I Know Who Killed Me

When people are led to believe they are walking into a theatre to watch a crime/thriller movie and end up having to sit through an adult horror flick many tend to come away disgruntled with Hollywood. I know I did with “I Know Who Killed Me”. I can only guess at the discussion a mom and 13 year old daughter had afterwards that were in the same showing.

The movie begins with a visual representation of a story Aubrey (Lindsay Lohan) has written and is reading to her class. The scene is at a gentleman’s club with a woman not unlike Aubrey dancing at the pole. After her successful reading, Aubrey decides to set aside some of her other endeavors that merely get her awards and begins focusing on writing as her career. The town of New Salem is reeling from another of its students who had been kidnapped, tortured then killed. This puts a lot of fear into the community when Aubrey ends up missing.

The search lasts for several weeks until a driver spots her laying abandoned along a country road. After waking at the hospital, the young girl, who was apparently tortured, insisted that she wasn’t Aubrey, but someone who looks just like her named Dakota. The rest of the movie is spent with her family and friends trying to help her see that she is going through post-traumatic stress syndrome and really is Aubrey Fleming. The young girl herself searches for clues about how her name, Dakota Moss, was used as a character in Aubrey’s fictional story almost a month before her abduction.

As an adult horror film there are plenty of moral problems with the film, and those who are squeamish about such things may want to skip down to the final paragraph to read my take on the movie. One ethical difficulty is that of language. The F-word is used almost 20 times while God’s name is misused an additional 10 times with an equal number of other foul language.

As an adult movie, there is no lack of sexual immorality. There are at least 4 or 5 extended scenes set inside a stripper club. One of these begins the film and early on zooms in on a woman’s bare breast. At other times strippers are seen full frontal, wearing only the skimpiest of panties and heels. Other scenes include exotic dancers trying to arouse their male clientele doing pole and table dances wearing only stick-ons and thongs. Some of these dances are shown in close up view. The Dakota character is also shown having sex with Aubrey’s boyfriend. The boyfriend is shirtless, and Dakota’s bare back is shown. This extended scene is complete with sexual movements and sounds. Other nudity includes the naked body of a slain girl shown full frontal on a table. This picture is shown several times throughout the movie.

Even some who like horror movies won’t be able to keep their eyes fixed on the screen at all times. The music and screams combined with torture are too much for a few who like the genre. Aubrey is drugged to keep her awake during the agony. The killer is shown using a press to squeeze two blocks of dry ice on either side of Aubrey’s hand until it turns black and blue from frostbite. The view of when he pulls it off her hand is too horrendous for me to print here. A close up shot of him slowly cutting off one of her fingers is then shown along with him amputating one of her legs. All of this is done with her awake and screaming.

* If you skipped the previous part of the review due to the sex/nudity or gore you can continue reading now.

While the film is morally degrading, it isn’t without a couple positive aspects. Technically, the film was of good quality in the acting, directing and even the writing. There were also a couple moral actions performed by Aubrey’s parents. Aubrey’s dad risks his life for his daughter and her mom, wanting to help her cope with life tells her, “Kick your way to the other side of this problem, and I’ll be there.”

I have to ask myself, however, which came first—Lindsay Lohan the person, or Aubrey Fleming the character? Lindsay Lohan is a wonderful young actress with so much life and potential, who seems to be throwing it all away for drugs and alcohol. Her Aubrey Fleming/Dakota Moss character seems almost autobiographical. Aubrey is smart and successful at everything she attempts, while Dakota needs drugs to make it through her next exotic dance routine at the topless bar. One can only pray that Ms. Lohan discovers that it’s Jesus Christ alone that can meet her deep needs before it’s too late.

The R-rating, mixed with the horror and adult elements, make “I Know Who Killed Me” unacceptable viewing. It makes me wonder why they insist on making such films when they’re going to receive so little return on their investment.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Heavy