Day 3
100 Tears (2007)
Directed by Joe Davison

A pair of tabloid journalists find themselves in over their heads when they start investigating a serial killer who is lurking closer to home than either of them anticipate. The first movie in this review series to get an NC-17, 100 Tears stands out with its unapologetically brutal violence which, by micro-budget film standards, looks good enough to get the job done. Even though the acting can be spotty sometimes, the performance of the lead journalist is able to keep you invested while the story introduces some believably colorful Florida carnival folk.

Before I forget to mention, the serial killer is a clown (which at times seems incidental to this movie) and I am quite a fan of the look and performance of the clown whose identity I will not mention so as to avoid spoilers. One critique of the movie is that the clown theme is never fully explored; it functions as more of a backdrop than an integral part of the story. The serial killer could have worn any other costume and the story would not need to be changed. If you are looking for corny jokes and campy clown kills, this movie fails to deliver anything but brute violence.

I’ll be honest, this is a low budget movie. You need to be aware of what that means going in if you decide to watch 100 Tears. The technical side of the film can be a little rough around the edges. I liked the general gore effects but sometimes the limitations of the budget shine through. Generally, the cinematography is pretty decent, although sometimes there was an odd filter placed over the footage to make it look grittier, I assume, and that’s a bit more distracting than I think the filmmakers realized. The story itself is fine, nothing wrong with a murder investigation, but the devil is in the details and 100 Tears trips over itself a lot when the police are involved. No detective would allow tabloid journalists access to a crime scene for a bribe of $50, and when things in that vein happen, the movie kind of loses itself. However, it is always great to see a low budget film succeed and when it works, 100 Tears is a goresoaked mystery with some fun villains. Also it has a wonderful post credits stinger. Recommended for fans of violent low budget cinema.