Resurrection

Resurrection is a 1999 horror-thriller film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Christopher Lambert, Leland Orser and Robert Joy. David Cronenberg appears in a cameo as a priest. Lambert co-wrote the story for the film with Brad Mirman, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was theatrically released in most of Europe, Asia and Australia, but went straight to DVD in the US. It was also occasionally aired/streamed on television. Plot summary Detective John Prudhomme, a Cajun transferred to Chicago, and his partner Hollinsworth are assigned to investigate the savage murder of a man whose left arm has been sawed off and taken. A message, "He Is Coming", is found written in lamb's blood on the victim's window. After another victim is discovered with a missing right arm, the detectives realize they are dealing with a serial killer. The third victim to be found has his head removed. After studying the roman numerals found carved into the victims by the killer, Prudhomme realizes that when combined with the victims' names (Matthew, Peter and James), these numerals are citing Bible verses related to the resurrection of Jesus. Prudhomme theorizes that the killer plans to use the body parts he has taken to reconstruct the "Body of Christ" in time for Easter. This explains why each victim is 33 years old (Jesus was 33 at his death) and why the killer is ensuring that the victims are conscious when he kills them (Christ was conscious when he suffered). An FBI profiler named Wingate arrives and offers additional insights into the killer's mental state.