A comic book obsessed serial killer teaches his son how to get away with a series of brutal murders until the boy befriends a mysterious man who threatens to expose everything.

Artik opens to well-done opening credits followed by a surprising and unsettling act of violence. We then follow Boy Adam (Gavin White) as he learns the ropes from Artik (Jerry G. Angelo) as to how to be a serial killer while Flin Brays (Lauren Ashley Carter), the wife, tends to the other children in their barn. We meet Holton (Chase Williamson) as he does his best impression of what is almost comically edgy. Holton and Boy become something of friends. Through the course of this friendship, Boy shares troubling drawings based on his home life. During this, Artik and Flin share vague and somewhat cryptic conversations about what they do and why they do it.

As the film ticks along Kar (Matt Mercer) gets involved through some questionable judgment on his part. Things continue and the situation boils over into a battle of wills between Artik and Holton, as the latter is held by the former. At this point, the film starts a downward spiral into mediocrity. Well, not so much a downward spiral but a belly flop into the very shallow end of the movie cliché pool which includes a shotgun that not only shoots through brick walls but also has unlimited ammunition. You might think I’m am overly critical, but the thing is that this film managed to stay surprisingly grounded. And the final act managed to take away all goodwill that was created. Once it reaches the end, you’ll find yourself asking if the filmmakers happened to forget to include the last ten minutes.

The acting overall is subtle and goes well with the grounded feel of the story. Jerry G. Angelo (Better Call Saul, Zulu Six and American Warfighter) does well enough as the villain, the problem ultimately lies with the script. It’s one thing to be vague and not give answers for the sake of mystery and letting the viewer fill in the blanks but it’s another to be so vague that it comes off as confusing and downright pointless. This problem extends to the entire cast. Lauren Ashley Carter (Premium Rush, Darling, Pod), is able to convey an unhinged housewife with underlying insanity with ease, but without context or even an end goal, it feels wasted.

As for the movie itself, the sound design and overall production are well done. If grindhouse type film is what they were going for, then they nailed it. One thing that stood out through most of the film was the restrained feel of it. It had a degree of down to earth grittiness that added a sense of realism to what I was watching. It almost felt like I was watching a reenactment based on real events. Few horror films are able to achieve that, though many try.

Tom Botchii Skowronski uses his first time in the Director seat of a feature-length film better than most, so it’s a shame that the overly vague script and awful final fifteen minutes stand as glaring flaws in an otherwise well-done horror film.