Killer Movie

Now available on DVD

Cast:



Paul Wesley as Jake



Kaley Cuoco as Blanca



Gloria Votsis as Keir



Torrey DeVitto as Phoebe



Jason London as Mike



Cyia Batten as Lee



Adriana DeMeo as Daphne



Al Santos as Luke

Directed by Jeff Fisher

Review:

Killer Movie opens with a montage of Hollywood tabloids casually juxtapositioned against local news stories. It is a suitable introduction for a film that mocks society’s obsession with fake reality, as seen so predominantly on television these days. Written and directed by a man who knows a thing or two about the reality TV industry, the movie is an amusing satire. Unfortunately, that satire is told in the format of a slasher film, and in that capacity, the film falls flat. Its attempt to draw a connection between voyeurism in reality television and horror is a nice concept, but the effort is poorly executed.

After a series of unusual deaths occur in a small North Dakota town, a camera crew is sent out to film a reality show based on the local scandal. Television director Jake Tanner agrees to take on the project, thinking it is about an underdog hockey team. He soon discovers why he was really sent there – to document the dysfunctional townsfolk and their unusually high “accident” rate. Jake and crew are joined by Blanca Champion, a Paris Hilton-esque starlet looking to be taken more seriously as an actress. When people start disappearing, the crew discovers this town has a dark history, including an alleged murderer who was recently released from prison. Under pressure by the executives, they must continue shooting the show while a psychopath with a video camera picks them off one-by-one.

Killer Movie is the first film by Jeff Fisher, a veteran reality television director who has helmed shows like “The Real World” and “The Simple Life.” By drawing upon that experience, his debut feature has quirky style and a sizable sense of humor. Fisher is definitely not shy about taking jabs at his own profession. He could have done the obvious and made a movie about an unseen killer picking off reality show contestants who think its all part of the show. Instead, he has the villain whacking crew members and Hollywood types – it makes you wonder if Fisher holds a few grudges against his former industry colleagues. The result is an amusing parody of self-obsessed TV personalities trapped in the backwoods, but also a pretty dull horror flick.

Fortunately, the film’s characters are not your usual crop of slasher movie victims. They are varied in personality and pretty likable. Standouts include Paul Wesley as Jake, Cyia Batten as his super-bitch boss, and Nestor Carbonell in a small role as a sleazy agent. Still, the movie’s best attribute is its sense of humor. The characters are funny and Fisher effectively lampoons the television industry. There are a lot of talking-head interviews like a reality show, which injects self-referential humor into the movie. This is also a simple but effective substitute for character development. Fisher’s filmmaking, although occasionally marred by poor editing and loose tangents, is nevertheless playful and fun. The fact that the film never takes itself seriously is key.

Despite being a decent satire on reality television, as a horror flick, Killer Movie is clichéd and generally unimpressive. The gore is mediocre, the killer is lame, and the twist ending is predictable. There is no tension or a genuine scare to be found anywhere. The villain, wearing a plain black mask and a camera on his shoulder to videotape his exploits, is not especially ominous and kills with whatever lame weapon is lying around (shears, cleaver, etc). The video camera is a nice attempt to compare the killer’s voyeurism to that of reality television viewers, but the point is never really driven home. When it comes to who is behind the mask, Fisher throws in a few red herrings for good measure, but they ultimately make the killer’s identity that much more obvious. As for the blood, there are one or two money shots, but most of the time, the scene cuts away before the kill.

The basic elements of a slasher film are all there – small town, no cell phone reception, and creepy residents – but virtually everything that makes one great is missing. Coming from a writer/director with no horror experience whatsoever, the movie is not half-bad; but among the constant stream of slasher films coming out of the woodwork these days, this one hardly stands out in terms of horror content.