Six Pack Sam will rival the likes of Jason and Freddy. No.
I was privileged to get a sneak peek into this low budget crossover indie, written and directed by Joe McReynolds, but my expectations were left severely wanting. Hoping that McReynolds would introduce us to a maniac that would rip (geddit?) us from the same old slashers and treat us to a torrent of depraved killings, I sat down with a sense of something big about to happen. No.
Inhumanity (2018) revolves around Jessa Dixon, the daughter of a police officer on the trail of Six Pack Sam, who almost becomes the rapist’s latest victim. Thankfully she is rescued by police in the nick of time, but her injuries leave her in a coma for three months during which her father – a level-headed and diligent officer – apparently commits suicide.
Upon waking from her coma, Jessa launches her own investigation into the death of her father. She refuses to believe that he would commit suicide and elicits the help of Sergio, friend of her father, ex-cop and adorable alcoholic. The two embark on a journey into a deeper abyss of police corruption, crooked pharmaceutical companies and family secrets that serves up a hearty, thick dish of clichés.
Six Pack Sam is played by newcomer Leviticus Wolfe, which forces us to excuse his less than convincing portrayal of a truly sick homicidal maniac, although he does alright in general. The character comes across as nothing more than a bar room bully and you wonder what is supposed to make him a threat to the dream demon or the Crystal Lake slasher. There is nothing threatening about the killer, apart from his intimidating size, and he looks somehow out of place. Most of the characters in the film feel wrong for the actors that portray them.
The villains are comical and unconvincing and Wolfe makes the best of his character’s limited charisma and lackluster methods. The actor has potential, just not as a predictable serial killer. On the other hand, Darcel Danielle (Jessa) gives an exceptional performance as our protagonist, carrying the rest of the rather impotent cast along with Ford Austin (Sergio). Austin manages to steal your heart with his credible portrayal as the endearing, hard-drinking barfly with spot-on comedic timing and most of the good lines. He is a delight to watch.
McReynolds employs grindhouse cinematography in the last parts of the film, hoping to impress some sort of hard-core imagery to make Six Pack Sam look more barbaric. Two hours runtime is a tad much for an indie with such repetitive plot lines and formula characters, but it is bearable with all the story has to say.
Inhumanity encompasses many different factions, all driving the film across the genre highway from action thriller to slasher. Changing lanes like that serves the film well, and drives us to a twist in the end that is sadly not reiterated enough before Inhumanity concludes in the kind of ending I personally love – but I cannot tell you. I am spoiler free.
--Tasha Danzig
