There is a defining moment in "Bad Tutor" when the villainous chemistry tutor Devin takes a beer bottle to his teeth, attempting to open it and doing painful damage to a tooth in the process. This sado-masochistic act enables him to set an emergency appoint with the dentist Dr. Kelly Armstrong, whose daughter Emily, an aspiring pop singer, is the subject of Devin's obsession.
Devin was in love with Miss Alexis Ann Chambers, and, when she rejected his marriage proposal, he pushed off a cliff on the California coast. But young Emily is a lookalike for Alexis, and Devin begins his relentless pursuit of her, creating mayhem, madness, and murder in the process.
An intriguing scene in the film was when Devin drugs the tutor Katrina Ayers, and she goes so loopy that she loses the tutoring job. Devin takes her place, and it turns out that he is a good tutor. Emily's grades improve, and Devin finds a way to get her an audition with a recording studio.
It was unfortunate that the filmmakers could not sustain the light side of Devin's demonic personality. Emily's musical partner, Steve, is not as lucky as Katrina, when Devin asphyxiates Steve in his garage. The film was also a slow burner, and the pace did not pick up until the final fifteen minutes. The denouement that reveals Devin still on the loose and now using an alias was too far-fetched, especially since he took the same fall as poor Alexis.
The performances were first-rate, and the actor playing Devin generated some puckish charm. But there needed to be more idiosyncratic choices to make this a truly watchable experience. Early in the film, the wacky antics of Katrina showed promise, but the film then settled into a routine and predictable formula.
Devin was in love with Miss Alexis Ann Chambers, and, when she rejected his marriage proposal, he pushed off a cliff on the California coast. But young Emily is a lookalike for Alexis, and Devin begins his relentless pursuit of her, creating mayhem, madness, and murder in the process.
An intriguing scene in the film was when Devin drugs the tutor Katrina Ayers, and she goes so loopy that she loses the tutoring job. Devin takes her place, and it turns out that he is a good tutor. Emily's grades improve, and Devin finds a way to get her an audition with a recording studio.
It was unfortunate that the filmmakers could not sustain the light side of Devin's demonic personality. Emily's musical partner, Steve, is not as lucky as Katrina, when Devin asphyxiates Steve in his garage. The film was also a slow burner, and the pace did not pick up until the final fifteen minutes. The denouement that reveals Devin still on the loose and now using an alias was too far-fetched, especially since he took the same fall as poor Alexis.
The performances were first-rate, and the actor playing Devin generated some puckish charm. But there needed to be more idiosyncratic choices to make this a truly watchable experience. Early in the film, the wacky antics of Katrina showed promise, but the film then settled into a routine and predictable formula.