User Reviews

A serial killer is stalking the Virginia Beach, Virginia area. The local news, talk radio, and other media are all buzzing about it, and they've named the killer "Satan" and the killings "The Satan Slayings". Satan, whose real name is Jimbo (Westbrook), is a hulking brute on a Harley.

So, three men of different backgrounds all team up to stop him: Detective James Stephen (Sayre), a private investigator named Billy Franklin (Billy Franklin, evidently playing himself in his one and only movie role), and a male nurse who wants to join up with them. Stephen is still brooding because he keeps having flashbacks to when he and his wife went to the amusement park where they went on the bumper boats and she won a Bart Simpson doll. Thus, he has a drinking problem, and more or less goes rogue to stop Jimbo. Who will kill more people: Jimbo or Stephen? Find out when you watch THE SATAN KILLER!

The Satan Killer is a gem. It has a ton of rock-bottom-budget charm, and even though it came out in 1993 it still feels very 80's. Most of the actors involved were non-professionals and they give those sort of super-flat performances that are a joy to watch. Most people describe this movie as incoherent, which may be true, but to us that's not a negative. It's part of the fun. Many coherent movies are boring, and if you want something coherent, why are you watching The Satan Killer? It's also unselfconsciously tasteless and exploitative, which are more points in the win column as far as we're concerned.

Another positive for The Satan Killer are all the colorful side characters, like the radio DJ who debates the death penalty with a very engaged caller (the original title for the film was Death Penalty. AIP changed the title and created box art that has little to do with the actual movie), or the Bryant Gumbel-esque newsman who becomes so "emotionally involved" with the Satan case that he can barely read a teleprompter.

There's very little Satanist action in the film, despite everything. At one point Jimbo takes a woman's lipstick and writes "666" on a mirror. That's pretty much it. Our hero, Stephen, makes a worthy foil for Jimbo. Thank goodness he wears that unflattering yellow shirt in every scene he's in, because it helps provide much-needed lighting for the film.

His sidekick, Franklin, is a feisty old man that could have been played by Don Rickles. Perhaps he was busy filming Keaton's Cop (1990) at the time. There are a lot of musical interludes throughout where we get to see what Virginia Beach looked like in 1993. It's yet another case of 'They don't make 'em like this anymore!' So, let's keep that in mind.

A movie highlight comes when an older gentlemen gets shot in the stomach with a shotgun, and then lazily puts his hands on his belly as if he's Santa Claus enjoying a good laugh. Evidently the higher-ups at AIP thought this was noteworthy as well, because they chose - of all potential moments - to put it in the trailer for the film!

This is the one and only credit for director Stephen Calamari, although some people think that is either a pseudonym for Stephen Sayre (which would make sense because it sounds like a fake name...although maybe it's real because why would you choose for your last name to be an octopus-based appetizer?), or that Sayre either directed or co-directed the film.

Nevertheless, the 'delightfully amateurish' (wags might say poor) technical qualities of the film may put many potential viewers off, but fans of rediscovered now-classics like Miami Connection (1987) and Samurai Cop (1991) will likely appreciate the nuttiness of what's going on here.

This movie is so laughably, unintentionally and unabashedly awful ... that it is without a doubt one of my favorite movies ever! And to think I got it in a bargain bin for $2! Yes! To begin with, the copy of the VHS tape that I bought in said bargain bin features a portrait of a tough-looking dude with a Hulk Hogan mustache sitting on a motorcycle. What is hilarious is that the guy on the cover bears absolutely no resemblance to the actual "Satan Killer" actor. Even the back cover text is a very loose re-telling of the plot. It's like they had the boxes laying around and said "Hey, let's make a movie that we can put in this box."

There may be spoilers here in this review, but this film was already spoiled by idiot director Steve Sayre, who is the 1990s equivalent of Ed Wood, evidently. Seriously, if I can spoil this dung heap of a movie for you, you're watching it for the wrong reasons and you should seek professional help immediately. Don't wait, go right now.

I love the fact that the passage of time is shown by the amount of shoe polish smeared on Detective Stephen's face to make it look like he hasn't shaved in weeks. That and the fact that after he gets shot in the arm, in one scene he has a blood stain on his arm and in the next his yellow "Curious George" shirt is unblemished. Love the stock footage of "The Satan Killer" riding his hog without chaps, then he shows up in the next scene wearing chaps. Wow, put down the blow while you're editing the film ... just for a little while.

The thing that really takes this movie from bargain-bin also-ran to treasure of absurdity is the character of the bald-headed cop who keeps talking about grabbing criminals and "walking them around by the balls," which is hilarious. We even get to see him grab some balls, so he not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. He's pretty badass. Not only does the actor look a like a poor man's Kojak, he is probably the strongest actor of the bunch, but his lines are so stupid they all make me laugh.

