Documentary Review: Killer Sally

credit: Killer Sally

Trying to fully understand the world of bodybuilding is tough at first, especially since understanding whether it’s a sport, a pageant, or just a really expensive hobby can confuse a lot of people. But the truth is that a lot of people have made good money at making their body appear as though it was chiseled from rock. There have been plenty of bodybuilders that have come and gone and several who have gained a great deal of fame, but a lot of people might not remember Sally and Ray McNeil unless they knew something about bodybuilding and those to sought to reach the top spot among the many who attempted to gain some measure of fame.

But the story of Ray and Sally gained the kind of notoriety that people are willing to forego largely because of how the relationship finally ended, as the tragedy came with a lot of questions that a lot of people had few if any, answers to. All that was known was that Sally shot Ray one night, and from that simple fact, this documentary ends up unveiling a lot of things that many people never knew. 

credit: Killer Sally

The abuse that Sally stated she endured makes a lot of folks wonder why she didn’t leave earlier. 

Hearing that she was beaten and thought it was normal is cringe-worthy since it’s all too real, and it’s also a story that a lot of women have endured throughout history. But the fact is that Linda allowed this to happen because it had been normalized in her own mind, and as a result, one can’t help but think that saying over and over how she should have left is rather useless.

People who are abused and who endure abuse for a long enough time tend to think that they deserve it, that the abuser loves them, or will convince themselves in some other manner that what they’re going through is absolutely normal. Some folks can’t even bring themselves to understand how other people go through life without any abuse or how they don’t see the sense of it. That’s kind of sad, to be honest. 

Yes, bodybuilding does cost a lot, like several other interests. 

It’s amazing to think about, but a lot of people might still not understand how expensive certain interests can be. It’s not entirely fair to call bodybuilding a hobby since it does require a lot of hard work and effort to make anything happen. It’s not just the hours that need to be spent in a gym, it’s the supplements and other supplies that are needed to help gain bulk and keep the body running in the manner that it needs to attain the kind of look that these individuals are attempting to showcase.

Understanding how much pressure each bodybuilder experiences, thanks to the challenges that are experienced due to one thing or another, is tough unless one has spent enough time in the gym or has done their research. Understanding the pressures that can come with this interest would allow a person to realize the dangers of steroid abuse as well. 

credit: Killer Sally

There are a few glaring questions concerning Ray’s death. 

For all intents and purposes, the documentary initially makes it feel as though the relationship between Sally and Ray was quite positive for a while, but as things get deeper and people continue to give their accounts of the relationship from their own points of view, it becomes kind of obvious that things weren’t quite that great. There are so many different stories of this type that one can’t help but wonder how such a thing happens in the first place, but explaining human behavior is the undertaking of a skilled psychologist.

The case of Sally and Ray makes one think that normalizing abuse in a relationship isn’t just dangerous, it’s every bit as addictive as other toxic behaviors. Looking at this story from multiple angles is absolutely necessary since trying to make sense of Ray’s death means something different to a lot of people, as Sally’s incarceration made it clear that a jury of her peers wasn’t willing to believe that her life was really in danger and that what she did to Ray was premeditated murder. 

It’s easy to wonder why some people have ‘roid rage, and others don’t. 

Given the use of steroids during the era that’s been depicted, it’s fair to say that a lot of people went on to suffer from one drawback or another that had to do with using the substance. But while the use of steroids was kind of common knowledge, one has to wonder why some bodybuilders flew into a rage and others were able to maintain. There are a few reasons that could be cited, but still, the effect appeared to hit some harder than others.