WFG RATING: A

Breaking Glass Pictures presents a Crappy World Pictures/Dance On Productions/Laurelwood Pictures production. Written, edited, and directed by Chad Ferrin. Produced by Chad Ferrin, Robert Miano, and Jeff Olan. Cinematography by Jeff Billings. 

Stars Susan Priver, Jake Busey, Kate Patel, Bai Ling, Robert Miano, Michael Cambridge, Scott Vogel, and Kelli Maroney. 

A psychic learns the hard way why solving a case will lead to a new string of murders in the latest film from the great Chad Ferrin.

Clementine Carter is a psychic who gained fame for stopping a serial murderer known as the Scalper. She has become a celebrity as a result and when she appears on a local radio show, she is happy to talk about her experiences in stopping the Scalper. However, she soon learns with fame comes a major price. When her friend Jade Mei calls in to congratulate Clementine, the psychic and host are shocked when Clementine realizes Jade has been killed. 

When Clementine meets Detectives Hayden and Lupino, she is met with resistance from the latter, as she blames the psychic for not saving her policeman dad and his partner, victims of the Scalper. She soon learns there is now a copycat murderer on the loose as the original Scalper was killed in prison. With the help of her father as well as the ghosts of victims past, she is determined to do what she had done before and that’s to stop the new Scalper. 

After making the very exploitative and awesome biopic Pig Killer, Chad Ferrin is back with his brand of horror with this film that can be best described as a love child of Poltergeist, Maniac, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The film’s opening minutes are unforgettable as we are introduced to our killer, donning a stocking over their face as they dispatch their first victim in a manner that is just gross out from the get-go. 

Susan Priver is excellent in the role of psychic Clementine, who had stopped the previous Scalper (played in a cameo by film legend Steve Railsback), and now finds herself both a hero and a pariah. She is met with disdain from the likes of Detective Lupino, played by Kate Patel where her partner Hayden, played by Jake Busey, seems to trust her. We also see some worry in part from her father, played by Robert Miano. What’s fascinating about the film is we see Clementine in both the real world and afterlife or spiritual world, where her mother is played by 80s icon and WorldFilmGeek Hall of Famer Kelli Maroney.

Joe Castro’s special effects are nothing short of amazing here. After working on the great That’s a Wrap, he brings the A-game where we see Bai Ling as the new Scalper’s 3rd victim and in a sick and twisted twist, the Scalper goes Leatherface and brandishes Ling’s face as a disguise. Some of the deaths (like the opening kill) are out right out there with others getting more of a straight up Maniac style brand of offing victims. 

If you’re in the mood to start out with some over the top kills to kick off 2024, you found your film in Scalper, which actually has a good story, marking another notch for Chad Ferrin. Horror fans should definitely check this out. 

The film will debut on Digital on January 16.