Joe Keery’s Convincing Performance as Kurt Kunkle in Spree
Joe Keery’s portrayal of Kurt Kunkle in the 2020 horror comedy Spree has left many viewers believing that the character is a real person. The movie, directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko and co-written by Gene McHugh, is a satire of the modern-day obsession with viral internet stardom and live-streaming. Keery’s performance as an aspiring online celebrity, Kurt Kunkle, who decides to go on a killing spree to attract online attention, is both captivating and unnerving.
The movie’s premise, which involves a rideshare driver using his car and job as the starting point for a night of murders, all of which he live-streams, is both frightening and fascinating. Keery’s performance as Kurt Kunkle is convincing because he channels the mannerisms and speech patterns of many video commentators on sites like YouTube incredibly well. This ensures that Kurt Kunkle in Spree gives viewers an almost uncanny valley-like sense of familiarity.
While Kurt Kunkle is a fictional character, the way he is played by Joe Keery reminds audiences of any number of YouTubers. The movie’s premise also doesn’t seem too implausible, despite how bombastic Kotlyarenko’s found-footage satire can be at points. There’s no specific true story behind Spree, but the central concept is at least partly inspired by general trends in crime in the digital age.
Crimes have been live-streamed before, and many find it incredibly fascinating. For example, in 2017 a man in California live-streamed himself shooting at police officers on Facebook, and in 2019 a man in New Zealand live-streamed a mass shooting at a mosque. While these events didn’t directly inspire Spree, they helped shape the story of the movie.
Director Eugene Kotlyarenko has hinted that a real crime helped create the idea for Spree, but he hasn’t revealed which one. Many have speculated that the movie was inspired by the case of Jon Dalton, an Uber driver who killed six people in Kalamazoo in 2016. However, the connections are tenuous, especially since Dalton didn’t live-stream his crimes.
Joe Keery’s performance as Kurt Kunkle was deeply researched, and he watched videos from popular YouTubers and online personalities to get into character. Keery explained that he wanted to tap into the “sharing is inherently good” culture that’s going on right now, and that Kurt really believes he’s helping other people. Keery’s comments reveal just why it seems like Kurt Kunkle could be a real person.
Spree follows the story of Kurt Kunkle, a ride-share driver obsessed with gaining social media fame. The movie presents a dark take on the pursuit of online validation and the lengths one might go for digital recognition. With its convincing premise and performance, Spree is a thought-provoking and unsettling thriller that explores the darker side of social media.