The Killage

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the premier of Brisbane's latest independent feature film last night, a shlock horror joyride from ArtSpear Entertainment that far surpassed my expectations.

Poking fun at what has become the indie film staple – the low budget, lower class horror flick – The Killage at first glance looks like it will simply be just another B-Grade gore-fest like so many that have come before. Even the admittedly hilarious trailers didn't have me convinced, we've all been fooled by previews that showcase the best two minutes of the film. Even the foreword by director Joe Bauer explaining that it's an intentionally B-Grade film shot over two weekends only furthered scepticism, sounding like the go-to defence move of a plethora of bad film makers "It's only bad because I intended it that way, you couldn't possibly understand".

I needn't have been concerned. Within minutes of the film's starting we were all putty in this talented young writer/director/actor/editor's hands. The packed audience laughed and gasped as one; The Killage simply is the perfect mix of humour and terror, the humour a perfect mix of slapstick and sarcastic wit.

The story centres around 11 socially stereotyped recruits on a weekend work retreat (at a summer camp with no phone reception, naturally) hunted by a homicidal maniac in a scary mask. Each of the young actors plays their stereotype brilliantly, adding life and realism to their characters where it could have all become terribly silly. Not once does it stray into 'too far' territory, drawing genuine, deserved laughs rather than relying on uncomfortable, gross-out moments (although those do happen).

There are standout performances, most notably by newcomers to the big screen Rita Artmann (cast appropriately as 'The Hot Chick') and Laura- Jane Turner, both managing to inspire you to care about them despite their character's shortcomings. And of course Joe Bauer, whose self- depreciating humour and seeming inability to feel embarrassment stole the show.

Everything from the lighting to the blood splatter feels polished and complete, if ArtSpear can make a film of this standard with no budget in such a short time then what's everyone else's excuse? Possibly that they don't have Joe Bauer, who single-handedly obsessed over the 400 visual effects shots, managing to create gore excessive and realistic enough to make one flinch and squirm while successfully creating an homage to retro horror flicks of old.

The score, composed by David Lazar in just 8 short weeks, perfectly complements the film, bringing tension, lightness and romance when they're required without ever becoming overblown or in your face, except when that's appropriate and somehow adds to the overall experience.

In short The Killage is simply the funniest movie I have seen in quite some time, a brilliant debut by ArtSpear Entertainment, and a worthy selection to the Bram Stoker Film Festival in the UK this Halloween.

This film made me laugh out loud from start to finish and made me physically cringe at the gore more than any other film in a way that was very enjoyable as it is also a great comedy but still gory, not for the squeamish.

It exploits every horror cliché in the book better than any film I have seen and beats the 'Scary Movie' series hands down - an unbelievable achievement for such a low budget, very clever film making. I watched it with an audience of about 100 people and the collective laughter and groaning at the horror added enormously to the experience.

This film should be up there with classic cult films such as The Evil Dead, Wishmaster, Sean of the Dead etc. Go see!

I was pleasantly surprised upon viewing this comedy horror film. I don't normally like horror films, but the hilarious send up of the horror genre won me over. The combination of hilarity and genuine horror was superb. Director Joe Bauer (who is also one of the actors in The Killage) has written a brilliant film script and executed its direction to perfection. The cast performs wonderfully and the result is a movie that I thoroughly enjoyed (even though I could barely look at some moments of the film: such was the tension and horror). I have no doubt that this movie will be a cult classic: an excellent horror spoof. I congratulate Joe Bauer, all actors, and everyone involved in the production of this movie. This young Australian director has a bright future, as do many of the cast.

My girlfriend was given tickets to see the premiere of this film. I was pretty hesitant to go because we had to drive some distance. But I'm glad I made the journey to experience it.

The Killage is a comedy slash thriller slash horror slash slasher film.. Hilarious, gore filled and a lot of fun. I loved it.

While it seems to cover pretty much everything in the 'camp horror' niche.. it also felt very original and fresh. You definitely won't feel like you've 'seen this all before'.

The entire audience seemed to be splitting their sides in laughter (or squirming at various things been split on the screen). And I think the big audience really helped me enjoy this film. If you go to buy a copy or see it at a cinema (if you can) I highly recommend getting some friends around to watch it with you as it's a lot of fun. It's a fair dinkum popcorn companion.

The Killige look promising from the trailer, but when I first saw it at a film festival a few years ago I felt disappointed. The script was average and lack originally. The biggest con of this film is the acting from some of the key cast especially the main female protagonist and Patrick. There constant over-acting was just painful to watch. Maybe their unique style would be more suitable to the theatre then to film or TV. I have to factor in that this project had a low budget but that does not excuse the lack of a sound script that had no subtext and the basics of good acting performance. Sadly it is these types of projects that just waste slots in the film festival. Would like to add the supporting cast did a pretty good job with the d grade material they were provided with. Obviously, there are people who like this project and that is great for them I am just more appreciative to better horror films.