2022 SCREAMFEST REVIEW!
Mattie (Jenna Z) and her friends go on a camping trip to celebrate her upcoming wedding to the man of her dreams, Jagger (Jack Schumacher). On that trip they meet a strange man named Mr. Rogers (Tom Kiesche)–and from the moment they meet him, things seem to be going sideways. As the girls begin going missing, they begin to understand that their lives are in danger. KillHer is the tale of these four friends trying to survive.
KillHer is a tale of two halves. The first half of the film struggles in so many ways, the second looks to redeem itself. It’s only fair to look at the two halves as separate entities; here we go:
First Half: The first half of KillHer is plagued with issues. From acting to dialogue, to the overall tone of the film, it fails to reach viewers in a way that might intrigue them. The film’s four leads struggle to convey emotion throughout the entirety of the film, but through the first forty minutes, it’s nearly impossible to relate to them, to access their emotions, or to appreciate anything about them. Led primarily by M.C. Huff (Eddie), KillHer attempts to present her as the somewhat affectionate, wild friend–and her laugh plays a prominent role in how viewers are meant to receive her. Unfortunately, what seems like a small detail, that laugh, fails to work in her or the film’s favor; it feels completely fabricated and unoriginal, and it never works the way that it is meant to. To be honest, most of Huff’s performance feels forced, and it never seems to hit home in a way that makes anything about the first half memorable. The dialogue is rough (and sadly that’s not just the case when it comes to the first half of the film either). Through a series of pop culture references and cheesy one liners, it becomes incredibly difficult to appreciate the conversations between friends–and it’s even more difficult to feel any level of suspense through the first half of KillHer. Nothing about this film feels like it belongs to the horror genre at this point, and the dialogue only moves it further from grace.
Second Half: That first half nearly ruined the film in its entirety–but, fortunately enough for Director Robyn August, and everyone else involved, the second half takes a massive step in the right direction–bringing balance to an instantly wavering film. Almost like the flip of a switch, the tone of KillHer shifts to something darker and more appropriate. At this moment the film isn’t just better, it’s like an entirely different experience. Darkness lurks around every corner of this second half, it consumes the characters on screen, and manages to scream at viewers–reminding them all that’s at stake in this film. Even the dialogue shifts to a degree–getting better and providing some semblance of purpose to the film. Again, it’s still not great, and it weighs heavily on the film as a whole, forcing it to struggle at least to some degree at all times. The cheesiness that exists within the dialogue doesn’t work like some of those campy films of the past, but rather it continues to work against the film, diluting KillHer as a whole. While the acting still struggles, it, too, shifts in the right direction. Huff picks up the pace, and she manages to employ some emotion–at least better than what was seen in the first half of the film. I found myself with a rooting preference by the end of the film, when, during the first half, I found myself bored, uninterested–simply waiting for KillHer to come to an end. These actors found something buried within them, and breathed new life into the film as if moved closer to an end–and fortunately it wasn’t too late to save the film.
When everything was said and done, after the tides had turned on the film, and after it seemed that many of the filmmakers and cast members figured out how to drive this film forward–KillHer did eventually get the ball rolling, and the film became relevant in the grand scheme of the horror genre. I struggled so much in the early going, and there were moments when I struggled to focus. But the eventual shift toward darkness, the employment of standard, but effective scare tactics, and a step in the right direction in terms of acting and dialogue brought me around to the film.
Directed by Robyn August.
Written by Tom Kiesche.
Starring M.C. Huff, Emily Hall, Jenna Z, Nicole Lovince, Tom Kiesche, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10
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