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Who is the psycho killer and what are his motivations?

posted 5 years ago by Wuchak (8732)
7 replies | jump to latest

There's a line somewhere in the first hour's drama about a girl who was humiliated by a sorority hazing and jumped from the tower a little while back, so maybe this is her father or brother getting "revenge"?

Critics complain that the killer doesn’t have a mask and is without personality or motivation. But the lack of disguise makes the movie more realistic since a cumbersome mask wouldn’t be practical for an effective killer.

Also, if you pay attention, one of the themes of the picture is the psycho killer that appears out of nowhere and seemingly slays at random, like the real-life Texas Tower Sniper at the University of Texas in Austin on August 1, 1966. Last weekend there were two massacres in El Paso and Dayton. How do you prepare for such an attack and how do you improve your chances of survival and victory if there is one?

I realize “Final Exam” is an early 80's slasher, but it addresses such issues.

[–] ODB82 (2055) 5 years ago

I did want to know what he was there killing for aside from just being a psycho.
More importantly, who cut his hair and why was he moving so damn slow all the time. He seemed to be just a regular human but he stalked around like an unstoppable force without a care in the world. Especially, after he cut those ropes off, he had to have sprung up that tree like a damn cat. He only moves fast when he wants to jump out of a tree?

[–] Wuchak (8732) 5 years ago

The movie seems to be saying that there are people who lose it mentally and become intent on killing others, including innocent strangers. The details aren't known. This particular killer is big & tough and knows it, as witnessed by how easily he handles the muscular jock. His lack of personality and steadfast conviction reveal someone who (1) is confident of his prowess and (2) has snapped mentally/spiritually. In a sense, he's no longer there; he's now just a killing machine, come what may.

[–] ODB82 (2055) 5 years ago

I get all that and I’m fine with it. Just for personal preference, I enjoy some type of back story or a big reveal scene.
I guess I would have liked him show some sense of urgency about catch a potentially escaping victim. I doubt he wanted to be caught or lost see a kill.
Also, Wildman was an idiot that probably would have got his ass kicked by about anybody. He ran directly at him just screaming. He ate shaving cream and sprayed deodorant on the outside of his clothes and in his mouth. If Wildman put up a good fight I might have shut the movie off.

[–] Wuchak (8732) 5 years ago

But Wildman was a bully (albeit somewhat genial) and clearly bigger than all the other students, not to mention fit since he regularly exercised for sports. Yes, Wildman did idiotic things, but that doesn't necessarily mean he was a pushover.

The movie seems to keep the killer a mystery, unless -- as mentioned -- he's the father or brother of the girl who jumped from the tower because she failed to get into the sorority. In that case, he's on a mission of misguided vengeance.

If not, then he must be some random psycho killer that Radish noted when talking with Courtney.

[–] ODB82 (2055) 5 years ago

I don’t know. It seemed like he barely made any attempt to fight back. He was a bully and probably never actually had to fight anyone other than knocking someone like Radish down. He couldn’t fight and wasn’t too stupid to formulate some type of combat strategy.

I’m going with just a random nut job. If it was a family member of the tower girl, you would think they would have have cleared that up.

[–] Wuchak (8732) 5 years ago

That's a good point about Wildman.

He was annoying but somewhat likable; and his abuses of less formidable students weren't too severe (of course any abuse is not good since it's the misuse of power & position).

Yeah, the filmmakers kept the killer a mystery despite potential hints. After the movie ends the authorities would've found out who he was and maybe discover his motivations, if any.

[–] ODB82 (2055) 5 years ago

Wildman amuses me a bit and I do think he was relatively harmless as far as bullies go. I don’t think he would beat the shit out of Radish or anything. I laughed when he pushed home over. Loved when he busted that trophy for no reason except that he’s an asshole.

The tower girl mention seemed like it meant something but was pointless and maybe it was meant to be. It felt like it was going somewhere. It was like they were heading towards that and just scrapped it. Curious what the filmmakers would say.