This is not a thriller, nor does it communicate any Hitchcockian horror. It's about life in the small town of Bakersfield, California, about small-town people and sex and darkness. None of the characters become the sum of their parts; they're cardboard people, meant to fill cardboard roles. There's a murder, but it's not scary or thrilling in any way, and it doesn't become a mystery. There's the shooting of Psycho from Janet Leigh's perspective, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table. I'm disappointed.