Pat Higgins: Director
Review: KillerKiller
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
KillerKiller
Director: Pat Higgins
Release: 2006
British director Pat Higgins sophomore effort, KillerKiller is an atmospheric and quite sanguinous effort, albeit it one that is slightly undermined by its own subtexts.
The setup promises a great deal, and delivers. A group of imprisoned serial killers awaken one morning to find that their sanitarium doors are no longer locked, the guards have vanished, and the building has inexplicably aged decades overnight.
Lest the viewer misapprehends that this is the prelude to a killing spree by the newly liberated murderers, there is also a mist surrounding the building which precludes exit. Freed from their cages, the convicts are still imprisoned and they soon find that they are not alone.
The films tag-line is The press call them monsters. She calls them prey.
She is a comely blonde named Helle (Danielle Laws), who exacts her first installment of vengeance in the opening moments of the film. What happens to her eyes when she kills (a very well executed effect) lets the viewer know that she is not your run-of-the-mill victim-turned-killer.
At the risk of slighting the cast, all of whom turn in solid performances, the setting of the film nearly steals the show. Filmed in a disused asylum, the atmosphere of decay imbues the building itself with a sense that it is a once-living thing, now dead and decomposing, and perhaps animated by the spirits of those who have dwelled behind its walls. This atmosphere is further enhanced by the surrounding mist, which, while perhaps somewhat too convenient, is both literally and figuratively chilling. When one of the inmates leaves the building and returns moments later nearly frozen to death, it becomes clear that unlocked doors do not spell freedom for this cadre of killers.
As the killers numbers are depleted, suspicions rise, as does the inmates fear. Is there an innocent among them who will be spared? The answer to this question provides a lot of the plots suspense and motive force.
Had this film been played as a straight horror thriller, it would have succeeded admirably on what was presumably a fairly low budget. And it still does work well on that level.
But lurking throughout the proceedings here is the idea that this is another deconstructionist/post-modernist (insert critical buzzword of your choice) effort that seeks to function on multiple levels, akin to the Scream films and the soon to be released Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
Not simply a reversal of standard genre conventions, KillerKiller seems to want to be a satire and an analysis, as well. The fact that these levels are more vague impressions than verifiable conclusions either indicates weak writing, or one critics faulty critical faculties.
This is not to say that it makes the film either better or worse; it is simply to say that the subtexts dilute the effectiveness of the thriller that is the core of the film. There is humor aplenty (of the blackest kind) but that humor sits uneasily alongside the suspense and the gore.
Speaking of gore, fans of the red splattered stuff will not be disappointed here (although the more twisted will rue the speed with which the camera cuts away from the violence). There are moments when the blood splashing on the scenery calls to mind the work of none other than Herschell Gordon Lewis. This too gives the film an over-the-top feeling that leavens what could otherwise be a deadly serious tone.
One factor which detracted somewhat from the enjoyment of the film was the sound mix, which was muddy at times, and in which some voices came across loudly and clearly while others were barely audible. The British accents were rendered much more difficult to comprehend as a result, unfortunate in a film that is as dialogue-driven as KillerKiller.
Its should be noted that the sound problems may well have been due to the transfer of the disc that Cinescare received, which is a promotional copy. It is to be hoped that the theatrical (or commercial DVD) release will render this point moot.
Higgins direction, and the cinematography, are strong points for the film, as is the acting by the ensemble cast. Laws comes across as a bit of a cipher, but far from being a negative point, it serves the film well with an added element of mystery. To provide a backstory for her would have been a misstep.
KillerKiller is enjoyable as a horror film and is likely to spark some conversation among genre fans beyond what takes place on the screen. For this, fans should be grateful.
Tim Emswiler
Special to Cinescare
KillerKiller, 2006
At the risk of slighting the cast, all of whom turn in solid performances, the setting of the film nearly steals the show. Filmed in a disused asylum, the atmosphere of decay imbues the building itself with a sense that it is a once-living thing, now dead and decomposing, and perhaps animated by the spirits of those who have dwelled behind its walls.
