Starring: Vincent Kartheiser, Chad Christ, Sabine Singh, Patrick Renna, Richard M. Stuart, Kevin Gage, Hillary Allan, Darcy Allen, Donald Caldwell, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Joshua Dov,
Plot: Based on the true story of drugs, Satanism, and murder
in the upper class town of Northport, Long Island in 1984.
My Review and Thoughts:
Oh the long plight of this film. Sadly it has never
officially seen the light of day ever since it's festival run back into 2000. I
first got wind of this movie in the Fangoria article back in 2000. I knew the
story that the movie was based on and I was highly looking forward to seeing this
film on the theater. But the movie shortly ran into legal problems and so after
the festival run it had vanished from all hopes of ever coming to DVD or being
released. You can see it through a poorly filmed copy on YouTube. I think the
film deserves so much more than just a faulty version of it. It deserves to be
released on a special edition DVD or Blu-ray. Any hopes of that will probably
never happen.
Now the story is based on Satanist 17-year-old Ricky
Kasso. He called himself The Acid King and the media loved that. Ricky would
murder 17-year-old acquaintance Gary Lauwers in a satanic ritualistic murder in
the desire to please Satan or not. In real reality it was to make a point because Lauwers stole 50 bucks worth of drugs and would not pay him. Ricky just happened to be a satanist and also used his worship for the murder. Both versions came into play and equally was the truth plus being high on LSD did not help. Ricky had to make a point and plus he wanted to honor his God Satan so what better way then the person who was making a fool of him. The murder became nationwide news because of the
torture and the satanic reality of the story during the satanic panic of the
1980's. Ricky and two other friends Jimmy Troiano and Albert Quinones where high
on LSD including the victim. All four on June 16th 1984 in Aztakea Woods of
Northport New York. Gary Lauwers the victim, he had stolen
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I'm not here to do a sad song for Ricky but if you look at
his problems, you can see that it was a downward spiral to what the conclusion
would become. He was living on the streets because he ran away. His main
function was doing drugs and selling drugs. Ricky's parents even had him
admitted into the South Oaks Psychiatric Hospital for drug rehabilitation and
psychiatric care. He also had been arrested for grave robbing where he took a
human skull. His parents tried to convince doctors to commit him for
psychiatric care sadly the psychiatrist failed in only saying he exhibited
antisocial behavior and that he was not psychotic nor was he violent. Little
did they know he was a ticking time bomb and it seemed no one paid attention to
everything leading up to what was to happen? He had even tried to kill himself.
I think on an odd and weird note is Ricky's home life, his parents, his father
was a high school history teacher and football coach at Cold Spring Harbor High
School which his father had won the Nassau County Long Island football coach of
the year award given by Newsday. The reason why I bring up this reality is in
an interview called Satan in the Suburbs- Interview with Jimmy Troiano in 2008.
Jimmy brought up how he used to hang with Ricky and how they use to do drugs,
go fishing and both of them would play football at the high school. Well Jimmy
mentions that Ricky hated playing football. He hated to play the game. Now one
listening to that or reading what I just wrote can bring up many ideas on the
reality of what maybe Ricky's home life was like. Father local football icon
and a son who do drugs and would run away and hated the game of football and
clearly suffering from some mental problems. It is said by some accounts
Ricky's father was hard on him and the movie showcases a little bit of that.
Some that knew Ricky and situation have stated Ricky was abused by his father
and his mother did nothing about it. It is also said that Ricky was thrown out
of the house at 15 and did not run away. Whatever the truth is its history now
and in my viewpoint I think Ricky never had an outcome that would lead him to
anything great. The world around him, from living on the streets, to drugs to
clearly having a mental problem was beating him down and leading him into the
darkness that he found willingly waiting for him. Drugs changed him and gave
him some peace of mind but ultimately also changed him for the worse. Now the
whole truth will never been known. Ricky is dead and the only ones who know
Ricky and what happened that night are the ones that where there. In an odd and
weird twist what I gather is in 1991 Ricky's father committed suicide which
just added some strangeness to the whole situation.
