Only for the most desperate true-crime buff, this TV movie-quality dramatization is about serial killer Ed Kemper and one certain cop's bond with him and his pursuit of him. Lame acting, worse dialogue (written by a former soft-core porn screenwriter), plot holes aplenty, and lackadaisical direction and editing. Many scenes are wide angle master-shots with no real framing, as the actors just meander on screen and recite their lines of dialogue. The plot is not very fact based considering it claims to be inspired by true events, it deviates from the facts of the case almost from square one. It seems like the screenwriters were not even familiar with the case when they wrote the screenplay. An interesting movie could have been made out of the story, but they did just about everything wrong here. And I did not know that people had laptop computers and cell phones with text messaging and photos in the 1970s?
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Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki22 October 2008
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s26444515 January 2011I rated this movie a 2 out of 10 for the simple reason it is fictional. The story of Ed Kemper is interesting especially to people who enjoy reading and studying serial killers like him, but this movie isn't that. They take the name of Ed Kemper and use it to make a movie and use the whole "based on actual events" trick to get it to sell. While they did use little tid bits here and there that were factual(like Ed sticking his moms vocal cords in the garbage disposal), this movie was fictional. That ruined the movie for me knowing that while watching it I wasn't seeing the actual story of Ed Kemper. Overall, if this was just another movie I would rate this up to a 5 for it just being a straight up independent film of new actors and directors(people have to start somewhere). But since this film used a serial killer's name to sell and claim to tell a true story, I give a 2.
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anaciporta16 November 2008Not only is the use of cell phones and laptops incredible for the early 70s, but the character playing Edmund Kemper is unbelievable--He appears to be in his early 40s. Kemper was only 24 years old when he was caught. In addition, they show scenes of heads in kitchens...one of a girl whose head is in the oven and the other of his mother whose head is attached to his kitchen wall after her death. I don't understand...his mother's head was actually stuffed in a closet and they don't even mention how he killed his mother's friend.
As for Harris, he has a very limited vocabulary and rather boring dialog. He puts some emotion into his character, but along with the cheap feeling the camera shots give, there is little to elevate the movie except for the character of Kemper and even that is lacking.
It seems as if they wanted to portray Kemper as a sad sort of Norman Bates type person...from what I understand, he was openly friends with several officers due to his gregarious personality. If the writers had made him more multidimensional and younger, more attractive, instead of just pathetic, they could have developed a much more intriguing plot. His mother was actually an attractive person (physically) and his murder of his grandparents is much more complex and interesting than his just having killed them while they were sleeping.
In other words, this plot has been so oversimplified as to just be about some sicko who sheds blood. Gone is the intellectual stimulation that the personality of a genius like Kemper's could have given the audience. His mother as well is pathetic and unidimensional. These people are so unlikable that the audience has no way to empathize with them and connect with the characters. Too bad it had to be all in black and white--the real life story has shades of gray and is much more provocative. -
scootmandutoo29 November 2009This movie was downright wretched. I watched it on Showtime Extreme and found myself cleaning while it was on, it was THAT awful.
What offends me most is this has nothing to do with the killings.
The real story is so much more compelling. A 15 year old kills both grandparents, then gets committed, only to go on a killing spree when he gets out of the psychiatric facility at the age of 21. He was also 6'9".
This film has the era wrong...this was the late 60s and early 70s. It also has all the facts, essentially wrong. Kemper was not an average-size man in his 40s. He was a giant of a man in his early 20s.
A decent film would have recreated the entire case, so there would at least be come thought provoking questions (i.e. how do you let out a psychopath to kill again). Halloween (the remake), is probably closer to the true story than this one was.
This was just a cheesy, badly-done splatter film that slapped the name Kemper on it, for no apparent reason.
"Psycho" really had little to do with the Ed Gein case. But it didn't really pretend to, and it was extremely well made.
