Name: Kemper
Director: Rick Bitzelberger
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Released: 2008-11-25
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 2.8
Cast: Christopher Stapleton, Robert Sisko, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jordan Blanchard

The Co-Ed Killer gets the low-budget treatment — and it's more disturbing than you'd expect.

Watch(DE)

grimy grindhousetrue crime exploitationuncomfortably intimate

Overview

Horror Thriller Mystery

A film based on the true story of Ed Kemper, a serial killer who murdered ten in Santa Cruz, CA during the late sixties and early seventies.

Content warning

psychological isolationthe banality of evilmother-son pathologymedia's fascination with monsters

Standout Aspects

Acting

Robert Sisko's dead-eyed Kemper is genuinely unsettling.

Practical Effects

Gore effects that look cheap but land harder for it.

Best for:Solo·Streaming·Rewatch

Heads up:Violence·Disturbing

Director

Rick Bitzelberger

ReleasedNov 25, 2008

Runtime1h 28m

StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow

Intensitymedium

Tonedark

Feelheavy

Top Cast

Christopher Stapleton

Harris

Robert Sisko

Sean Patrick Thomas

Ross

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

Ed Kemper himself recorded audiobooks in prison and reportedly found this film 'amateurish' — coming from a guy who kept victims' vocal cords, that's saying something.

Cultural

Released during the 2008 true crime boom, this predates Mindhunter's Kemper by nearly a decade and makes you appreciate Cameron Britton even more.