***1/2 (Audio: B-, Video: B-, Features: A-)

George Foster, Christina Kew. Directed by Zachary Hansen. Written by Zachary Hansen. Produced by Zachary Hansen. Released by Vanguard. 2001. 80 minutes. Not rated.

Commentary, shorts, deleted scenes.

First time director Zachary Hansen's "Killer Me" isn't the kind of film one usually expects from a debut filmmaker interested in forging any kind of "safe" commercial career, for it takes the kinds of risks that one usually only gets from seasoned directors who, for better or worse, figure they can afford to take some risks. While this might be deemed foolhardy in some circles, the fact that Hansen pulls it off makes it hard to not admire the effort in its entirety.

"Killer Me" is a classic character study of a character who is anything but classic -- a serial killer. The obvious comparisons here are to films like "Clean, Shaven" or "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer," though "Killer Me" is filtered through a different voice and a different set of perceptions which are, in many ways, more challenging and more subjectively disturbing than either previous film. Stylized by not ostentatiously stylistic, "Killer Me" plants viewers so firmly inside the mind of its subject -- beautifully played by George Foster -- that the style itself almost becomes invisible.

The DVD features a commentary by Hansen, deleted scenes and a suite of Hansen's previous short films. The supplement that figures most prominently in deciphering and dissecting the movie, however, is the commentary. Hansen discusses the picture in thematic and technical terms, particularly the film's much-publicized use of the now-obsolete Fisher-Price PXL 2000 camera not only for visual material but for the picture's unorthodox, haunting score.

No, not everyone is going to enjoy "Killer Me." It's not even clear if the movie is meant to be "enjoyed" at all in any conventional sense. What is clear is that "Killer Me" manifests a distinctive, uncompromising and imaginative voice at a time when originality and distinctiveness are becoming less and less appreciated.-By Wade Major

Collector Rating: WORTH FULL PRICE