Its a shame there aren't more horrors giving supernatural power to camera. The camera is an interesting thing after all, an eye of metal and glass that blinks and flashes and traps forever. Then there's the tension between impartiality of device and whim of user, the intermediaries between image capture and development, all kinds of potential. Fatal Images may not be especially advanced or ambitious by most standards, but as far as late 80's SOV slashers go its pretty much a minor gem. It also marks the beginning of the Dennis Devine/Steve Jarvis partnership that has been cheerfully pumping out budget horror for over a couple of decades now. Like their second film, the undervalued and gnarly Dead Girls (1990), Fatal Images distinguishes itself through a storyline with a bit of thought put into it and a script that takes on notions like character and motivation, one that actually seeks to flesh out its players and story rather than simply ploughing from one kill scene to the next with no care other than pleasing slack jawed teens. As an result its more compelling than expected with likable characters and even a few chuckles. The story sees ambitious photographer Amy buy a rare camera for a song at a pawn shop, only to discover that those she photographs wind up offed by the spirit of a serial killer who dwells within. The bodies pile as the situation becomes clear and its up to her to stop the menace while she still has the opportunity. Although the story and its ins and outs aren't all that surprising its a pretty well mounted affair, a decent pace allows for a steady feed of death as the pieces come together and the key players grow in our sympathies before a decent, even mildly exciting finale. The cast are about as good as one might expect, none are serious thesps and most either did no more films or just one or two (with a couple of personnel reappearing in Dead Girls. The vaguely leonine visaged Lane Coyle brings nice shades of frustration and dry humour as Amy, Kay Schaber is suitably bright as her colleague and housemate, and everyone else pretty much does their bit. Happily the killer (played by David Williams) has a decent imposing physical presence and a knack for mad eyes so he comes off pretty well. There isn't a whole lot of gore so the killer being good is a real boon in making the kills work, though stark compositions and sharp editing convey a certain impact even if there isn't often gore (though don't worry, this isn't a bloodless affair and does pack a few grisly moments including a fun arm ripping). There's good use of the extreme close up as well, including menacing extreme beard close ups. It all goes down nicely if not all that strikingly, it does a lot better than most of its contemporaries but is still one for enthusiasts only. But if you're the kind of person who has to see films like this, it'll surely repay your time.
