Evilenko (2004)

Based on the true story of Andrei Chikatilo, also known as the monster of Rostov. Andrei Evilenko (Malcolm McDowell) is a Russian serial killer who killed and ate more than 50 children in the 1980s when the old Soviet Republic still existed.

You know the joke - "I like children but I could never eat a whole one!" - well, this guy really did eat them. And we aren't talking jelly babies either!

This is hardly a masterpiece of movie making, it's a bit slow and Twin Peaks-like at times, but Malcolm McDowell does a really good job of being a psycho even if his accent does slip occasionally. There are some really good scenes and some quite nasty moments too. So I have to recommend it to anyone who has never heard of this serial killer before.

Yes, the movie will be compared and come out a poor second to "The Silence of the Lambs", and Malcolm McDowell could have been lot nastier as the inspiration behind this was, but it all works and there is nothing really bad about the work put into this story at all.

In 1995, "Citizen X" told much the same story but from a slightly different angle. So, for completeness, you should really watch the two. I think this version has the edge over the "Citizen X" though as it focuses more on the killer himself rather than the detective leading the investigation. "Citizen X' really is "Silence of the Lambs" for those who like to notice the obvious.

The big question is, with a name like Evilenko, how come nobody ever realised he was going to be "evil"? Hmmmm...