The tied woman gasps on the ropes. The blood drips onto the floor and the young man just can’t help but stare at the sufferer with his big round eyes. He is not a Netflix subscriber thoughwho impatiently clicks away the “Are you still watching?” field on Netflix for the next episode of Dahmer or You, but a born killer.
Fate sets the course for this young man in the serial killer film Mad Fate. Looking at another killer’s victim nudges him further in the wrong direction. But a fortune teller wants to prevent that at all costs – and also provides a convincing argument for how urgently the inflationary tilled or chopped up serial killer movie needs an original change.
The serial killer genre is in dire need of an original spin
Killers along with sarcastic goth girls reliably lure crowds in front of the screen. The Netflix series Dahmer and You will force the perpetrator’s perspective on you, scouring their minds for the source of their murderous urges, giving audiences a sense of being close to danger.
The lust for horror is masked by traumatic origin stories, social grievances and outrage. And that’s fine. Like other genres, serial killer movies and series have their appeal and merit. Nobody needs to be ashamed of itto get through Dahmer in one day (I actually admire this kind of stamina). However, the genre is stagnating in the USA.
MakerVille Company Limited and Noble Castle Asia Limited
Mad Fate
Serial killer phenom Dexter was joined by True Detective, The Alienist, Ripper Street, The Fall: Death in Belfast, Hannibal, The Following, Bates Motel, Mindhunter and Prodigal Son.
This is just a selection from a proliferating genre. What the superhero is in the cinema is the serial killer on TV. Just as with the heroes of the big screen, you also have to look closely at their dark counterparts on television in order to filter out original visions like Mindhunter or Hannibal from the uniformity. But even these live from it Fascination with the drive-controlled crossing of borderswho bring serial killers as figures. Mad Fate takes an unfamiliar approach to approaching this drive.
Fantasy meets thriller in the story of the Berlinale film Mad Fate
When we first meet our nameless hero in Hong Kong director Soi Cheang’s (Dog Bite Dog) new thriller, he too gives the impression of a future criminal. In a graveyard he buries a woman alive. He (Lam Ka-tung) is a fortune teller and she is a prostitute. He wants to avert their evil fate with a complex ritual. She walks away due to the not very comforting masses of mud on her body. That same night she is killed by a woman killer.
Which brings us back to young Siu Tung (Lokman Yeung), who ends up at this crime scene by a twist of fate. Our fortune teller reads from his star charts: He will kill. From now on, the apparent quack will try everything to get him exorcise the murderous virus. With feng shui and a corresponding enthusiasm for improvisation, the fortune teller goes into battle against fate, which throws various truncheons between his legs with narrow-minded police officers and stunningly shaggy CGI cats.
Why the thriller stands out from the usual serial killer goods like You or Dahmer
So instead of a hardened cop, we’re being thrown at us by a maniacal mathematician of the future. With the help of a non-stop propelled story and playful visual effects, Soi Cheang transforms Hong Kong into a urban fantasy realm, in which a fidgety little guy must face off against the might of the sky. Mad Fate entertains with stylishly staged moments of shock. After all, Soi Cheang started his career with low-budget horror films that have charming titles like Horror Hotline… Big Head Monstersr wore.
MakerVille Company Limited and Noble Castle Asia Limited
Mad Fate
First and foremost, the film keeps you entertained with its breathless commitment to the fate of a man who looks like the definition of a “creepy guy”. If you met those staring eyes at night, you would change sides of the street in a matter of seconds. Rightly so. Still, he deserves at least one rescue attempt. That should be the essence of Mad Fate.
After his serial killer masterpiece Limbo, which ran at the Berlinale in 2021, he has one again Homage to society’s misfits turned. Until the very end you are rooting for whether this guy commits his murder, whether our fortune teller can defeat fate.
And the actual serial killer? This woman killer is a nondescript middle-aged guy who is solely “distinguished” by his actions. For Mad Fate he serves as a tool of supernatural power, his motivation doesn’t interest the script one iota, basically he’s irrelevant. This one of all people suffocates Serial killer film with a fantasy twist the fascination for murderers in the bud.