Oh, boy. It seems that the story of Gilberto Valle, the NYPD officer who was recently arrested by the FBI for plotting to rape, torture, murder and cook over 100 women, is going to be loosely adapted for the big screen.
Screenwriter Jack “J.R.” Rehr, co-author of the upcoming action/horror flick RED MACHINE, will be tackling the premise. The film, currently untitled, is being produced by part of the team behind 300, PIRAHNA 3D, and LAND OF THE DEAD. The current pitch for the film is “Se7en meets The Silence of the Lambs meets ‘Hell’s Kitchen.'”Wait, do they mean “Hell’s Kitchen” the reality show? Or just HELL’S KITCHEN like the David Arquette/Angelina Jolie movie from 1998? Or just the place itself? None of the options seem to make any sense to me. These announcements need to stop relying on pop cultural references to explain their premise. I mean, didn’t ADAPTATION mock that sort of pitching enough?
As for the film itself, “loosely” basing a horror flick on a ghastly, recent crime is nothing new (see MANIAC and DIRTY HARRY for major touchstones in the genre). Still, the fact that the news is so fresh in our minds makes me feel kind of weird about it. What do you guys think? Is the story of the “NYPD Ghoul” fare game for a fictitious horror flick? Talk back with your thoughts below…