Scorn

Based on a true story (and hours of prison interviews with one Darren Hueneman), this seeks to get inside the mind of an arrogant gay 17-year-old who couldn't wait for his multi-million dollar inheritance, and enlisted a couple of stooges from class to bump off his mother and granny. Apparently, the prime motive was to bankroll Darren's ingenious scheme to invade Brunei. He also identified unhealthily with his starring role in the school production of Camus' Caligula. The film has a striking lead performance from young Malcolm McDowell lookalike Eric Johnson, intimates plenty, and avoids the obvious pitfalls, but it's still pretty close to the TV movie fare satirised in Serial Mom and To Die For, and a bit of a disappointment after the director's Such a Long Journey.