INCALL: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN SERIAL KILLER

By Brock Riebe

Since early childhood, I've had a fascination with horror, thriller and films of a "dark" nature. I can remember, at the youngest of ages, watching such films as "Friday the 13th", "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", etc.. For some of us, these films are a source of excitement, fun and entertainment. For others, they are the stuff of nightmares. One reason, I believe,  that my mother allowed me to watch such films at a young age was that, unlike some children, they never gave me nightmares. I never viewed them as real, thus there was no basis for a nightmare. On the contrary, they helped me to process the fear and confusion that some of the REAL horrors in life, whether experienced directly or indirectly, invoked within me.

Other, much higher quality films that I viewed at a young age, such as "Sophie's Choice",  "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "Apartment Zero" also dealt with very dark subject matter, but on a much deeper and more realistic level. These films helped me begin to frame life's true horrors in a more realistic way. But it was the combination of ALL of these films that helped me to recognize, early on, the incredible value that films (or any medium) dealing with dark, human subject matter, have for society. I have known since childhood that I would make films, among other things, dealing with these types of subjects and themes.

Looking back, I believe that my early interest in horror and thriller films (and all things gruesome) was no different than my current interest. It was an extension of my desire to understand why there is so much suffering in the world and what can be done to stop it. I also want to know why and how one can intentionally inflict pain and suffering on another without feeling remorse or a sense that they must change their behavior and "make up" for what they have done in some way. That leads, rather seamlessly, to a curiosity and desire to understand what leads to the evolution of a SERIAL KILLER, which led me to the making of my new film, the indie cult-horror: "Incall".

Incall is the story of a young man, Kasey, who is "down on his luck".  He has no family or friends, except for an obnoxious, self-absorbed female, Beth, who always seems to show up at the wrong time (is it love?). In the film, Kasey has a part-time job at a debt collection company, which he hates, and is always on the brink of being fired. He also does "incall" massage from his apartment in the evenings to "make ends meet".

For those unfamiliar with that term, "incall" refers to a service offered, such as massage, for which the client comes to the service provider. In this case, the massage clients come to Kasey's apartment. This set up is less than ideal as Kasey, who is struggling for money (with a landlord who threatens to kick him out if the rent is even one day late),  is not likely placing ads for his services in the best of places, nor is he being sufficiently careful with whom he invites into his home. Most of his middle-aged, married, male clientele is looking for things OTHER than massage! This sets the stage for the accidental death of one particularly "pushy" client and then the urgent need to dispose of his body (Kasey is afraid to notify the police).
Enter Marco, a sexy drifter in the country under mysterious circumstances. Marco is a cat burglar, wanted by the police. In exchange for a place to hide out, Marco offers to help Kasey dispose of the dead client's body. So begins the rollercoaster ride of carnage and drama that ensues as Kasey and Marco, through a bizarre set of circumstances, begin intentionally luring clients (in order to rob them). Kasey and Marco soon find themselves in a race against time as they lure clients to their deaths to acquire sufficient funds to escape to Europe before they are discovered by the police, the landlord, or the obnoxious Beth!

The film is infused with well proportioned doses of dark comedy, but it never strays into territory that is outside the realm of possibility. Everything that happens in this film could happen in real life; and far worse has happened for far less. It was extremely important to me to maintain a certain level of realism throughout the film, as my goal was not only to entertain, but also to create a strong case for the central theme of the film:

- Under a predatory social construct, some of those slated as "prey", will ultimately rise up and become "predators" in self defense. -

As above; so below
There is an occult maxim: "As above; so below".  This refers to the basic truth that the macrocosm (the bigger picture or greater organization of something) is always reflected in the microcosm (the smaller picture or "common" manifestation) of that thing. This relates to American society in that its accepted "norms" and "values" are the natural offshoot of the bigger picture of its evolution, establishment and governance. American "culture" has developed over time based on unique events and circumstances. As such, what may be considered "normal" to the average American, might be considered extremely abnormal to one from another culture, or even to one who is American but prone to question his or her environment. The relevance of this maxim with regards to the creation of the American serial killer and how that relates to Incall can be summized as follows: The standards, values, and behaviors exhibited by larger American society, its governance and accepted social structures are reflected in that of the behavior of its people. The phenomenon of the American serial killer is, among other things, a mirror of American society's past through current moral integrity (or lack there of).
 
