Movie

All-American Murder (1991)

Murder mysteries are tricky to cover as the villainess is not usually revealed until the end, so making the 101 list requires original elements, a great reveal, or a very entertaining movie. The main character of this darkly comic tale is Artie Logan (Charlie Schlatter), a social misfit with a long track record of getting kicked out of academic institutions. When he transfers to Fairfield College, people are naturally wary. Except for the dean’s flirty wife, who quickly invites the newcomer into her bed.

Artie’s life changes for the better when he meets Tally Fuller, who’s possibly the ideal woman. Smart, attractive, respected, a star cheerleader on the team – all-American qualities to be sure. Artie and Tally soon become romantically involved, go on dates, and even share a spooky love scene in a graveyard. Their bliss was never going to last, though, considering the movie title. Sure enough, Tally is burned alive and thrown over a balcony while Artie looks on.

At least we’re supposed to think it’s Tally, but savvy mystery buffs will know that when corpses are charred beyond recognition, there’s a good chance the dead person is somebody else. Which means the final act twist is not hard to guess if you have experience with murder mysteries. But before the “surprise” ending, we get an entertaining thriller, with more victims along the way.

The lead detective is P.J. Decker, played by Christopher Walken. In a major surprise, he’s not the villain. Decker is unorthodox in his methods, as he ably shows when he provokes a criminal into violence and fires a disabling gunshot into the man’s knee. Luckily for Artie, Decker believes his innocence plea and gives him twenty-four hours to prove it. Time for amateur detective work on campus, as Decker constantly turns up and reminds Artie how much time remains.

Villainess

Tally Fuller (Josie Bissett)

What makes Tally more interesting than most villains, and my reason for including her on the ranking list, is the backstory that unfolds as Artie digs into her past. The image of the perfect all-American girl is eroded over the course of the film, with Tally revealed to be a drug-taking shoplifter who slept with the dean and star football player to get ahead. Most notably, the hero uncovers a videotape of Tally blackballing Wendy (a student helping Artie) out of the sorority and encouraging her fellow pledges to follow suit.

There are plenty of red herrings, from Tally’s jealous boyfriend to the dean, who has many skeletons in his closet. And what mystery would be complete without a creepy janitor with a personal “shrine” to Tally in the basement? In the final half hour, the psychotic killer goes on a murder spree and whittles down the suspect list, racking up five victims before the denouement. This tests Decker’s patience, and the supportive cop becomes increasingly uncertain of Artie’s innocence.

First to die is the janitor, who gets a drill bit through the forehead after Artie confronts him. Three more victims follow in quick succession to liven things up. The murder methods are creative, with the most bizarre involving a snake left in a car that poisons and strangles the dean’s wife. Not long after that, her equally unfortunate husband gets blown up with a hand grenade whilst working out. The scene where Artie discovers what’s left of the body, and Decker finally arrests the obvious suspect, is straight out of a gory horror movie.

The ending is suitably climactic, with Wendy lured to a secluded location and attacked by the masked killer. Artie rushes to the rescue, but needs Decker to make a dramatic last-minute appearance to save him. Then the hero rips off the psycho’s mask, revealing the supposedly deceased Tally as the murderess. This part is a disappointment, as the unmasking, while on-screen, happens all too quickly.

With the killer exposed, it’s time for her motive rant. Tally had grown tired of being prominent, so wanted to disappear, but first needed to “remove” those who knew about her shady past. Tally – not quite done yet – attacks Artie with a blowtorch as she’s being led away, but only burns her own face. Quite a karmic outcome, considering how Tally killed her double.

Honourable Mentions: Mystery Killers

Stringer (1992) – Sheila (Laura Reed)

Released in the US as Prime Time Murder, this mystery thriller features an all too obvious culprit, but at least the setup is more interesting than usual. Frank Simmonetti (Anthony Finetti) is the titular stringer, a freelance video reporter who sells footage to local TV networks. Prepared to risk his life to settle his debts, Frank scares off a rookie partner who doesn’t enjoy being shot at. The “hero” has more success with Jack Mitchett (Tim Thomerson), an ex-cop not averse to dangerous action when the situation warrants it – such as confronting a shotgun-armed lunatic who’s convinced his hostage is an alien. Crazy intro? It’s that kind of movie.

Frank is determined to catch a serial killer who preys on homeless men and leaves poker chips by their bodies to signify moving on to a better life. Jack believes they’re hunting a “compassionate” psycho who murders out of remorse, so maybe Frank shouldn’t get too cosy with a charity worker named Sheila. Sally Kirkland has an extended cameo as a network editor, and suspicion falls on local beat cops who seem to hang around murder scenes. But there aren’t many suspects, and Sheila is the only person who fits the profile.

After Jack gets attacked during a sting operation, Frank searches old videotapes for clues. Evicted and without his partner’s support, he turns to Sheila for help. Since the person the hero trusts most is usually the killer in these films, it’s no surprise Frank finds a recording of a shadowy figure wearing a telltale necklace. Sheila arrives and does the standard psycho routine: a crazed explanation before she stabs Frank in the chest. Then, the murderer cuts the phone line before her victim can raise the alarm.

The ending is worth waiting for – or at least fast-forwarding to – with Sheila and Frank in a prolonged struggle on the floor. She’s on top holding a knife, while the wounded hero struggles to fend her off. Eventually, he knocks Sheila out and tosses away the weapon, but she comes back for another try when Frank makes it to the door. Then another cop shows up to finish the villainess off.

Whisper Kill (1988) – Winifred Rogers (June Lockhart)

Another mystery thriller with an interesting premise that elevates it above usual TV movie fare, Whisper Kill is about a serial killer who telephones their victims before they commit the murders. The main characters are newspaper reporters Dan Walker and Liz Bartlett, played by Joe Penny and Loni Anderson. After two men are stabbed, the hero establishes a connection between the victims and Liz, which makes her the prime suspect. Of course, that doesn’t stop Dan from getting involved with a beautiful woman.

The ongoing whispered threats and murder scenes are the highlights, as the masked killer strikes in dark locations. The first victim is attacked after his sabotaged car breaks down, another dies near a phone booth in a park (probably the best kill of the bunch), and a sting operation goes horribly wrong when a third male receives the familiar back seat killer treatment.

There’s an interesting subplot where Dan and Liz use phones at the same time the whisperer makes a call. But obvious people are rarely guilty in TV mysteries, and the “least likely culprit” rule applies. The murderer turns out to be Liz’s mother, Winifred Rogers. Her motive is nuts, some nonsense about shielding Liz against the men in her life. Think your solution might be a tad extreme, Mom.

The anticlimax has the killer ditch her black outfit, gloves, and ski mask (for no apparent reason), and target Dan while wearing a blonde wig – all to fool him into thinking she’s Liz. This seems pointless if Winnie planned to kill the reporter anyway and is arguably a lame excuse to trick viewers. We get a brief shootout as the local police chief comes to Dan’s rescue… and that’s it. Someday we’ll get a great masked killer and reveal, but this is another letdown.