Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman (2021)

Directed by: Daniel Farrands | 85 minutes | drama, horror | Actors: Peyton List, Tobin Bell, Lydia Hearst, Swen Temmel, Andrew Biernat, Ashley Atwood, Christa Collins, Christopher Corbin, Joseph Schwartz, Ben Smith-Petersen, Leslie Stratton, Hamish Sturgeon, Nick Vallelonga, Buz Wallick, Meadow Williams

What do you do when the world seems to have had enough of villains with strange masks on and supernatural powers? Then you go back to reality! Director Daniel Farrands decided to draw inspiration from the life of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. After a life of abuse and sexual exploitation, this lady decided it was time to stand up for herself and take on her worst enemy: men!

Aileen Wuornos: American Boogeywoman, in her own words, is “based on the early life of Aileen Wuornos, America’s most notorious serial killer.” The big thumbs of the scriptwriter and Farrands are also involved, because this is clearly not a film that can be influenced by reality. In 1976, a young Aileen arrives in Florida. The woman is looking for a new life and hopes to escape her tragic past. She meets yacht club president Lewis Gratz Fell and gets the chance to start over. Her happiness is short-lived, as demons from the past won’t leave her alone.

The much too handsome Peyton List plays Wuornos and that takes you right out of the film. You’re looking at an attractive actress, not a character based on an actual human being. Although List is not wrong, she is not convincing as a bitter woman marked by life. List grimacingly portrays a one-dimensional villain. That’s okay, but if you’re making a movie where you’re dealing with a real person who is responsible for a number of deaths, it’s kind of tacky.

You are dealing with relatives of people who were killed by Wuornos. This film serves as silly entertainment and barely considers the consequences and aftermath of Wuornos’ massacres. What remains is a cheaply made TV movie that thrives on sensationalism and a notorious name. A waste of your time.