There have been many films and documentaries and books based
on this subject. The movies tend to be loosely based adding different realities
or changing the stories all together. The 1994 film My Sweet Satan directed by
Jim Van Bebber and one of my personal favorites 1997's Black Circle Boys all
explore this reality. Now Black Circle Boys and My Sweet Satan and Ricky 6 all
change the subject or differentiate from the truth in ways but all have the
basic premise that this deranged Satanist and music lover and drugged
individual clearly suffered from some psychotic schizophrenia and ended up
brutally murdering an individual in a sadistic way.
Ricky 6 stars the wonderful gifted and very talented Vincent
Kartheiser as Ricky. He played in one of my favorite underrated films of all
time 2001's The Unsaid. Most people know him as one of the leading roles in the
very wonderful AMC television series Mad Men 2007-2014 where he played the
character Pete Campbell. He does a fantastic job in Ricky 6 and creates the persona
of this character and gives a very haunting performance that I think sticks out
and is a fantastic reality in experiencing what Vincent brings to the part.
The film was written and directed by Peter Filardi and
adapted from the true crime book Say you Love Satan by David St. Clair (1987).
I think Peter did a wonderful job bringing to life this odd and twisted story.
He adds a reality base alongside a haunting darkened state that leaves a
lasting impression on you. Peter wrote some of my favorite films of the 90's.
The great underrated 1990's Flatliners and one of my favorite witch films
1996's The Craft. Ricky 6 was his only directing job and I still think he did a
great job at creating a story that lingers on your mind long after the credits
roll.
This also has some wonderful young actors in the film. The
movie stars, Patrick Renna who will best be remembered from his character as
Hamilton "Ham" Porter in the wonderful comical childhood baseball
film 1993's The Sandlot. The very beautiful stunning Emmanuelle Chriqui.
Probably best known from her character in 2005-2011's Entourage playing Sloan
McQuewick. This also stars the wonderful actor Kevin Gage as the character of
Pat Pagan. Gage has been acting since the 80's and always owns his characters
which many are bad guys or tough guy personas. A truly talented actor that I
always enjoy seeing.
It always shocked me that this film never got the push that
it deserved. It won the Audience Prize at the Fantasia Film Festival in 2000.
I find the story fascinating and shocking about Ricky and
his friends and that night of horrors that took place specifically in the idea
that no one was really ever held accountable for the brutal murder. Listening
to the interview of Jimmy state in the Satan in the Suburbs documentary is
quite shocking to listen to him say I knew what was happening, I knew what was
going on and yet I did nothing about it. He mentions how after a period of time
they dug buried the body and while doing so Gary's head fell off. Ricky enjoyed
what he did. Boasted his deeds. Praised his handiwork. Enjoyed the maggots and
rotting flesh. Ricky saw it as a game. I think the whole story is truly a mixed
up reality. The massive drug use, the suburbs, high school life. Gary the
victim had not even been reported missing.
I think what I find so utterly fascinating about this story
is the detachment of moral, ethical or emotional concepts within Ricky and
those involved. It was like it was nothing to murder someone. It really didn't
matter that a human life was taken. Gary didn't matter is what it seemed. Gary
only mattered as the sacrifice. It's as if Gary was meat and the blade was
meant to slice and destroy and serve up that piece of meat. But Gary was a
human being. He was someone’s child, someone’s loved one.
