Payton Collins: Serial

By: Brian on Amazon

By
Brian R Yandle "Brian R Yandle" (High Point, NC) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Payton Collins Serial (DVD)
Warning: This film is recommended only to viewers ages 17 or older.

Sadly, we can sometimes spend months if not years looking for great entertainment only to find ourselves just frustrated more often than not. It can be a bit overwhelming when you have many options & so few reliable sources which differentiate between great cinema & mediocre or abysmal films. If you're anything like me & you're finding most films a bit too cliche or formulaic these days, you're definitely in need of fresh air & hopefully I've a great option just for you.

Perhaps what strikes a nerve with me (even as I'm writing this review) is the mere fact that Payton Collins seems frighteningly real & some of us may even go so far as to wonder whether or not we've ever encountered a real Payton in our own lives. It's a disturbing & truly hideous notion that such monsters exist in society but the film is a constant reminder that we are, indeed, lucky to not have crossed paths with the "Payton Collins" of the world.

I'll begin by telling you that Brent Collins makes a splendid Payton & I tip my hat to Toby Ross for making this excellent choice. Not only is Brent Collins attractive in every traditional sense of the word, his eyes are literally as cold & haunting as his facial expressions which undoubtedly will leave chills down your spine. Without question, Brent Collins is now joining ranks with the late Joe Spinell who left us scared out of our minds when he played Frank Zito in the Grindhouse classic Maniac. If you're NOT just a tad bit fearful of the dark after watching Payton, you're probably already dead. Needless to say, it would be quite interesting to see what roles Brent Collins will accept or audition for in the future. As for me, I will always remember him as the serial killer known as Payton Collins.

Naturally, I love dark films of all kinds and do literally go out of my way to watch even the most extreme ones. Even though Payton Collins could never be considered extreme per se, Ross has crafted a character that not not only take you out of your comfort zone but a true human being that we can, at times, feel sympathetic for. Whereas most people would want to indict the man for his heinous crimes against men & some women, very few people realize that monsters aren't born monsters. In fact, most of us are merely bi-products of families that inflict pain upon us or a society which is as cold as it is uncaring. Having said that, we can never truly bring ourselves to hate Payton nor completely condemn him as it's crystal clear that he came from a troubled world which did nothing to foster his overall well-being.

What begins as a well-developed pseudo-documentary which would make an excellent film in itself becomes something more than what any of us could've expected or even hoped for. Payton Collins not only succeeds in being a study of a deranged mind through fictitious interviews (which go into great depth) but also the film unfolds into a terrific psychological film as we are allowed access into the mind of what would seem to be a true psychopath. At the end of the film, I'm left feeling much different than I was in the very beginning. Toby Ross has a way of taking such isolated incidents, testimonies of those who knew Payton, & an interview with Payton himself to unveil the utter madness of a man whose dark desires were the catalyst for unspeakable crimes. Toby rolls the dice & wins!

Although there is quite a bit of nudity & aberrant sexuality, the adult material is never prolonged for the most or overly graphic. In fact, I wouldn't say that every viewer who engages in viewing Payton Collins will find the material titillating given the disturbing subject matter. Nevertheless, the cast of young men are extremely attractive irregardless of whether or not they are undraped or engaged in sexual activity.

I would definitely recommend Payton Collins to lovers of psychological thrillers, dark erotica, or pseudo-documentaries. Toby Ross has made an indie masterpiece which is worthy of great praise & definitely one that will stick with you long after the initial viewing. Without question, Payton Collins is truly worthy of repeated viewings as our fragile minds aren't likely to comprehend everything during the first go around which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Lastly, go out & get yourself a copy or buy one for somebody you love. Don't go hunting around Redbox or Netflix for some inferior titles as you'd be wasting precious time. Get the reel deal here at TLA.

By: James McQuiston-Editor, NeuFutur magazine

It is rare to view a film that has so many nods to different genres. In the case of Payton Collins Serial , director Toby Ross is able to blend horror, thriller, and erotic elements into what ey calls darkotica. It is this ability to move seamlessly through these different genres is why the film becomes inviting, but the roles turned in by the different members of the cast is what will likely keep them. Ross's work on Payton Collins Serial does a tremendous job at breaking down any walls that may still exist when it comes to LGBT politics and horror.

While Payton Collins is a horrible person in film ? the sheer amount of murders that go down by his hand is astounding ? there is no furtherance of different stereotypes. In fact, Payton Collins Serial succeeds as a horror movie also due to the fact that it defies many of the tested and true filming setups , deciding rather to take the path less traveled. To speak more about the erotic elements of Payton Collins Serial , Toby Ross does well in infusing all of Collins' actions with a certain sexuality. Nudity is present in the film, but it does not seem to be egregious in the slightest.

Perfectly balanced and with understandable actions taken by the cast, Payton Collins Serial is one of the few horror movies that genuinely seem new and exciting to me. Furthermore, the story lends its to repeated viewings as different bits and pieces will become more clear on the second or third viewing. Make sure to order Payton Collins Serial from your local well-stocked video store or find it at a number of online companies.

James McQuiston
NeuFutur Magazine
Editor

By: Amos Lassen

I have long been a fan of Toby Ross and thought I had an idea about the kind of films he makes but then... along came "Payton". I suppose that the suspense of the film threw me as did the darkness and I found myself on the edge of my seat as I watched it. There was no sign of Ross's tongue in the cheek humor and the men while very good looking were handsome in a different way. Also the usual Toby Ross sex scenes were different than what we are used to and this time the eroticism takes a different form. But do not get me wrong-I loved the film and as I think about it, I find it to be the most thought provoking of all of his films.
Payton Collins (Brent Collins) is unforgettable-a man so twisted and so evil that he is beyond imagination. If his eyes were mirrors to his soul, he had none. Looking at him sends shivers and makes me feel contempt. His closet was filled with dirt and when he came out of that closet he brought it all out with him. What I did not understand is how anyone could have been attracted to him. Even his own mother was not wild about him-- she seemed to love him as a mother but despised him as a person. He and killed and we never really know what brought him to that. He had had the chance to have a good career and be a respected member of society but evil took over his mind and once he began he was unable to turn back.
The characters that provide the story here are the police officers and Payton himself and we get the facts in bits and pieces. We never really get the whole story and we are left to think about it.
Some of what I saw will stay with me for a very long time. I watched the movie late at night and what was interesting was that I had to stop about halfway through and relax. It was at that point that my Jack Russell Terrorist, Sophie, left the room. I think she suspected that this film was coming to a violent point.
Everything about the film is first class. Payton's evil is portrayed in a way that is shocking and his portrayer is to be commended for a job well done. As his life is being played in his mind from his teen years to his failed marriage and the total depravity of his later life, we are let into his mind as well. There is a certain charm there that is hard to pinpoint and there is an enigmatic quality that about him on the positive side. Negatively we see that all of us have a hidden element of self loathing, that sentiment is a magnet to the likes of Payton. The boys he and murdered were excellent as well and it is interesting that they were able to do this while hardly uttering a word if any. Ross did a brilliant job of directing the film and casting it as well. In pushing the boundaries, he gives us a new kind of disturbing film that still manages to be entertaining.
The film has a very strong message that we hear when the FBI agent comes at the end and says. "Gay people alone don't have a monopoly on low self esteem, there is plenty of it to go around on the other side of the fence as well". This is one film not to be missed.

By: filmbuffcarl