‘The Hart-Break Killer’ (2019) Movie Review

When I first watched The Hart-Break Killer Death-scort Services‘ Sean Donohue’s (read our interview with him here) film reminded me quite a bit of Richie Moore’s Who’s Watching Oliver? (2018 – read our review here). The similarities between the two main characters are astonishing. The ones I quickly noticed from the two films are that the main characters have very similar motives, trying to find love in all the wrong places and having some sort of anxiety-driven issues that causes them to lash out easily.

Synopsis:

Meet Robert. Robert has a little problem that just won’t go away. He’s a lonely guy looking for love in all the wrong places. He can’t figure out what he wants but he wants what he can never have. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Robert Hart.

I did like the performances of the actors and actresses a lot! However, when watching this, I couldn’t help but find the shoe-string budget (just under $2,000) a little distracting. For instance: the set design and editing weren’t all that great, in my opinion. The filmmakers didn’t do a very good job hiding these budget issues, either. There are examples of great films hiding the micro-budgets, like Halloween (1978) and Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Then there are films from Troma (Tromeo and Juliet, Nuke Em’ High, Toxic Avenger), Roger Corman (Galaxy Of Terror, Death Race 2000, Pirahna), and the current king of hiding small budgets, Robert Rodríguezes, who made El Mariachi, one of my all time favorites. There’s no denying that there are films out there that work well, even with tiny budgets.

I do give the cast tons of credit for keeping the viewer along for the ride with their compelling acting. The pace never seems terribly slow. Eight The Chosen One does a formidable job as Robert Hart, who would give any creepy character a run for his money. Lexi Balestrieri was a real scene stealer as the seductive Pam, whom Robert has a serious eye for.

When it comes to the story for movies like The Hart-Break Killer, you know what you’re going to get. If you’re used to watching low budget movies like I am, this may not bother you at all, but even I found it to be a struggle to watch at points. I saw what it was aiming for, and maybe it just wasn’t my thing at the end. However, the lead did a very good job trying to carry the film. As far as this movie goes, the cast and crew did a good job elevating this movie above my expectations. I would recommend this film, especially if you’re looking to support small indie horror productions. Just because I felt a certain way about The Hart-Break Killer doesn’t mean you’ll feel the same way.