Not all are created equal
I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance, during which I mentioned my plans to spend time in Germany. As a result, that conversation quickly turned to the subject of Nazi Germany (a 12-year period in a culture that is over 1,000 years old). My acquaintance suddenly became very agitated, mentioning how frustrated he becomes when speaking with Germans about the subject of the European Jewish holocaust during the second world war, with a tone that indicated that he disapproved of my decision to go to Germany (this was not the first time that I had gotten a reaction like that when mentioning my travel plans). He mentioned how, on several occasions, he had become "offended" when speaking with Germans about the subject of the European Jewish holocaust. He felt that most Germans shied away from the subject, didn't want to talk about it, or attempted to discount it. I responded that I share similar frustration with most Americans when I bring up the subject of the Native American holocaust in the United States. To that, he had no response and seemed to be uncomfortable. I have experienced that same reaction from many Americans when discussing Native Americans. Many refuse to even acknowledge that the full scale slaughter and subsequent forced removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands was a holocaust.

The implications of this are clear: it is socially "acceptable" in the "mainstream" of contemporary American society to acknowledge and to voice anger or outrage over crimes committed against certain groups (such as European Jews) yet the same does not hold true for that of all groups (such as Native Americans). One may call foul on this argument, claiming that the Jewish holocaust in Europe is more recent and therefore more "relevant". Yet, that argument holds no water, as Pulitzer Prize-winning author, John Toland, notes in his book "Adolf Hitler" (pg. 202): "Hitler's concept of concentration camps as well as the practicality of genocide owed much, so he claimed, to his studies of English and United States history. He admired the camps for Boer prisoners in South Africa and for the Indians in the wild west; and often praised to his inner circle the efficiency of America's extermination—by starvation and uneven combat—of the red savages who could not be tamed by captivity."

The perpetrators of that horrific crime have gone completely unpunished. Furthermore, that crime's impact has been irreparably devastating to Native American people and has, in many ways, come to define that group even today. Indeed, "Columbus Day" is still a national "holiday" in the United States. There are many historical, political, and social reasons for this double standard (and many others) in American culture, yet none of them justify it.

In Incall, Kasey and Marco are drawn together, among other reasons, based on a common history of paternal abuse. In Kasey's case, he was sexually molested and abused by his father. This unresolved history leads Kasey to "recreate" scenarios in his adult life which mirror his past of being taken advantage of, or sexually exploited by an older male. His massage clients, who come to him ostensibly for "massage only", in reality are seeking sexual services. Although it is not explicitly stated in the film that Marco (who was also abused by his father) was sexually abused, one can easily imagine a similar back story for him regarding the unconscious recreation, in his early adult life, of scenarios relating to him being taken advantage of by older men. This is hinted at, among other ways, when Marco discovers Kasey's deceased, elderly, male massage client lying on the living room floor covered only with a towel (massage table in view). He quickly infers the nature of the interaction based on his previous experience with the dynamic of an older male (or "pervert fuck" as he calls them) attempting to take advantage of a younger male (with disastrous results in this case) for the purpose of sex.  It's this common bond between Kasey and Marco that ultimately leads to further killings. Both characters, based on past unresolved experiences, are able to reduce the value of  a certain segment of society (e.g., older men seeking sex with a younger man) thus justifying their decision to kill them. It is significant that neither Kasey nor Marco has a previous history of murder (nor any predisposition to murder) preceding these crimes.