"Kemper," on the other hand.....bottom of the barrel. -
screechinfo9 December 2009First of all, Ed Kemper was 6'9" tall - the actor playing him was short and way too old for the role. Kemper trolled college campuses for his victims and would not have been able to get to as many young women if he were in his 40's as he was portrayed.
Kemper was extremely intelligent and likable, but this merely portrays him as a one-note freak. Which he was not.
Dialogue terrible, and cell phones and computers in the 1970's! Who was the production designer? Glad I didn't pay to see this one. I wish a really fine movie would be made about this brilliant killer - too bad he wasn't able to use his smarts for the good of the world.
Even Kemper (he is still alive in prison) would roll with laughter at the way he's portrayed here.
Boring boring boring and pathetic piece of tripe. -
deadskinmask8712 September 2010If you watch this film and think it'll give you a good idea of the real events that this film is based on than you're going to be sadly misinformed. Crap crap crap of a film. Watch a documentary on the dude if you want a crazy story that is actually true. Really interesting serial killer. Once again terrible movie all around. The real guy hung out at a pub that was frequented with cops. He wasn't close friends with any of them and NONE of them NOT ONE had any idea that he was doing these crimes. He called and turned himself in from another state. He wasn't even a suspect. So even just watching the trailer to this movie I was like WTH?! I was extremely disappointed. Look up the real case and you'll have a good time with it. Dude was wicked and you think that someone would make a film worthy of that madness. Insane he was... Well save yourself the time and DO NOT watch this movie!
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piker-524 November 2015I grew up in Santa Cruz when Kemper was doing his terrible work, and so I have some familiarity with the gory details of this story. I mean, I never researched it but one picks things up from local news and talk around town. And without giving anything away, you can be sure that NOTHING in this movie is based on anything that happened in real life. In fact, I'm almost certain that they took an existing serial killer screen play and did a search and replace, swapping out "Mike Killington" with "Ed Kemper."
The locations don't look like Santa Cruz. The characters don't talk like humans. The cars are incorrect cars. The cel phones are... wait THERE WERE NO CEL PHONES IN THE EARLY SEVENTIES. Seriously, if there was any detail that could have been authentic, they found a way to make the exact opposite choice. It's kind of a marvel to see a movie with literally no correct decisions behind it. How does a thing like that happen?
Even if you never heard of Kemper you can appreciate this as a bad movie on its own terms. The acting is wooden and one-dimensional, the music is mostly synths, everyone is too pretty, the plot twists are like straight road through the midwest on a high-visibility day.
I guess what I'm saying is, if you have the attention span for stuff like this, it's the best time you'll ever have. -
jjggatti10 January 2020Only thing I have to say is after 10 minutes, I was slack jawed. If you have read any of the history of Ed Kemper and his crimes, you would know that only a REAL director with REAL actors and REAL money could give this tale justice and paint it the way it should be. Maybe it is just to difficult because of how horrifying the truth is or to horrifying to revisit. But all the same, this has no worth. Rent Predator.
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csr100016 December 2008Many above complained that the anachronisms like cell phones,laptops, modern cars, etc did not fit with the supposed time period. I can actually ignore or overlook this, since many films that are "inspired" by true events move them into a different decade.
What bothered me was that from the very first scene, the situations and dialogue were just too hard to believe. Even the awful acting could possibly pass if the movie was a little more well thought-out.
Almost every line that came out of each character's mouth was a cliché borrowed from years of TV police procedurals; to the point that it was almost like a parody. I wondered at points if it was from the makers of Scary Movie or Meet The Spartans! Unfortunately, there is not even any suspense throughout, because the "plot-twist" is transparent--you know who the killer is from very early on. I don't know if that is really a *spoiler* but I'll check the box just in case! Highly recommend not to watch, unless for comedic effect. -
synnyzter22 January 2020I wish I hadn't wasted my time. The acting made me cringe, possibly the worst acting I've ever seen actually and the plot is fictional, it's not at all accurate.
