Directed by Marc Levitz. Starring Charlie Otero, Carmen Otero, Danny Otero. USA. Documentary.

I SURVIVED B.T.K. is out on DVD from the 21st February 2011 (RRP £12.99).

On January 15th, 1974, several of the Otero family were brutally murdered in their own home in Wichita, Kansas - the first victims of he who would become known as the serial killer, BTK. Charlie Otero was only 15 years old when he discovered the bodies of his mother, father, sister and brother. This, put bluntly, is the story about how life goes on after an almost unimaginable trauma.

To confess, these reviewers have an (entirely uncreepy) fascination with serial killers. Make of that what you will, but there is no doubt that a large proportion of horror fans also show an interest in true crime and therefore a degree of anticipation was present when watching this documentary. Having read about BTK (Bind Them, Torture Them, Kill Them) in some depth and followed his sudden and shocking capture after decades of murders, taunting of police and then interspersion with periods of anonymity, the documentary needed to deliver on the goods. This was one of the most drawn out investigations in US legal history. Mark Levitz and his film crew presumably could not believe their luck; having decided to make a film about Charlie, which starts as he is about to be paroled, then found themselves covering the capture and trial of Dennis Rader. However, and kudos to the film makers on this point, anyone expecting an extended episode of the "FBI Files" or other late night police series’ will be disappointed.

This is not an in depth look at a serial killer, complete with suspect reconstructions; in fact it presumes a great deal of prior knowledge about the BTK case. Instead the resulting film sticks true to its original intentions and offers a heartbreaking insight into someone desperately trying to rebuild their life. It's shot with real empathy, and whilst never trying to make a martyr or victim out of the 2005 version of Charlie (the guy is, to put it bluntly, something of an irresponsible mess) it is very telling that in recent interviews, Charlie credits the film with helping him put his life back together and regain proper relationships with his remaining siblings.

Throughout the documentary we meet other survivors, some of whom have not fared so well as Charlie, noticeable during the court scenes which are some of the most poignant in the documentary. Watching these victims get a chance to speak before judgment is passed on Rader is a traumatic experience – God only knows how it must have been for them. One can only pray that they might have half the grace and eloquence of these survivors – time may be a healer but facing up to the man who has destroyed your existence is a courageous thing, and makes for powerful viewing. Cleverly, the director then cuts, particularly painfully, to Rader himself. The man oozes arrogance and self satisfaction, gleefully describing how he ejaculated five times over the Otero family before killing them. In front of the survivors. Simply unfathomable to this reviewer, perhaps because it is so astonishingly inhumane – yet worryingly this is not entirely unusual in these cases.

This is a review for a horror site and magazine, for fellow horror fans. Every year we sit through hours of wonderful and woeful horror films together, arguing about which was more effective/gory/disturbing and then suddenly something puts it in perspective. What if it was real? If Charlie's struggle to move on doesn't touch you in some way, you’d have to be a pretty hardened individual, and this is before we get on to the crime scene photos that are shown; now for the shock value. They aren't gory per se, but 11 year old Josephine Otero's body, bound and gagged, hanging in her own basement with her toes just an inch off the floor will haunt most viewers, even those used to the harder end of true crime literature, for a very long time. Suddenly the special effects and lashings of blood that people squeal and laugh at in Hostel and Saw don't mean a thing. These are real people whose lives have been shattered by one man's pure personification of vindictive evil.

How anyone is meant to have a normal life after surviving that is largely incomprehensible. One hopes that Charlie and all his fellow survivors continue to make progress. Not a happy viewing experience, and nor should it excuse the character flaws exhibited by its protagonists, but one that any true crime aficionado should consider a must see. This is a genuinely disturbing piece of work. Be warned.Russ Gomm.

Alex and Sara-Jane Chambers.

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