A predatory social construct
The Native American holocaust in the United States is still regularly swept under the rug and minimized because it does not conveniently fit into "mainstream" established American rhetoric, "values", and/or culture.  A large segment of the American population (in past and present) completely looks past these horrific events because they are widely considered to be an "inconvenient truth". To acknowledge the truth of the Native American holocaust is to acknowledge that of the inherent inequalities in American society and culture as well as its predatory nature in general. I say "predatory" in the sense that, since its inception, certain segments of American society (the predators) have knowingly and willingly (often in plain sight) committed heinous atrocities (and/or allowed those crimes to happen to benefit from them) against other segments (the prey). These crimes, in many cases, have been common knowledge but have been conveniently ignored and/or invalidated as such by "mainstream" society. Those segments of society that have committed crimes against other segments, and/or have allowed them to be committed in order to reap their benefits (such as "white" settlers in the case of the Native American holocaust) have, in large part, fully denied that their actions (or inactions) were even crimes. They have historically manufactured rationalizations (such as "manifest destiny" or the "supremacy" of "whites" ) to explain away or to justify their behavior. To acknowledge a crime is to demand its proper punishment, as well as the return of ill-gotten gains that were the result of the crime's commission. Clearly, in a historical context, this explains the "mainstream" American attitude regarding the Native American holocaust.

Similar attitudes can be found in mainstream American culture regarding African American slavery in the United States (and that of many other crimes that have been committed against other marginalized and disenfranchised people and groups throughout the course of American history and up to the present; i.e.: Chinese Americans exploited during the construction of the American railroad system, Japanese Americans interned during the second world war, Muslim Americans, the poor, homosexuals etc...).  

Recently, I saw a post on facebook referencing America's "founding fathers" and their commitment to "freedom", implying that their "commitment" has somehow been lost over time. One of the figures pictured in this post was Thomas Jefferson, a known slave holder! His commitment to "freedom" was strong; as long as you were wealthy, "white" and male. Large segments of the American population continue to speak of Thomas Jefferson, and other American historical figures, as champions of  "freedom" despite common knowledge that they participated in the forced bondage, victimization, suffering, and murder of others. America, from its inception, was founded on murderous, predatory behavior "justified" and "rationalized" with moral relativism (the view that ethical standards, morality, and positions of right or wrong are culturally based and therefore subject to a person's individual choice). It is obvious that one would expect to observe that same kind of behavior taking place at the level of the individual in that society (ie: serial killings/killers) .

Moral relativism
Mainstream American attitudes have largely been shaped by a unique brand of moral relativism. We have all heard the philosophical question posed: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"; a more appropriate question, regarding American "justice" might be: "If a crime is committed in America and its perpetrator is never brought to justice, did a crime occur?". From a historical (and contemporary) standpoint, the answer would be a resounding NO!

In Incall, after Kasey disposes of the body of his dead massage client he faces the dilemma of what to do next. He and Marco decide to lure more clients to their deaths. Kasey employs moral relativism to rationalize his decision to kill a select number of "pervert fucks" in order to achieve his objective of escape. He is able to reduce the value of his victims, in his mind, and thus justify his actions (to some degree) to kill them, or at least minimize the idea that he is guilty of wrongdoing. Kasey feels victimized by the system in which he lives. He struggles with the prospect of either being consumed as prey by society (e.g.: becoming homeless or going to prison for a death that was unintentional) or becoming a predator himself in order to survive.

Famed female serial killer Aileen Wuornos may have employed a similar kind of moral relativism during the commission of her crimes. The 1992 Nick Broomfield documentary/expose film "Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer" presents Wuornos' life as a hitchhiking prostitute from the time she was a teenager (with an extensive past of untreated childhood abuse and neglect). Wuornos was found guilty of murdering six men who had stopped to pick her up along a stretch of highway in central Florida between 1989 and 1990. Although the prosecution in Wuornos' trials portrayed her as a cold blooded murderess, she contended that all of her killings were acts of self defense.

It is thought by many (and was presented in Broomfield's film) that her first victim, Richard Mallory (who had served a 10-year prison sentence for attempted rape), raped and brutalized her. That led her to shoot him in self-defense. Wuornos likely chose not to report this incident as she felt her background as a prostitute, history of petty crime, and inability to pay a competent defense lawyer (in Florida's "pay-to-play" judicial system; also portrayed in the Broomfield film) would likely lead her straight to prison (or execution). It has been theorized that it was the incident with Mallory that sent Wuornos into a tailspin of "insanity" that led to her later killings. Wuornos claimed, during her trials, that all of her killings were caused when men, who picked her up, had become violent or had threatened her with violence in some way.