Ricky 6 is a strong character driven plot. The ordeal of
somewhat reality and truth with this real life story woven around a fictional
film. The movie gives more of a sympathetic approach to the characters where as
in real life the truth was these where cold blooded murderers who basically
enjoyed what they did. The film builds more of a personal approach to the
characters and gives more story then the actual reality of the real life
players involved. This is not a film you watch if you want good vibes or a good
fun simple popcorn film because trust me it is not. Knowing this is based on
reality and also seeing the ordeal all unfold on screen in sophisticated
directing and most of all acting touches the mind and also the emotional
reality. I felt the movie was a solid film that expresses the dark side of
certain persons and the demons one can possess. Ricky was a lost soul that
clearly needed some type of help but that does not excuse the act he did. For its
all fine and dandy to make films and write books and create legends but in the
end this is real life. Ricky was a murderer and so was all those involved and
an innocent person never got the justice he deserved.
The two shining performances in this film is by Vincent
Kartheiser and Chad Christ. These two create a personal in depth approach to
both of these lost souls of Ricky and Tommy. In real life it was Ricky and
Jimmy. Chad Christ creates the persona of best friend and all around companion
to Ricky. Vincent and Chad play off each other and give a strong fantastic performance
of acting charisma and thick character chemistry that thoroughly builds both personas
for the viewer. I think that is what stands out the most is that Vincent gives
life to Ricky. Ricky in real life is dead and so he is not here to express himself
or to showcase to the public of his understanding of what happened or his
ultimate take on it. All we have is the stories of others. Ricky 6, even though
it is a fictional reality one gets to see breath given to this satanic killer.
Ricky also was a human being. He wasn't a legend or a satanic master, what he
was, was a screwed up person that clearly never really had a chance. Ricky was
a son, a loved one and also a real life person not just an Urban Legend or a
boogie man story. The whole reality of this murder and the thick drama and
emotional torment that it caused to so many is a tragic part of the 80's. A
murder that ruined lives and broke apart a community and the peaceful reality
of culture. The 80's and early 90's birthed forth the satanic panic that
destroyed a lot of people and also caused a lot of heart ache and personal
upsets. From persons being wrongly convicted and cases being brought forth that
had no basis in reality. The 80's was a ticking time bomb of person’s vivid
imagination of Heavy Metal control and Dungeons and Dragons worship. The
reality is that certain persons ruin it for everyone else. The real reality is
the persons are already off their rocker and just happen to find an outlet
through music or odd cult like reality. The public would see this as the main
cause when in reality the main cause was the mental state of the persons. It is
the person that is the wrong, no matter of mental defect or mental choice. A
person does not kill unless they want to or have the idea or rage and anger to
do so and they choose to do so.
Certain things allow persons to ease that
murder or to cope with that desire. From fire arms or fictional movies. But it
is not the fictional movie or the fire arm that kills, it is the person. The
movie and the fire arm just makes it easier for an already deranged or rage
filled individual to act out his need. Ricky was mentally unstable and Ricky
didn't use a fire arm he used a knife, if he had a gun he would have used it.
It was not the choice of weapon it was the choice of the mental reality of the
person. All the medical reality of the parents trying to get the son help and
the constant running away and massive upon massive intake of drugs led to the
ultimate act that Ricky brought forth. His music and the occult just gave him
an understanding of what he personally could not understand inside his mind.
Ricky dropped acid and did other drugs on a daily basis. This helped and gave
Ricky an outlet to his inner mental problems or more or less caused his mental
problems. That is where the film differs from the real reality. Ricky in the
film is more of a thoughtful character or one of rational thinking where Ricky
in real life was all over the place. He was a criminal before the murder being
arrested many times in foolish ways from thief to drugs. He already had a path
of destruction. The movie gives him a path or a solid approach to things where
as in real life most of the choices where spare of the moment realities.
Ricky 6 is a forgotten film due to legal problems and the
sadness of this film seems, it will never get the treatment that it deserves.
As of this writing the only ability is to seek it out from bootleg copies or
watch it online. All known public copies is nothing crafted with excellence.
All prints are rough and blurred or grainy and so on. I can only hope that one
day this unique film will get a proper release. Sometimes it takes years upon
years before a film gets what it deserves. I for one when that day happens will
happily purchase a copy.