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cjones-8202913 September 2019Totally ridiculous. The guy playing the main cop in this film is only 6'1" . I'm the movie, the guy playing Kemper is same height as cop... But I'm real life, Kemper was 6'9" , very large build and smart. This guy acts like an idiot. All the acting is lame. Stopped watching after 30 minutes.
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Maybe it was my mood, maybe I was drawn in by the "based on a true story" lure, but I found this film peculiarly entertaining. I don't know how accurate it is as to the facts, but we do know there was this strange killer. The problem with the facts has to do with the description of Ed Kemper being a serial killer of the sixties and seventies, yet we're seeing newer cars and cell phones. Maybe I'm just obtuse, but when TV shows like the new "Life On Mars" are more accurately portraying a time period I have to wonder. Still, I was sucked in by the presentation and the story enough to watch it until the end. It's not that gory and it does rely heavily on character, it might be too mild for those seeking a real creep-out.
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poolandrews24 October 2010Kemper is set in Santa Cruz in California where two female murder victims are found within the space of a few hours, detective Tom Harris (Christopher Stapleton) is on the case & because of the different kill pattern he feels that two separate killers are on the loose. Harris seeks the help of his gifted friend Ed Kemper (Robert Sisko) who has helped catch serial killers in the past by creating a profile, sure enough Kemper's clues lead Harris to one of the killers but in a ironic twist it turns out that Kemper the man helping to catch serial killers is actually one himself & after he murders his abusive mother (Patricia Place) detective Harris has to hunt down & bring his one time friend to justice. Kemper regularly phones Harris & plays a cat & mouse game with him as he tries to make Harris understand why he became a serial killer...
Also known as Kemper: The Co-Ed Killer this was directed by Rick Bitzelberger & according to the opening credits is supposedly 'Based on True Events' although while there was indeed a serial killer called Ed Kemper (Edmund Kemper in reality & not Edward Kemper as he is called here) who killed several hitchhiking teenage girls in the late 60's & early 70's almost everything about this film & it's script is fabricated & a work of pure fiction. To be frank Kemper isn't even a reworking of the facts, there is nothing here in Kemper that relates to reality other than a guy whose last name is Kemper & kills a few people. The script invents this relationship between Kemper & a detective named Harris, while the twist that the man helping Harris to catch serial killers is in fact a serial killer himself we know that from the outset, we know Kemper is a killer so when the twist is revealed about a third of the way in it comes as absolutely no surprise whatsoever. While the cat & mouse relationship between Harris the hunter & Kemper the hunted as he teases & taunts Harris is a slightly different take on the usual serial killer thriller it only carries the film so far, eventually it just becomes a little boring as nothing else really happens. The pace is alright, at just under 90 minutes Kemper is watchable & alright for what it is but it's nothing to write home about & ultimately forgettable.
While the real Kemper was active in the late 60's & early 70's the makers probably couldn't afford a period piece & as such features mobile phones, new cars & is contemporary. The retro diner was probably a little reference to the actual period Kemper killed during but otherwise even the backdrop isn't right. There's a bit of gore, there are a couple of gory slit throats with a cop having his throat sliced open with some wire, a couple of decapitated heads including one in an oven (at least Kemper had the decency not to turn the oven on...) & a few dead bloody bodies. Reasonably well made Kemper looks decent enough, it looks like a polished television film rather than a full blown theatrical release though.
The production values are alright, it's quite well made without being anything special. The acting is alright, but again without being anything special.
Kemper is a decent enough time waster, a serial killer thriller based on true events that don't resemble those events in the slightest. Not the worse serial killer thriller out there but far from the best either. -
After watching the first half hour seeing flip cellphones in 1973 which weren't invented yet as well as a laptop computer and gps tracking at FBI I knew this movie was going to be a lemon but couldnt the writers and directors realized these obvious errors, including the Mitzubishi SUV that never existex in 73 I mean come on the coffee shop was the only real 70s theme with the old cash register and parlor chairs and clock. Dont waste your time unless you want to pick apart the various bloopers from the supposed 70s depicted but all fro the 90s and now what a joke
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ansaldofamily8 December 2019When you see the name Kemper you would expect there to be some accuracy between his crimes and what this movie depicts. There's not. Kempers crimes were horrific there's no need to make up things. Fail. Epic, colossal fail.