Wuornos did not kill all of the men who picked her up during the period of her killing spree. One can infer that Wuornos likely employed her own brand of moral relativism when deciding who would live or die based on her own tragic background and experiences. It may also be true that some of her victims had in fact attacked her and were killed as the result. It is important to note that, during the Mallory trial, Wuornos' incompetent court-appointed attorney never bothered to research or present to the court evidence that Mallory had been convicted and served time for attempted rape. As a result, Wuornos was sentenced to death for that "crime". That same type of blatant mishandling of Wuornos' cases (due to her inability to pay for qualified legal counsel coupled with police/judicial/media corruption/exploitation during her criminal trials), which is clearly presented in Broomfield's film, ultimately led to her death by lethal injection in 2002! But the Wuornos case wasn't a loss to all of those involved. Hollywood, the media, and many others, made millions exploiting her tragic life. And, Charleze Theron won an Oscar for her performance as Wuornos in the mediocre 2003 Hollywood film "Monster", which blatantly ignored many of the mitigating factors which led to her crimes and execution.

A war against the poor
In his article "21 Statistics About The Explosive Growth Of Poverty In America That Everyone Should Know", Michael Snyder discusses how the American middle class continues to shrink and the poverty class continues to increase. According to the article, more than 146 million Americans (nearly half the population) are either "poor" or "low income".  American big business and the wealthy continue to make financial contributions to political campaigns in order to influence and create laws that favor their interests (which are nearly always detrimental to those of the middle class and poor). This has led to American jobs being shipped to "third-world" countries (even in times of record corporate profits) where wealthy corporations can exploit foreign populations by paying slave wages, avoid U.S. taxes, and further increase profits. Those increased profits then give corporations increased power to influence/corrupt politicians and thus government policy through increased contributions to political campaigns with increased strings attached. Many of those same corporations add insult to injury by, in many cases, paying little or NO taxes. Of course, the poor and middle classes pay the price for this both literally and figuratively. This, in turn, has led to a hollowing out of the American middle class. In September 2015, an article in Fortune Magazine called the United States "The Unequal States of America". This article discussed a recent study that named the U.S. as the "wealthiest" country in the world (in terms of personal wealth) as well as the country with the largest gap in financial equality!

The United States continues to refer to itself as a "democracy" despite its lack of democratic practices. In this predatory pay-to-play system, ridiculous justifications and "theories" (such as the "Trickle-down theory") are presented in mainstream discourse (which is generated and maintained in full by the corporate-owned media and corporate-owned politicians with strictly corporate interests in mind). Any sane, rational, or morally sound arguments are drowned out and/or ignored by the corporate-owned mainstream media/political machine, thus creating a two party political system that exclusively and soley represents the interests of the wealthy and big business at the expense of everyone else.  In a pay-to-play system like this, one must have access to large sums of money to exert any effect on the system. Those who do not have money do not matter and are treated as expendable and/or as criminals (prey).

In Incall, Kasey, like millions of Americans, struggles to stay afloat. His dubious job, at a debt collection company, has been reduced to part-time, necessitating his evening employment as an incall masseur. The irony of calling and harassing others, for not paying their bills, does not go unnoticed by Kasey (who is regularly harassed by his own landlord for late rent payment). After the death of his massage client, Kasey can no longer, in good conscience, continue his employment at the debt collection company. This decision marks an important turning point in the film. Kasey comes to see his debt collection job as predatory, in a system in which he himself has been slated as prey. This leads him to take a more "drastic" approach to survival.

In addition to Kasey's economic struggle, it is also important to highlight his history of untreated abuse and its obvious connection to poverty. It is well known that most perpetrators of violent crime were once victims of violence themselves. In most cases, those perpetrators were never treated for their own abuse and thus perpetuate the cycle. This is especially true when victims of violence are children or adolescents. According to Child Trends Data Bank, "adolescents who are the victims of violent crime may be more likely to commit violent criminal offenses themselves. Violent victimization during adolescence also predicts problem behaviors in adulthood. For example, teenage victims of violent crime are more likely than other teens to be perpetrators or victims of violence as adults and to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as adults."