The Satan Killer himself is a one-trick pony, not a lot of dimension to that character despite the flashback sequence (in which a previous poster said he portrayed the young Jimmy, cheers!). Jimmy visits his mom at the strip club and she slaps him, so obviously Jimmy grows up to hate women and must kill them. Whatever. Some heady psychological stuff there, more like a reason to almost show boobs a couple times.

I love so many things about this film, including the fact that Detective Stephens ends up killing more people than the Satan Killer, especially the scene where the pimp slaps the hooker in front of Stephens. Stephens asks him "What's your name?" while pointing a gun at him. That's totally natural, that's what you say to a guy when you're pointing a gun at him, not something like "Now that wasn't nice" or "What kind of dirt bag hits a woman?", and of course the pimp yells back "What's YOUR name motherf***er?" before Stephens shoots him in the stomach. And what's with the really effeminate Boy George wannabe who has a short scene in the alley, picks Stephens up and lays him in what looks like an extremely uncomfortable position against the side of the building and then walks way? What was the point of that scene?

I love the black TV reporter whose boss tells him he's "off the story" because he's too emotionally involved. Wonder how that never happened to Nancy Grace.

Add in the fact that not once does the Satan Killer do anything remotely satanic, and you've got a great movie to laugh at with friends. Unfortunately this film is too obscure to warrant a fully-realized drinking game, but if one were to drink every time something stupid happens, one would not make it to the riveting conclusion, which is just as stupid as the rest of the movie.

This film is poorly constructed, poorly executed and if possible, even more poorly edited. The acting is awful, the story is totally implausible ... which makes it a perfect storm of stupidity. If you're lucky enough to find a copy of this film, and if you're like me and really enjoy a terrible movie in the vein of Ed Wood's atrocities, then you will love this film for its many, many, many mistakes and simplistic and absurd take on reality.

Steve Sayre, you are NOT a genius.

The Satan Killer is probably one of the most hilarious b-movies of all time- not because it's riddled with incredibly bad editing, picture quality and special effects(which it is), but because of the ridiculous plot and events that unfold throughout the movie! The one liners in this one are worth the rental alone. Here is a rundown of the movie's plot, which contains SPOILERS: A police detective's fiance is killed by a maniacal, murdering crystal meth dealer, so he decides to go on a solo head hunt for him. Along the way, he teams up with an ex-cop(Billy Franklin, who's one liners are some of the most entertaining to come out of a b-movie), and an ex-male nurse. Now here are the funny parts of the movie: The main character, detective Stephens, is an atrocious alcoholic, drowning his sorrows daily. He wears the same canary-yellow shirt during every scene of the entire movie, which encompasses weeks, never washing it, yet each morning, it is perfectly clean! He gets saved from a brutal beating by a drag queen who resembles Boy George to a tee! Throughout his Journey, he ends up brutally killing about a half dozen innocent people who stand in his way-more than the Satan Killer does in the entire film! He is in such "remorse" for his deceased fiance, that he cheats on her with some reporter chick who starts following him around! During their "erotic" scene, he is VISIBLY wearing a woman's nylon stocking on his right leg!!! The villain, the Satan Killer's real name is, get this, Jimbo!!! He is 6'5" crank dealer on the streets, and has nothing to do with Satan. I have no idea why this movie is even called "The Satan Killer", since none of his killings are even closely related to Satanism in any way. A scene is played where Jimbo is only a young lad, and asks a priest why his mother, and God hate him. Jimbo begins crying, then we cut to a scene with him, as an adult, standing in front of a church, where he shouts at the top of his lungs "You never fooled me!". During another scene, Jimbo's boss, that's right, boss(and drug supplier) starts hitting on a blonde in a parking lot. Jimbo tells him to lay off her, and spares her life. You see, Jimbo's mother was an abusive night club stripper who ridiculed him throughout childhood. The blonde woman resembled his mother, so he felt for her and saved her life. This movie has you actually FEELING for Jimbo, and hoping that he defeats the murderous, drunk drag-queen detective that hunts him throughout the movie. You will really have a sincere disliking for the main character very shortly into the movie. His retired, bounty-hunting partner, on the other hand, is a hilarious addition that will have you on the floor in tears. Sadly(spoiler), he passes before the conclusion of the movie, a touching moment that leaves a little disappointment, but there isn't too much of the movie left after he dies, so it's not that big of a deal. Overall, this movie has a lot emotion, and a lot of inconsistencies to along with them, but I can guarantee you it's very different from any of the other b-grade action dramas out there, one with a unique set of characters and a few memorable moments. Give it a try if you love b-movies.

That is amazing! I just figured I would check and see if this movie was on the database. You know the part where they play a flashback to the church and another one to the strip club where Jimbo's a child. That was me. My dad and I are credited in the movie but not here on the database. Check it out. Robert B. Schwenk Jr. I haven't done any acting since then though. But I thought that this was cool that it was on here. I like the movie of course because I'm in it. However, the low budget makes it kind of hard to watch compared to newer movies. But there was a lot of heart and emotion put into the movie. It was filmed in Virginia Beach. I remember spending lots of time out there during the filming.