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The Killing Games
Canada 2012
produced by Barry J. Gillis, Kelly A.H. Bird (executive) for Exosphere Motion Pictures, New Blood Entertainment
directed by Barry J. Gillis
starring Kelly A.H. Bird, Alex Sharpe, Donald Morin, Yunona Anders, John Scott, Edwin Autridge, Toby S. Krekoski, Connie Stevenson, Kim Sønderholm, Bandit Michael McGrath, Garett Madu, Elizabeth Richard, Jamie Tyler (as Jacquie-Lee Thibault), Cheryl Lisk, Barry J. Gillis, Pierre Ellis, Ashley Weiss, Nigel Hartwell, Jay Kranz, Vanessa Avik, Nikki Secord, Ira Bacchus, Tammy Barker, Kinga Satora, Jennifer Beckman, Kesh Blaze, Kitty Bolin, Connie Doucet, Scott Fortney, Ace Hanna, Dylan Mckone, Michael Morton, Courtney Owen, Shane Reap, Rockets Redglare, Nick Zedd, Danelle Walters, Christina Tully
written by Barry J. Gillis, music by Nathaniel Sutton, theme music by Peter Tarvainen, Barry J. Gillis
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Hiking through the woods, Elysia (Yunona Anders) and her best friend
Jenny (Jacquie-Lee Thibault) witness a couple being murdered in an
especially gruesome manner by two madmen, Dirty Jesus (John Scott) and Son
of Satan (Edwin Autridge). Worse though, the madmen become aware of the
girls and then chase them through the woods. Elysia manages to escape, but
Jenny doesn't and is raped and slaughtered. Elysia makes it home to her
father Birdman (Kelly A.H. Bird), who is of course properly shocked by all
of this, so he fortifies his home and arms himself and the family, should
the killers come - but they don't. Birdman is about the most benign man
you have ever met, but fate has dealt him a bad hand as his wife (Cheryl
Lisk) has been in a waking coma for years. Of late, nurse Juanita (Connie
Stevenson) helps him to take care of her ... oh, and she helps him with
some other things, in the bedroom, as well, because Juanita is a rotten
apple who only wants to get her hands on the wife's inheritance. If she
had to, she'd even kill to get her hands on the money ... Alex (Alex
Sharpe) is a small wheel in the big boss's (Kim Sønderholm) criminal
network, but thanks to his closely knit team, he steadily moves up the
ranks - until he catches his wife (Elizabeth Richard) shagging one of his
underlings (Toby S. Krekoski), upon which he shoots them both dead, but
soon one killing only leads to another and Alex has to realize he has to
skip town for a couple of months. And where better to hide than with his
old friend Birdman, who always helps those in need? Birdman in the
meantime makes his rounds to collect his rents, taking Elysia with him to
always have her close by. Too bad his tenants include Dirty Jesus and Son
of Satan ... Filmed at an obviuosly low budget, and by no means
flawless, The Killing Games wins its audience over with the
originality of its script. Instead of going the old slasher route again,
as the beginning of the movie even suggests, The Killing Games is a
mix of genres, from horror to gangster to crime to psycho thriller,
without ever falling into beaten tracks for too long, always surprising
its audience with what will happen next - up to the ultimate climax that
nobody would have guessed. Now true, the movie is not for everyone, it's
very violent at times and doesn't leave much to imagination, but the genre
fan who can overlook certain budgetary limitations is almost sure to enjoy
it.
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