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Eddie hasn't been a skinny, short nerd since he was probably 7 years old. Do yourself a favor and watch Mindhunter instead.character character character.
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rosecalifornia1 November 2020You couldn't even tell this movie was about a horrific murderer.
The acting seemed like everyone was still in acting class.....and the "costumes" the way they made "Kemper look was Ridiculous the wig was a party city wig. -
RandyNichols1 November 2020I'm quitting after five minutes.. NO effort to be factual. The movie isn't shot in the appropriate time period.. Ed Kemper's murder trial was in 1973. This movie has cell phones. It seems to be depicted in about 2000 or perhaps later. The guy who plays character has a CLOSE relationship with the detective working the case. Kemper did NOT have a close relationship with any detective. As he has stated, he was friendly with certain beat cops and spoke to them at a local pub, but he made it a point NOT to discuss the crimes he was responsible for. He just listened. This movie is TOTAL fiction.
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mdgilmer-772256 August 2020A lot of people say the worst movie ever made was Ed Woods Plan 9 from Outer Space they are wrong! Kemper takes the prize the writers and director obviously didn't do any kind of research on this animal so many inaccuracies it would be impossible to list them all.
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timothycrugnale1 September 2018Has nothing at all to do with Edmund Kemper. I could have written it much better. Don't waste your time.
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catfish-er15 November 2009I saw KEMPER THE COED KILLER on Showtime the other night. I found it to be a good "true-crime" drama.
Yes, the acting could have been better... For example, I kept seeing an aged Dustin Hoffman as Kemper; and, a corny Steven Weber as detective Harris. What a hoot that would have been!
Even with the look-alike actors, I think KEMPER THE COED KILLER was fine for what it was. I think the acting was right on, the character development, though thin, was sufficient. The back-story filled in many of the missing pieces; and, the plot moved at a good pace.
I don't know how accurate it is as to the facts, as I never research Ed Kemper, like I did Ed Geins. However, the plot points about the over-bearing, invalid mother are too similar to that story, to assume that the "real" story was anything like the movie. I doubt that it was.
Still, Ed Kemper was a strange killer. He helps the police, he kills co-eds; and, hitchhikers, he kills his mother... those are not typical plot points in serial killer movies.
I like that it was set in a contemporary time period, instead of a more historically-accurate time. It makes you wonder, "could this happen today?" -
emilyfravel21 February 2023Where do I even begin?
It takes place is in the early 2000s. Kemper actually killed in the 70s.
Robert Sisko is shorter than most of the cops. Kemper is 6'9" in real life.
Kemper is shot by a sniper in the movie. He actually got bored waiting for LEOs to come after him, so he called the police on himself.
That's just the stuff that was glaringly obvious that they made up. The acting is horrible. The storyline is horrible. The cop talk and work is like it was written by AI that was forced to watch 1970s and 80s cop shows. I don't even know why I finished the whole thing. Do not waste your time. You'll be ashamed of yourself. -
kisskidsgreece13 January 2022Actor too short. In wrong time period. Inaccuracies galore. There were no cell phones in his killing period. Very disappointed. Portrays as happening in the new XX.
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lookingnewthings10 July 2022This movie is a work of pure fiction. The dude they have playing Ed Kemper is way too old for the part. Kemper was a very YOUNG man when he had his murder spree. This guy looks like he was old enough to be the mother's husband, not her son. Epic fail!
Second, Kemper turned himself in. The cops at the time were CLUELESS! No cops suspected him of Jack beans. It was a massive shock to most of the department when they found out Kemper comped to all of the murders. They were stunned. Another massive epic fail.
Don't waste your time.