(Spoiler Alert)
Do have a friend that is completely obsessed with horror movies? They watch and talk horror almost 24/7. Maybe even to the point that you start to worry about them actually hurting someone, or themselves. Hell, you all love horror movies, maybe that person is you!
Well, in “My Pure Joy” that person happens to be Adam (Alexei Ryan). Apparently Adam’s father watched horror movies with his son since a very early age. A combination of watching too many horror movies, dealing with his father’s death, and some other personal issues finally drives Adam over the cliff. Once an innocent boy has now becomes the neighborhood serial killer.
The movie starts off at a dinner table, where a teen is having dinner with his mother, stepfather, and younger brother. After a very unpleasant meal spent arguing with his parents, the teen returns to his room not knowing that a masked assailant is waiting in the next room to kill his younger brother, and he’s next. This opening sequence really gets the movie off to a good start. There is plenty of blood, especially in the death of the younger brother. The audience is introduced to a killer with a cool mask, and who has a particularly odd way of moving around his victims. He is definitely enjoying ever second of the murders.
Once the killer leaves the house it isn’t long before it is revealed that Adam is the killer. I was a little disappointed that the killer was revealed at first, but it isn’t that kind of movie. Once the audience gets to see what Adam is capable of, it is all about showing the reasons why he has become that way. At first, I didn’t really buy that Adam was capable of doing what did in the opening sequence. However, the movie does a good job of building up to the point where it is reasonable to see why he has gone nuts.
As previously mentioned, a major reason Adam turns bad is watching too many horror movies. The next day he spends time with his a few of his buddies. When they aren’t talking about girls, and smoking out, it is all about horror movies. This scene is pretty realistic in what I envision teens talking about and doing, but it might go on a tad long. When Adam isn’t with his friends, he is at home being constantly nagged by is mother, Jane (Lisa Frantz). That alone is something that can easily drive anyone crazy, as I even got tired of her nagging.
Later Adam and his buddies go to a party where some of the girls they like are going to be. Of course, this starts some teenage drama over a particular girl. Poor Adam has a crush on this girl, but she has an ass for a boyfriend. He makes it perfectly clear to Adam whose girlfriend she is, and embarrasses him in front of everyone. You always have to be careful who you mess with because you never know when it will come back to haunt you. In this case, it didn’t take long for Adam to come back and do more than haunt them. There is a good amount of blood spilled in this scene as well, but there is something strange about it. I can’t put my finger on it, but it isn’t executed in the same way that the opening sequence was.
At this point, it is clear to see Adam is having too much fun, and the killer side of him is really coming out. The next time he gets pushed, he will go over the edge. He gets that push when his older brother, Joseph (Cory Jacob), comes to the house for the first time in years. Jane plans a special dinner to celebrate, and this is the last thing Adam wants to participate in. It is here that Adam completely flips, and all of his odd behavior comes to life. Alexei really does a good job bringing out Adam’s wild side in this scene. Besides Adam’s actions, what is very interesting about this scene is that it brings the movie full circle. It started off at a dinner table with a family argument, and it basically ends in the same situation. The biggest difference is Adam does what the other teen couldn’t.
So I guess this teaches me to keep an eye on all you crazy horror fans. Overall, the opening sequence is well done, and gets you eager to learn more about this killer. At first I had some doubts about Adam being capable of murder, but the more I learned about Adam, the more believable it became. It might have been nice to see another death scene instead of some of the conversations that went on a little long. I found it particularly interesting how the movie ended putting Adam in a similar situation to the teen he murdered. I didn’t really know what to expect, but I did have plenty of joy watching this movie so I give it 2.5 pools of blood.
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