Perpetrator
Written and Directed by Jennifer Reeder
Starring Kiah McKirnan, Alicia Silverstone, Josh Bywater, Melanie Liburd, Ireon Roach 
Unrated
Runtime: 104 minutes 
Streaming on Shudder and Opening in Select Theaters on September 1st

by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

The horror genre has always been an outlet for the outcasts. For stories, and those who tell them, to explore the deeper, darker, and stranger aspects of humanity. As the genre expands and gives space for marginalized voices, the stories have only gotten more unique and diverse. Jennifer Reeder’s new movie Perpetrator, is a perfect example of this. Reeder crafts a surreal world of dangerous magic and missing girls while centering it around a young woman coming of age. The result is something truly special that blends horror with fantasy and ultimately exposes viewers to the sinister reality of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity. 

Perpetrator feels like an adaptation of a young adult or comic series because of how much world building is done. Yet this is all an original story from Reeder. There are so many different elements that on the surface could feel disjointed, but she weaves them together beautifully. The world of this movie is so carefully detailed that it leaves you wanting more, much like any good origin story. While it starts off feeling surreal and hard to grasp, it ultimately comes together, tied neatly in a bow. This is hard to accomplish, and is ultimately a testament to the amount of labor and love that Jennifer Reeder puts into this world. This may also be in part because, while her world is a surreal version of our reality, it always feels grounded in our reality. It does not feel quite like magical realism, but instead sets out on its own path which I’ll call “magic surrealism”. 

The story all centers around Johnny (Kiah McKirnan). As her 18th birthday approaches, she becomes more attuned to the fact that she is not only becoming an adult, she is becoming something much darker and more powerful. Her father sends her away to stay with her aunt Hildie (Alicia Silverstone) who will be able to help Johnny become accustomed to her newfound powers that are passed down through her family. We follow Johnny through her “becoming” which is represented with various nightmarish sequences full of blood, facial distortions, and gorgeous kaleidoscope lenses. In the backdrop of her personal change she also faces the horrors of simply being a woman in the world, as she deals with the mounting disappearances of her fellow female classmates. Ultimately, she makes the choice to use her powers to solve this mysterious outbreak of crime. 

One of the most interesting aspects of Johnny’s power is how it ties to tails traditionally associated with women: intuition and empathy. Holding up empathy as a superpower is a beautiful idea, especially in a world that can feel lacking in that realm. As the story delves into its mystery about the town and its missing girls, it brings with it the inverse; toxic cis male patriarchal views that are more self-centered and only designed to take from others while ignoring their feelings. The internal dark feminine energy of Johnny is tied to the nature of womanhood while the dark masculine energy is purely man made. The fact that Perpetrator can be so fantastical while still holding on to truth and being so violent while also being so heartfelt is a testament to its creative team. At the same time there is a terrific sense of humor that runs through the story, especially with scenes like the “Code Massacre” drills that the school makes the students go through. 

One of the many highlights of this movie is its incredible cast. Alicia Silverstone is given an opportunity to shine and show off a side of her acting prowess that is not frequently attributed to the Clueless star. She is enigmatic and yet something constantly draws you in. Kiah McKirnan shines in the leading role as Johnny. She is a unique screen presence and balances being tough and caring. Christopher Lowell, one of the stars of the stellar Netflix series GLOW, is perfect casting for the role of the quirky principal. He has classic leading man looks yet always manages to take on very interesting roles and gives a different kind of strange to each of his performances. Especially in relation to the masculine traits they take on. Ireon Roach, Sasha Kuznetsov, Melanie Liburd, and Casimere Jollette also manage to leave a lasting impression despite their smaller roles. 

Ultimately, Perpetrator is a movie that stays with you. Everything from the score, cinematography, performances, writing, to camera wok manages to leave an impression. Perpetrator is a bloody girl gang movie that manages to be weird, have fun, and also deal with real world issues. It also has body horror moments that would surely impress even the likes of David Cronenberg.  At the helm of this fascinating film is Jennifer Reeder whose attention to detail and vision is a super human power all its own. Once again it reminds us why the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes are so important, these folks breathe life into these projects. This is what makes them so beautiful, powerful, and essential.