The debate over universal healthcare coverage in the United States has raged for decades. And, in typical American political fashion, decades of "discussion" has led to little meaningful change. Corrupt politicians (paid off by big business) talk in circles while millions of Americans go without health care. Of course, this includes lack of access to competent mental/emotional health care services as well. President Obama has succeeded in passing the "Afforable Care Act", but still millions of Americans are uncovered by health insurance (a most basic human right in any "civilized" society). The United States is the "wealthiest" country in the world, yet somehow it cannot "afford" to provide health care for its citizens. How is that possible?

In September, 2015, US Today Money featured an article entitled, "11 big profitable companies pay no tax!". In this article, 11 companies that made a profit in 2014 in the U.S. (some made profits in the billions) paid NO taxes! That is clearly just the tip of the iceberg on the issue as the article doesn't mention many extremely profitable U.S. companies that are paying some, but not their fair share of taxes nor does it mention many companies that have created fraudulent offshore tax havens and/or other morally dubious methods for avoiding taxes. It also omits the outrageous bailout given to the Wall Street banking criminals who knowingly manipulated the American financial market causing it to crash in 2008. Instead of facing prison sentences, as happened in Iceland after their market crashed (see Tim Worstall's October, 2015 Forbes article "If Iceland Can Jail Bankers for the Crash Then Why Can't America?" ), American bank exceutives were given billions more dollars in corporate welfare paid for, of course, by the American working classes. The U.S. can't "afford" health care or an adequate social safety net for its people (according to its politicians), yet it can "afford" to give a multi-billion dollar welfare check to corporate criminals (none of whom have answered for their crimes), not to mention billions in military "defense" spending.

The role of homophobia
The United States is not alone in its long track record of discrimination against its citizens based on sexual orientation. That fact makes it no more acceptable, nor less damaging. Historically, homosexuality has cost many Americans their jobs, freedoms, sanity, rights to serve in the military and even their lives. In his article, "Right-wing bigots destroyed LGBT lives for decades", South Carolina "blog-master" Alvin McEwen writes:

For decades, anti-gay organizations and their supporters have portrayed the LGBT community as child molesting, diseased, sexually aggressive miscreants whose sole desire is to cause chaos before being sent to the lower pits of hell after we die for our supposed sins. Through lies, distortions, and bad science, anti-gay groups made it difficult for laws to be passed to protect our interests, health, and families. They created and repeated ad nauseam the false mantra that we are a “public health hazard” and our lives are fraught with pain, sadness, loneliness, and early death.

In Incall, Kasey, whois overwhelmed by the details of his life, is unable to integrate his sexuality in a healthy way. His partnership with Marco, although unintentionally, becomes a vehicle for him to come to terms with his sexual orientation. The groundwork for the evolution of Kasey's sexuality into sinister and deviant territory is based on his history of untreated abuse, coupled with his lack of social and financial stability and support. Kasey's unhealthy sexual evolution is very much a reflection of the sexually oppressive environment in which he lives (as well as that of the predatory economic/political environment).

Although progress is being made in the United States regarding equality for gays, things are far from equal. American norms and values do not accurately reflect (nor even attempt to) that of true human sexuality or the true human spectrum of experience. A society that refuses to accept/acknowledge the value/validity of certain groups, such as homosexuals, forces that group into the fringes of society, largely disenfranchises that group and forces those members into a victim or prey status. The legalization of gay marriage in the United States is a big step in the right direction toward equality. However, gay marriage (something that should have been made legal years ago) was passed (and heavily publicized by the corporate-owned mainstream media) just preceding the passing of a fast track measure for the Trans Pacific Partnership "Free Trade" agreement (which, of course, was all but ignored by the corporate-owned mainstream media). The legalization of gay marriage in the United States was passed in part as a smoke screen to distract the American public while corporate-owned politicians passed an extremely predatory piece of pro big business legislation. This is no surprise considering the fact that President Obama ran, his first term, on a platform in which he blatantly stated that he believes that marriage is only valid between a man and a woman!

