Review by Josh Felty
Brewed right here in the Bluegrass State by 148 Productions, "C.R.Y.: The Video Diary of Calvin Ray Young" is part mockumentary, part character study, and all a haunting revelation about a supposedly true serial killer in Eastern Kentucky.
The title character is played by the one and only Stacey Gillespie (The Edison Death Machine, Stash), a local Kentucky acting legend in his own right. What Gillespie's portrayal may lack in complete originality (think Woody Harrelson's in Natural Born Killers or Robin Williams' in One Hour Photo), it more than makes up for it with its brutal honesty. Calvin has endured a difficult, abusive upbringing---as told through the interviews of a college student by the name of Evan Cantrell---and justifies his heinous, murderous actions as being right in the sight of God. Sure, Calvin's unhinged and all that. But perhaps somewhere deep down he actually believes he's doing something good for society. And don't we all? Sometimes we think we're the good guy when in fact we couldn't be anything further from it.
And spiritually speaking, perhaps Calvin feels he owes something to a society that may be devouring itself in its own twisted perspectives and hypocritical morals. Maybe he sees himself as a blood-drenched martyr, baptizing his non-believers with his own wicked stench. After all, everybody is guilty of sin, right? All religious context aside, by the end you get the feeling that Young's God is not the one of Biblical fame. Calvin Ray's divine father-figure is a rash, quick-tempered one; perhaps it is his own id, speaking from some mucky back road in the killer's skull.
I was actually quite surprised by this film. I mean sure, its a no-budget production and it gives into a couple of the trappings of such a production. But it also uses those very same limitations to tell the story in an effective and gripping documentary style. Sometimes, people (myself included, in the past)are so critical of such things they forget the purpose of films are to tell stories. If that's accomplished, you've got my applause.
C.R.Y. has just enough blood, gore, and nudity to draw in the most critical horror fan, but not so much that it takes away from the truly dark and effective storytelling at work within. I also really appreciated the sharp editing and engaging music work in this one. As an editor myself, I always find even the smallest mismatch or dull scene a distraction. Not the case with C.R.Y. There's also nothing worse than watching something with a horrible or non-existent soundtrack; there's a low-tempo composition in this with an alternative flair and a couple of speed-metal tracks, all of which are very pleasing to the ear.
The only true qualms I had with this one were Gillespie's improvised performance. While I'm all for fully immersing yourself into a role, there were times where I thought perhaps Gillespie's portrayal could have been serviced with some subtlety. It just seemed to break from the rest of the movie's sobering, documentary-based feel. That said, I also have to commend Stacey for being absolutely maniacal in every scene.
A standout is Calvin's sister, Cathy, played by scream queen Heather Price. Cathy is just as true an animal as her elder sibling, exhibited by her gut-wrenching screaming of "I'll kill you" over and over again. My ears are still ringing. But in the end, their relationship left a sour feeling within my soul. You'll see what I mean. Let's just say that few hillbilly stereotypes do get old. There are some pretty cool cameos in C.R.Y., including the masters of horror talk radio, Uncle Bill and The Creepy Kentuckian from Deadpit.com; there's even an appearance by our own Dave Rupp as a private investigator.
All criticisms and movie review hubbub aside, "C.R.Y." has an interesting story at its core. A story that stuck with me after the DVD stopped spinning. No matter the budget, if a film achieves that much, it wins for me. Whether Calvin Ray Young and his equally evil younger sister Cathy are based on real people or not, they may have you seriously looking over your shoulder when you're at a stoplight late at night---when you think nobody else is around. 7/10