Movie

Prey of the Chameleon (1992)

Serial killer movies are nothing new, but the premise of this made-for-cable thriller is a fresh concept. Alexandra Paul stars as small-town deputy sheriff Carrie, whose ex-boyfriend J.D. (James Wilder) is involved in her personal life and investigation. When the drifter picks up a stranded woman, he does not know she’s the Chameleon: a mistress of disguise who assumes the identities of her victims.

As the police piece together the killer’s MO, FBI agent Resnick (Don Harvey) provides some background information. The murderess is Elizabeth Burrows, a woman who recently escaped a mental institution by strangling a nurse. This murder is shown in the film’s opening sequence, which begins with the topless victim having sex as Elizabeth fashions a wire coat hanger into a makeshift garrote. The strangulation is relatively lengthy and graphic, and Elizabeth smashes the nurse’s head into a mirror as the title credits roll.

Carrie and J.D. had an unhappy previous relationship. Their bond doesn’t improve after she discovers his involvement with Patricia Harper (the housewife Elizabeth has murdered and now become). When they’re not discussing the case, Carrie and Resnick flirt, but this doesn’t go anywhere. The FBI man is absent for the final sequence, where Carrie and J.D. put aside their differences to take down the psycho impersonator.

Villainess

Elizabeth Burrows (Daphne Zuniga)

After a steamy night in bed, things get weird when the blonde “Patricia” dyes her hair black and wears J.D.’s clothes. He smokes a cigarette, and so does she. This creeps him out, but not enough to ditch the brunette copycat – he’s enjoying sex with her far too much.

On a drive through the desert, Elizabeth discovers J.D.’s revolver in the glove box, which he gladly shows off. Maybe he shouldn’t have, because the psycho woman holds up a gas station and has the attendant drop his pants. No sexual attraction, but it gives Elizabeth the chance to get away. Carrie learns of the robbery soon after, and she and Resnick are already aware of J.D.’s involvement thanks to a bartender’s eyewitness statement.

Things get worse for J.D. when Elizabeth disguises herself as a man, trims her hair, and tapes bandages around her chest to flatten her profile. Add sunglasses and a cowboy hat, and she’s a decent (though not great) male impersonator. J.D. stumbles in on her and gets knocked out, but unlike her female victims, the murderess keeps this one alive. Elizabeth hides the unconscious man in a car trunk at a secluded junkyard. There is a guard dog, but the poor animal gets a bullet for barking too loudly.

Elizabeth graduates to armed robbery and murder when she rips off a bank and shoots two guards. Based on camera footage and body movements, Carrie and the FBI wrongly identify J.D. as the gunman. By now, Elizabeth has taken a female hostage, whom she seduces and kills off-screen. An FBI agent comes calling, but he hasn’t been briefed on the Chameleon. He believes the woman’s story about the bank robber being upstairs, which allows Elizabeth an easy backstab kill. To be fair, Zuniga is convincing in switching personalities.

J.D. escapes and returns to the small town where it all started. Carrie is already there and – not believing her boyfriend’s wild tale – handcuffs him to a radiator. His story checks out in the end, but then Elizabeth arrives and targets another victim: Carrie. The women have an argument as the policewoman digs a grave at gunpoint, while J.D. desperately tries to free himself.

Elizabeth makes Carrie undress and somehow changes into her uniform (completely implausible given her victim is awake and unrestrained). The victim does the old “throw dirt in the face” trick, and a catfight follows. Carrie gains the advantage, and J.D. races to the rescue, only to attack the wrong woman just as she’s about to shoot. Elizabeth knocks out the would-be hero, then we get a second struggle, which ends when Carrie turns the gun on the psycho.

Honourable Mentions: Mistresses of Disguise

Sofia (2012) (aka Assassin’s Bullet) – Vicky / Ursula / Sofia (Elika Portnoy)

A female assassin targets Islamic extremists in this confusing action thriller. Unsurprisingly set in the Bulgarian city of Sofia, the opening kill sets up the black-clad antagonist as a mysterious – and efficient – hitwoman who leaves no witnesses. The execution draws the attention of the American ambassador (Donald Sutherland), who asks ex-FBI agent Robert Diggs (Christian Slater) to investigate.

What follows is a muddled mess, with several women involved. These include an English language teacher named Vicky and the redhead belly dancer Ursula, who Diggs falls for. Vicky is a patient of Dr Aaron Kahn (Timothy Spall) who likes to draw sketches while he works. Corrupt police detectives sell a sniper rifle to an assassin and cover their tracks by erasing a videotape. Despite the suggestion that this might be important, they’re never seen again.

Meanwhile, the leather chick receives kill orders from a mysterious coin-spinning controller. Since the director is Isaac Fiorentine, the assassinations are the best parts of the movie. Highlights include the female sniper lining up her shot and executing a praying man, a daring raid on a compound, and an inevitable chase scene. The killer confronts Diggs in an impressive fight.

Sadly, this is preceded by an obvious reveal that Vicky, Ursula, and the assassin are all the same woman with multiple personality disorder. Given their erratic behaviour and Vicky’s recollection of a terrorist attack, this comes as no great shock. The ambassador is revealed to be the man behind the hits, but since he’s the only person with the information, that’s equally unsurprising. The movie ends with the assassin moving to Paris at the ambassador’s request, as the obsessed Kahn shadows her. Little makes sense, but the stylish and rather bizarre antagonist earns a mention.

The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) – Jasmin (Elizabeth Gracen), Voshenko (Anna Katerina)

This movie features the final Bill Bixby / Lou Ferringo appearance as the Marvel comic character. As the title suggests, the hero dies at the end, but was slated to return. Sadly, Bixby passed away from cancer, and the project was shelved.

David Banner attempts to cure himself with the help of a sympathetic scientist, but falls foul of Eastern European spies after top-secret genetic research. The villains blackmail a reluctant agent named Jasmin – an expert thief and mistress of disguise – by threatening her captive sister, Bella. Jasmin seduces a security guard and collects his fingerprints. Then, the deceptive spy swaps clothes and removes her earrings and wig. When she exits the restroom, she looks a totally different person.

Jasmin pulls off a similar trick to get a female guard’s uniform, then later disguises herself as that same woman to access the lab. This interrupts the doctor’s attempt to cure David, accidentally starts a fire, and triggers a transformation into the Hulk. Frustrated with Jasmin’s failure, the villains decide she’s outlived her usefulness. So, for the second half of the film, she works with David and uses her skills to claim revenge on the evil spy leader Voshenko. That would be Jasmin’s sister who faked the kidnapping.

Voshenko isn’t a great villainess. She spends her little screen time issuing orders to other people, and a henchman even points the boss’ reluctance to get her hands dirty. A rushed finale has Voshenko escape on a plane, only for the Hulk to get on board and redirect her small arms fire. This results in an explosion, and – while sad music plays – the hero falls to his death on the runway below.