Really a spoiler, but you might consider the idea. And resolution of plot holes. What is truth? as the man said. Rather than being a follow the dots type of story, how about going to the end and working backwards. Ugly duckling has to find a mirror to notice that he is all beautiful now. Who is Simon's mirror, and where is he residing, in prison or an abandoned hospital. Cue rather peculiar orderlies,psychologist and patient all with powers beyond any control. Answer: simulcra of past incarceration. Cue rather dopey female psychologist: newspaper review image devised by Simon. Cue which murders happened: possibly only his mother, seems fair to Simon. Cue aberrant pictures prior to any abuse: fellows already schizoid. Cue what happened at the end: Simon locates the newspaper psychologist, cuts her throat, thus freeing himself of his "victims" hanging about, by presuming that now she must atone for the murders since he is beautiful now in the mirror so he must now be the swan and she the UGLY DUCKLING. Understandings. All of the serial murders did not happen except in his mind, which is why he can deny the charge his head tells him Serial killer And not kill the deafish girl This is then why also the girl did not identify him as her brothers murderer People shift a bit in NZ and there may have been no knowledge of the house/murder info to the girl. "Kill the Bitch"; probably what Simon heard most of, in reference to his fathers new girlfriend from his alcoholic mother and this imprinted.Great film, under-seen. Not one for gore merchants. Pleasant dreams. And if you are a psycho you really don't need excuses to kill just opportunity. Way better than S of the L and Seven which were pretty lame as to tension or shock. Love that blood.

This movie was the single worst horror/thriller movie I have ever seen. The acting was terrible, the story is not at all believable, and the special effects are pathetic. The movie uses black instead of red for blood in all but one scene which comes off as cheap and fake rather than creepy. Also one of the rooms in the movie is supposed to have metal doors and you can clearly see that the door is actually wood that has been spray painted silver. There is little attention to how the main character gets away with the things he is doing and why he hasn't already seen punishment. I don't mind a thriller movie that doesn't explain these things if they at least present a story that gets your imagination and lets you know that they aren't trying to follow any sort of reason or rationale. This film moves at a very slow pace with little attempt to build upon itself. The characters leave nothing for you to hold on to and build interest in the film and the settings are forced and don't seem real at all. If you are looking to be pulled into a film and actually care about the outcome of the characters then this is not the movie for you. In fact skip this one all together if you can.

This movie is a big mess. I read lot of reviews trying to explain it, but there are too many plot holes left open in the story, making it impossible to find a logic behind it all.I think it's O.K. when a movie leaves some things open to interpretation, but in this case, everything seems blurred, pointless and confusing, and the people that seems to like this movie the most, are actually those who have filled the many plot holes with their own interesting theories, fulfilling their expectations; but, for the regular moviegoer, who wants to SEE things rather than having to keep guessing what has happened, this is simply not enough. In my case, I thought this movie was pretentious, a little bit boring and never decided which way to go.

Intelligent, attractive psychiatrist Karen Schumaker (Rebecca Hobbs) shows up at a mental hospital to re-assess Simon (Paolo Rotondo)--A handsome, soft-spoken schizo serial killer who left no pattern for a compulsive string of grisly mass murders. Flashbacks reveal childhood abuse at the hands of taunting bullies and an imposing, domineering mother and of his razor-wielding murder spree. It's all because of "The Ugly," his scarred alter ego that compels him to kill. Simon turns out to be so brilliant, he not only gets under Karen's skin... but inside her head as well.This unique thriller has excellent lead performances, flashy editing, stylish direction and top-notch production values, but the director blurs the line between troubling reality and twisted fantasy far too often and tacks on a clichéd and disappointing ending. An unusual touch was the usage of ink-black blood for the murder scenes. I don't care what the metaphoric implications of that choice are, I found it to be both annoying and ineffective. Despite those flaws, THE UGLY is certainly worth watching and showcases many talents (in front of and behind the camera) to watch for in the future.