Bedroom Eyes (4½ Stars)

I would say that this is Dean McKendrick's latest film, except it isn't quite true. It has only just been released, but it was made in 2016. Some of his later films were released first. I'm sure there's a reason behind it. I was growing impatient because I thought "Bedroom Eyes" would never be released. I was anxious to see it because it was one of the last two films that August Ames made for Dean McKendrick before her death. She only plays a relatively small role as a policewoman, but it was good to see her in one last film.

A woman has been killing men during sex. She seems to be well prepared for her victims, because the surveillance tapes are always removed from the houses where they live. The police detectives Jake and Parker are assigned to the case, but it soon becomes obvious that Jake has a conflict of interests. The main suspect is his girlfriend Willa. She works as a webcam girl using the screen name Bedroom Eyes. Jake already knows about her job and he grudgingly accepts it, because it isn't the same as prostitution. It's only men looking at her on their computer screens.

That's what he thinks, at least. All of her webcam customers live nearby, and she visits them to make extra cash. It's Willa's customers who have been dying.

This is yet another first class erotic thriller from Dean McKendrick. I hope he will make many more.

The portrayal of the webcam industry is unrealistic. It would be highly unlikely for a webcam girl to have a customer who lives in her own town, and it would be impossible for all her customers to be local. It's a career that girls choose in order to remain anonymous. They don't want to be touched or put in any sort of danger. If a man gets too pushy with her she can kick him out of her webcam room or simply turn off her cam. It's so easy.

I've visited webcam sites on and off over the last five years. Sometimes I've talked to girls, but mostly I've sat in silence. I'm not stupid. I know they do it as a job, and they want to be paid if they give a man special attention. Most men who visit webcams want special favours for free, but I know better. If I'm unwilling or unable to pay I lurk in the shadows. Some webcam sites allow men to watch women without them knowing they're being watched. That's good for me.

The reasons why girls do webcam shows are manifold. In the film Willa is doing it to support her mother who's in hospital and can't afford to pay her medical bills. That's a noble reason. My guess is that most girls are more selfish and do it to support their own lifestyle. Most girls are from countries with high unemployment like Romania and Colombia. If a girl is attractive enough she can make enough money from customers in other countries.

It isn't just a matter of being attractive, though. I've watched a lot of girls, and I've seen that it isn't always the sexiest girls who make the most money. To be successful a webcam girl has to understand and manipulate her customers. Most men like to think that they're in control, so the girls can offer the illusion that the men are in full control while they take their money. Some men want to be dominated, so the girls can easily demand money from them. Other men are lonely and want a friend, so the girls can be virtual girlfriends and ask for financial gifts. It's all about money, and the smartest girls can recognise each man's weak spot in order to get it. It's also a matter of recognising who is worth spending time with and who isn't. Some men are rich and others aren't.

But if, by some odd coincidence, a man lives within a few miles, don't meet him. Don't even let him know how close you are to him. That's the mistake Willa makes. Girls don't become webcam models to find a boyfriend, they do it to make money. They should keep their customers a long distance away, preferably the other side of the world.