I felt a strong need to deal with the issue of homosexuality in Incall,and to address the harm that is inflicted on individuals who love members of the same sex, by a society that attempts to invalidate their completely natural sexual orientation. It is normal for one to act in an "abnormal" or "deviant" way when forced into abnormal circumstances that go against their own nature (and against nature itself).

Homophobia played a critical role in the creation of serial killer Jefferey Dahmer who murdered seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991 . Dahmer, by his teens, already had a serious drinking problem brought on by the divorce of his parents and his inability to deal with his homosexuality. Some of the details of Dahmer's troubled and drunken youth were portrayed in the controversial graphic novel by Derf Backderf, "My Friend Dahmer".  Backderf, a former high school classmate of Dahmer, documents some of the events of his life that led to Dahmer's first murder (and ultimately his subsequent killing spree). When he was 18, Dahmer's alcoholism, loneliness and isolation led him to kill his first victim, a hitchhiker. He was left alone in the family home by his dad, who was away on business, when the crime was committed. Dahmer claimed (during police interrogation and at trial) that the unplanned killing of that victim was simply the result of the victim's decision to leave and Dahmer's intense desire not to be alone.

Several years passed before Dahmer claimed a second victim. His deviant behavior began again after he moved to Milwaukee to live with his grandmother. Dahmer frequented gay bathhouses where he would drug and then have sex with his unconscious victims. That escalated to murder, dismemberment and in some cases cannibalism. In my opinion, Dahmer's crimes were rooted in his deep-seated shame of his own sexuality as well as his feelings of isolation and disenfranchisement from a society that openly condemns and attempts to villainize gays. Perhaps he also internalized the toxic messages that he was receiving from society, which communicated that homosexuality was wrong or bad and therefore so was he (and his victims). I believe that this toxicity ultimately led him to devalue and destroy his victims and in the process, himself.  My desire is not to justify nor excuse any of his crimes, but instead to state that they were a reflection of the toxic, homophobic, and predatory environment in which he developed.

The role of homophobia in the Dahmer case is discussed in Louis Weisberg's Wisconsin Gazette July 2011 article "Dahmer Case Changed Police Relations". After Dahmer's murder spree came to light, many members of Milwaukee's gay community argued that homophobia within the Milwaukee police department played a critical role in Dahmer's ability to go undetected as a killer for so many years. Since many of the men who disappeared were gay, some residents felt that Milwaukee police gave those cases less attention, blatantly bungled investigations, and failed to make obvious connections between disappearances.

In 1991, a boy was discovered wandering the streets drugged and confused, he was 14-year-old Konerak Sinthasomphone. Two women discovered him and called 911. However, Dahmer chased after his victim and stated to police that Sinthasomphone was his 19-year-old boyfriend. The police then handed Sinthasomphone back over to Dahmer, despite objections from the two women. Later that same night, Dahmer killed and dismembered the boy.   Similar sentiments can be found within many segments of Milwaukee's "minority" communities with regards to the Milwaukee police departments handling of the Dahmer case. As many of Dahmer's victims were non-"white", many residents felt that the cases for those victims were similarly mishandled.

Prey becomes predator
It is only to be expected that in a society in which some segments are regularly disenfranchised, devalued, and treated as victims/prey that there would be a backlash. The backlash will inevitably manifest in that of some of those slated as prey becoming predators themselves. Everyone has the right to defend himself, and the relative moral decisions made by those segments of society slated as prey will clearly be different from those who are creating the predatory conditions in the first place. In Incall, Kasey makes the decision to "fight back" with murderous results. How many others will make similar decisions in America before its population wakes up and creates a truly equitable, civilized democracy?

My desire is not to explain all serial killers nor is it to imply that the evolution of all serial killers fits neatly into that which is presented in this article. I do say plainly, however, that in a society that was founded by means of genocide and enslavement and that is historically and currently controlled by a small group of amoral, wealthy, "elite", war-mongering, sociopaths who blatantly obstruct any attempt at a true democracy, it is not surprising that the phenomenon of the American serial killer is alive and well.

To see what happens to Kasey and Marco (Incall is currently available to View-On-Demand for a limited time at our website!), or to get more information about the film and its upcoming screenings please go to our website: www.incallmovie.com.

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