Looky-loo (2024) Film Review - Through the Eyes of A Killer

Almost entirely free of dialogue, Looky-loo (2024) gives viewers the view from a killer’s own eyes as he stalks and plans multiple murders. The nameless killer, gains confidence with each successful murder, finding more violent and extreme ways to take out his victims. Yet, the more bravado he has, the closer he comes to being discovered by the authorities.

There is a voyeuristic, almost fetishistic, approach to Jason Zink’s Looky-loo, which creates abundant discomfort. Given little to go on about the killer, the audience follows through his daily routine with little context, other than his growing desire to murder. The escalation from the original, which comes across as accidental after his stalking victim runs into him, to the quick slashes and bashes of other citizens can be jarring.

Still from the film Looky-Loo

On a purely visceral level, Looky-loo succeeds in shock value, albeit with slightly diminishing returns, but beyond this, the feature falters in several aspects. Notably, the appeal of serial killer features, for many, is getting into the psychology of a murderer, which is lacking in Looky-loo beyond the targeting of women. While dialogue-free, this could have been implemented in other ways. The approach here was to make a killer a vessel for the viewers to place themselves in, which won’t work for all audiences.

The approach to violence also has an unfortunate duality; leaning into realism is unsettling, but the lack of theatrics offers less entertainment value. Even at its most sadistic, the movie lacks practical effects or those defining shots of a madman toying with the ghastly remains of his prey. As such, the direction Looky-loo takes will be divisive, with some adoring the unsettling nature of aiming for authenticity and others being bored by the lack of flair–particularly with both the serial-killer and found-footage genre offering many titles that offer thrills in abundance.

Murder Victim in Looky Loo

Visually, the film is sharp, shot on high-quality digital, everything is clear, and one does feel immersed in the world of a silent killer. The performances are harder to gauge, but not all victims in the Looky-loo are made equal, and sometimes, the illusion breaks down slightly. The barren sound design also works well with the intended ambiance of a lurking murderer.

There is a viable audience for Looky-loo, with the movie purposely left open for audience participation in trying to unravel the killer and find focal points in his modus operandi, perhaps even homages to such films as Maniac. However, the feature format feels drawn out with the lack of dialogue, and even as the murders escalate in brutality, most will find them less shocking due to pacing and repetitiveness.

Most will be able to get the same reaction from a short YouTube film aiming for similar shock and not have to sit through mundane tasks used to string one kill into the other. However, if the idea of having an intimate view from a killer/stalker has appeal, Looky-loo (2024) is still worth a… looky-loo…