Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

A big-city cop from L.A. moves to a small-town police force and immediately finds himself investigating a murder. Using theories rejected by his colleagues, the cop, John Berlin, meets a young blind woman named Helena, who he is attracted to. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and only John knows it. Jennifer 8 is one of those films that for goes somewhere and does something for a large majority of it's running time, unfortunately once the film reaches it's highest point and we see the killer and the killer goes after Helena the movie lost me completely especially the ending feels rushed and it was probably left in the cutting room. The acting is good and the story as well but the ending was so disappointing and ruined the entire experience for me.

The pounding monsoon here in Vancouver today reminded me of the slightly forgotten, excellently dour serial killer mystery Jennifer 8. In a torrential downpour, the body of a blind girl is discovered in a scrapyard, in one of the film's best sequences. Freddy Ross, sergeant on scene (Lance Henriksen in a rambunctious, really underrated performance) calls in his old friend, big city Detective John Berlin (a haggard Andy Garcia), to help investigate. Henriksen and Garcia strike up a believable buddy rapport that becomes the backbone of the story, and is nice to watch. They suspect that someone is specifically preying on blind girls, when they find related cases, and they must narrow down suspects before he strikes again. They find a lead in blind Helena (Uma Thurman) a cautious, fragile girl who may be able to, help them, and who John very quickly falls in love with. Soon the killer orchestrates clues that lead straight to John, and he has to deal with an obnoxious internal investigator (John Malkovich in full Christmas ham mode, showing up for maybe five minutes but chewing scenery like the Cookie Monster). Time starts to run out as the killer gets closer. Now, I guessed the identity of the killer halfway through the film, but that's mostly because I know the actor quite well and could just tell by certain distinct features, but don't worry, the surprise should remain intact for you. There's nice work from Lenny Von Dohlen, Kathy Baker, Graham Beckel, Bob Gunton and Kevin Conway too. The film relies on its two leads to get the job done, and they don't disappoint. It also has an advantage in its gloomy, rainy northern setting (much of it was filmed here), which gives that distinct atmosphere that these type of movies need to succeed. Well done.

Starts out great. Good cinematography, good music score and good performances.But if you expect an exciting serial killer movie think again. In a scene where one of the main characters is killed off, by the killer who he mistakes for his partner (it's never explained why he thinks it's him, they look nothing alike and the killer doesn't even speak before he shoots the partner) you expect the serial killer to be killed off soon after and the movie to end. This is after an hour where the main character chases a serial killer that only he thinks exists. We never See the serial killer kill anybody and the blind girl that the main chaser thinks is the next victim only seems to be in danger in one scene. In a scene where the killer threatens the blind girl, you would expect her to not recognize the voice. But nobody bother to take her statement after wards. After that we get another hour of boredom where the main character is framed for his partners murder. He is of course innocent and when the real killer finally emerges, it makes no sense what so ever that he is the killer, of all people. The obvious killer however is not the killer. Avoid this incredibly boring movie and Watch Copy Cat instead.

Jennifer 8 is one of those serial killer thrillers quite common in the 1980s and 1990s. "Dead Aim" (1987), "Whispers in the Dark" (1992), "Blink" (1994), and Copycat (1995) are several that come to mind. The movie may be broken down into three parts: (1) the mystery build-up, (2) the romance, and (3) the recovery (back to the thriller). Andy Garcia stars as LAPD cop John Berlin who relocates to an old farmhouse in Eureka, CA to flee his cheating ex-wife and to lick his wounds. Fred Ross (Lance Henriksen) is Berlin's partner and brother-in-law. On his police radio, Berlin learns that the local cops are at a dump examining the body of a derelict. He arrives and soon the police discover a severed human hand and a bra with dried blood; later they deduce that the fingers were severely scratched because the person was a young blind woman who had used Braille. Learning of seven unsolved cases involving murdered blind women dating back to 1985 that drained police resources to no conclusion, Berlin becomes convinced that the deaths are all related. He wants to reopen the old cases. Of course, no one in the PD believes him. Berlin and Ross drive to the blind people's institute to interview the roommate of Amber, one of the missing women. The roommate is cello teacher Helena Robertson (Uma Thurman), who earlier had been in the dormitory room briefly with the bad guy (called "John") while he moved out with Amber. Helene remembers just a few details, like the sound of the car engine. Berlin comes to believe that Helena is Jennifer 8, the eighth (intended) victim nicknamed Jennifer. Helena resembles Berlin's former spouse. In this second phase, angry dark-eyed Berlin and soft blue-eyed Helena eventually fall in love.Berlin wants to go back to the dump, but Ross says to him, "No way. I'm not going back. You might find someone's p---- in a hot dog roll." But go they do, and find a clue. But police chief Citrine (Kevin Conway) and others are adamant to close out the case because the evidence is so scanty. Of course you know that Berlin, like a pit bull, will not let go. There will be other trips to the institute, and the situation will be even spookier for Helena, as most folks would have departed the grounds to spend the Christmas holidays at the residences of their families. Even when she stays at the farmhouse, the atmosphere is eerie. Then, on a snowy and fateful Christmas Eve at the institute, a main character is bumped off, and suspicion falls entirely on Berlin. Enter FBI agent St. Anne (John Malkovitch) – smug, unyielding, insufferable, but effective. What a scene-stealer! Chomp! Chomp! Then again, you know that Berlin will clear his name in the end.There are lapses in credibility, like Berlin's release while charged with a capital offense (murder one!), his odd motive to rummage through an Oakland house, and even his atypical second arrest. Minor plot holes or some crude editing do not really detract from the movie, because we can visualize that such and such happened although it was not shown. The climax, appropriately creepy, is somewhat turgid. Although some have questioned Uma Thurman's interpretation of a blind woman, the acting is commendable. Michael O'Neill as cop Angelo Serato, seems miscast. Does he really look like an Angelo? Then again, that is just a tertiary role. A big plus for Jennifer 8 is the on-location wintry shooting, for Eureka is cold, dreary, and darkly atmospheric. The ominous background music adds to the eeriness. But, with some better editing and a better ending, the movie could have been even greater. So is it worth seeing? Of course!