Starkweather is a 2004 film directed by Byron Werner, written by Stephen Johnston, and starring Brent Taylor and Shannon Lucio.
Since childhood, Nebraska farm-boy Charles Starkweather has a schizophrenic Mr. Hyde side, a nameless dark figure, who inspires him to be cruel for the kicks. Having grown up to be a 19-year-old garbageman and fallen in love with weird 14-year-old Caril Ann Fugate, he gets completely out of control, killing off her entire family and various other singles or groups during their ensuing inter-state car-chase, hunted down by sheriff Merle Karnopp and a growing army of cops and press, then unprecedented.
Tropes:
- Auto Erotica: At the drive-in, Charlie and Caril Ann are having a deep and meaningful conversation in the front seat of the car while Bob and Barbara are engaging in some very heavy petting in the back seat.
- Ax-Crazy: Starkweather has got some serious issues, what with murdering 11 people just because he could. The Dark Man, as the very personification of Charles' madness, both qualifies himself and also acts to make Charles give in to his worst impulses.
- Based on a True Story: The film is based on the real life killing spree of Starkweather and Fugate.
- Badass Bystander: Charlie holds a shotgun on a mechanic and forces him to fix the jammed emergency brake on the car he is trying to steal. When Charlie is distracted by a passing police car, the mechanic grabs the gun and starts trying to wrench it out of Charlie's hands. He eventually succeeds and Charlie is forced to flee.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: The first act of sociopathy the young Charles Starkweather commits—at the Dark Man's urging—is to stomp a toad to death.
- Cigar Chomper: Tough-as-nails and cunning-as-a-fox country lawman Sheriff Merle Karnopp always has a cigar—often unlit—clenched in his teeth.
- Clueless Deputy: Sheriff Karnopp's primary deputy is his brother-in-law Dale, who is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Karnopp has prevent him from trampling all over the first crime scene, and he is keen to write the first murder off as being the work of a drifter, until Karnopp points out all the factors that make that unlikely. Is somewhat counterbalanced by his unwavering loyalty and bravery.
- Composite Character: The character of Sheriff Merle Karnopp is an amalgam of various law enforcement officials involved in the Starkweather case: in particular, the real Sherriff Merle C. Karnopp of Lancaster County, who investigated the first four murders and instigated the manhunt for Starkweather and Fugate; and Sheriff Earl Heflin of Converse County, who arrested Starkweather.
- The Faceless: 'The Dark Man' always has his face fully wreathed in shadow from his fedora; no matter what the lighting around him is doing. Justified, as he is a manifestation of Charlie's darkest impulses and only exists inside Charlie's head.
- Gun Struggle: Charlie holds a shotgun on a mechanic and forces him to fix the jammed emergency brake on the car he is trying to steal. When Charlie is distracted by a passing police car, the mechanic grabs the gun and starts trying to wrench it out of Charlie's hands. He eventually succeeds and Charlie is forced to flee.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Charlie can go from seemingly calm and polite to a raging fury in the blink of an eye.
- I Love the Dead: After murdering Robert and Carol, Charlies starts to lift Carol's skirt, preparatory to raping her corpse, but is interrupted by Caril Ann. He tries to deny it but she points out that he is hard 'down there'.
- Imaginary Enemy: Charlie is tormented by a manifestation of his darker impulses known as 'The Dark Man' (or 'The Mentor') who calls him weak and pathetic and goads him into killing to prove himself a real man.
- In the Back: Charlie prefers to shoot his victims in the back.
- I Resemble That Remark!: Charlie screams "I ain't no cold-blooded killer!" at his terrified victim just before he puts a bullet in her head.
- Mistaken for Pregnant: A Running Gag (for want of a better term) is people either assuming or asking Caril Ann if she is pregnant, and her insisting that she has just put on weight. This appears to be an embellishment created for the film, as the real Fugate was not pregnant when she was arrested, and there is no indication that there was any suspicion she ever was.
- Mononymous Biopic Title
- Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!: Charlie decides to not to commit robbery and murder and is driving away from the gas station. His infuriated Imaginary Enemy, the Dark Man, starts calling him a coward and chickenshit. That last one so stings Charlie that he turns the car around, drives back to the gas station and kills the attendant.
- One-Word Title
- Outlaw Couple: Charles Starkweather goes on a murder spree with his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate, killing 11 people in three months and introducing America to spree killing.
- Pistol-Whipping: Caril Ann smashes her kid sister in the face with a shotgun butt.
- Pop the Tires: When chasing Charlie's car, Sheriff Merle Karnopp tells his deputy Dale to lean out the window and shoot the tyres on Charlie's car. Dale misses, even with a shotgun, but it does force Charlie to stop.
- Really 17 Years Old: Caril Ann is 14 years old but described as having the body of an 18-year-old.
- A Real Man Is a Killer: This is what Charlie's dark side believes, and keeps goading Charlie into committing murders to prove his manhood.
- Sarcastic Confession: Robert and Carol pick up Charlie and Caril Ann, and Robert asks what they were doing out in the middle of nowhere, Charlie replies "We just killed an old man, slept in his house, and then our car got stuck in the mud".
- The Sheriff: Sheriff Merle Karnopp of Lancaster County is a dedicated lawman who finds the body of Starkweather's first victim, and becomes the driving force behind the manhunt to to catch Starkweather and Fugate.
- Shower of Love: After murdering August Meyer and getting their car out of the mud, Charlie and Caril Ann share a romantic shower.
- Spree Killer: Based on the life of spree killer Charles Starkweather. Starkweather goes on a murder spree with his 14 year old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate killing 11 people in three months, introducing America to spree killing.
- Villain Protagonist: Follows Charles Starkweather as he murders eleven people in Nebraska and Wyoming between December 1957 and January 1958.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Captions at the end of the film tell what happened to Starkweather, Fugate and Sheriff Karnopp (execution, life imprisonmentnote , and induction into Nebraska Law Enforcement Hall of Fame, respectively).
- Would Hurt a Child: Caril Ann bashes her kid sister in the face with a shotgun butt.
