Somewhere in the translation from script to screen, a really smart idea got lost when Anamorph was made. That’s not to say that the movie is entirely bad (and it certainly deserves better treatment than it received from its distributor), but Anamorph never quite reaches its full potential dramatically or as a thriller.

Willem Dafoe stars as a homicide detective haunted by a serial killer case that was supposedly solved when a man was shot and killed (unarmed and sitting in chair) in his home. Dafoe’s character carries around the guilt of one of the victims and has gone into teaching instead of continuing as an investigator. Five years later, a possible copycat, or perhaps the original killer (he called himself Uncle Teddy) is back on a killing spree. What makes this maniac unique is his method of murder: His victim’s bodies are used to construct elaborate, gruesome works of art. The killer/artist creates works in the concept of anamorphosis, a painting technique that manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas.

Sounds clever, huh? Unfortunately, that one idea gets lost amongst the attempts by Writer/director H.S. Miller and his co-writer Tom Phelan to create strong characters and a convincing plot. Shame, because so much of Anamorph is excellent, starting with the cast. (more…)