Cinematic chronicling of the Richard Speck nursing dorm murders

RELEASED IN 2002 and directed by Keith Walley, “Speck” stars Doug Cole as the real-life mass murderer, Richard Speck, who savagely terrorized nine nursing students at a townhouse functioning as a dormitory in south Chicago, 1966. He murdered eight of them one-by-one. The ninth woman (Beverly Sotelo) only managed to survive by hiding under a bed while Speck was out of the room. In his drug-addled state the killer probably lost count. The woman’s witness was key in capturing the man with the crude forearm tattoo that read: “Born to raise hell.”

The topic is distasteful, to say the least, but the movie effectively chronicles the events of late night July 13, 1966. Although this is a low-budget independent flick, it’s competently made with quality actors. The score is one-note disturbing and haunting while the tone is dream-like, thoroughly austere and horrific. The murderer’s narration throughout by Cole is akin to Willard’s narration in “Apocalypse Now” (1979). It’s based on the real-life Speck’s blatherings combined with that of other renown murderers as well (e.g. Dahmer) and no doubt the writers' imagination. Regardless, the well-written sociopathic verbiage successfully puts you in the mind of the slayer and doesn’t cop-out in regards to psychological scrutiny. In short, the narration boldly unveils the awful truth and is expertly delivered by Cole; the movie should be commended for this.

The only thing that holds “Speck” back is the one-dimensional story itself. The first hour is comprised of the thug’s invasion of the townhouse, his terrorizing of the girls and their systematic murders. The compelling final act records the aftermath and ultimate apprehension. It’s all thoroughly convincing, but not entertaining in the manner of, say, the Friday the 13th flicks, probably because the producers intended “Speck” to be a wholly realistic account of the true murders; and it is. The Friday the 13th movies are sometimes fun and the murders can even be amusing; not so here.

A life-long prisoner, Speck died of a heart attack 25 years after his crime in 1991 (WAY too long of a wait for justice). Concerning his murderous transgressions, he said: “I had no feelings at all that night. They said there was blood all over the place. I can't remember. It felt like nothing ... I'm sorry as hell; for those girls and for their families, and for me. If I had to do it over again, it would be a simple house burglary." He was a thoroughly sick bastage who unfortunately descended into depravity in prison, a sad waste of human potential, but at least he honestly admitted that he was sorry for what he did.

THE MOVIE RUNS 79 minutes. The script was written by Don Adams & Aaron Pope.

GRADE: B/B- (6.5/10)