Kill Theory (2009) Reviews

• Interesting premise ruined by soap opera-ish character relations

  krigler2009-11-29

  A welcome new take on the slasher genre, Kill Theory starts out quite well, but soon deteriorates into TV teen-soap territory because of the ill thought out character relationships. The titular kill theory of the villain only works because the characters are pretty shallow and have a common backstory straight out of a bad Gossip Girl story strand. It would have been much more interesting if the group dynamic at least resembled one from the real world where friends do not necessarily hold old grudges and girls might not viciously fight over guys who seemingly do not even deserve it. This way the plot becomes repetitive and predictable quite soon. It's sad that instead of really working the new angle, the filmmakers only used it as a hook to dress up the same old same old. Acting is solid throughout, apart from one spectacularly bad choice. The actor playing the "put upon fat guy with strong complexes and deep resentment waiting to surface" plays just that with all the cliché choices one might associate with the cliché role, plus overacts so badly that he completely kills all the scenes he is in. He should go back to acting school or look up "restraint" in the dictionary. (To be fair to him, the director might also be to blame; how could he let the guy screw up so disastrously is beyond belief - are they close friends or relatives?) All in all, a film that one might pass the time with but nothing memorable.

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• Takes everything that has made slashers work in the past, and incorporate that into a very competently made modern slasher flick.

  Strawberry_Typhoon2009-09-30

  At this point in horror history, long gone are the simple, yet effective, "By-the-numbers" slasher flicks. Everything has to be bigger and better than the last big thing. What Kill Theory does NOT do, is be an innovative force. It doesn't try to create the next big gimmick for horror movies to come. What it DOES do, and well I might add, is take everything that has made slashers work in the past, and incorporate that into a very competently made modern slasher flick. One of the things I liked most about Kill Theory, is that there really isn't a main character. There is no obvious hero, there isn't really a "Red herring" so to speak. The film puts together a decent ensemble of people, some of whom are recognizable from past efforts, some were unknowns. For me, I immediately noticed Theo Rossi, and Taryn Manning from Sons Of Anarchy, an excellent show if you haven't checked it out yet. I also recognized Daniel Franzese from "Bully". Overall though, Each character appears to be as important as the last. It never emphasizes one character over an other. The concept is interesting. It's not something new, but it's done very well, and keeps you engaged in the story, instead of waiting for the next kill. Normally in modern slashers, I've completely tuned the "Story" out, and I'm sitting in anticipation for the next piece of visual effects put on display. Speaking of effects, there are plenty of scenes of blood and gore in the film, which are also done very well. So if you're looking for some grue and grime, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the level of gritty violence and gore. The pacing was perfect. Sitting at a brisk 81 minutes, the film takes no time setting things in motion. There is a "Whodunit" aspect to the film, but it never harps on it. You don't see the "Killer's" face until the end of the film, but it doesn't make it a big "Reveal" moment,and those of us who have been keeping up to date on slashers, will immediately recognize his voice. If you're thirsting for a slasher film, and if you're like me, and are sick of the "Saw" franchise, and it's imitators, give Kill Theory a shot. It may not be the next big thing, but it takes different elements that made classic slashers work, and put them together in a fun, bloody, competent package. 3.5/5 - napalmfuzz http://liberaldead.blogspot.com

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• Mandy Lane meets Saw in this intense slasher filled with endless twists

  kingyhtd2009-01-29

  Kill Theory is the best horror film i have seen in a long time. Filled with unpredictable twists what further elevates it is the fact that everyone is a killer and anyone could kill anyone at any moment this keeps you at the edge of your seat. The acting is also above average for this kind of film especially Agnes Bruckner ,Taryn Manning,Teddy Dunn and newcomer Ryanne Duzich. Carly Pope fans are in for a disappointment as she is only featured in a picture (deleted scenes?) given the quality of the film it is a wonder that lions-gate has shelved this for so long since it could become the next Saw. The running time is somewhat short at about 80 minutes but the film makes up for that with its fast pacing.

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• Your friends are going to stab you in the back...

  A_Random_Guy_222009-02-01

  To be honest, Kill Theory wasn't high on my "Must watch of '09" list. Actually, it wasn't on there at all. But, I had the chance to, so I figured I might as well do. Let me tell you, I'm glad I did. Kill Theory is one of the best Horror films in ages. I know what you're thinking. "If it's so great, then why haven't I heard of it?" You have your friends down at LionsGate to blame for that. Here they have a perfectly good movie on their hands and they won't release it for only God knows why. Perhaps these early good reviews might prompt them to, but don't hold your breath on it. After all, this is LionsGate. Kill Theory is about a group of 6 college friends who head off to a secluded vacation home for fun and... well, I think you know. But, before they can get to any of that, they are targeted by a mysterious killer who forces them to kill off their friends -- or be killed themselves. Let's just say that there's a bloody, gory mess left behind. Think you know who survives? Think again. There is no virgin blonde girl with big boobs who manages to easily defeat the killer even though her friends couldn't. The body count is completely random and unpredictable. I couldn't believe who survived, that being due to the fact that all the characters are developed so very well. I also couldn't believe the last-minute twist which is executed so well that I was left just gaping at the screen. The acting is good and so are the production values, so half the time you don't even feel like you're watching a DTV flick. Honestly, if LionsGate doesn't give this movie the treatment it deserves, then something's definitely outta wack. If they can give wide releases to crap like Disaster Movie, then they should have no problem with this solid slasher flick. I highly recommend this movie if you're a fan of teen slice 'em ups or even if you're not. Fans of the Saw series should like it also since it has quite a few similarities to those movies. Final Verdict: 10/10, 2009 looks set to be a good year for Horror with movies such as My Bloody Valentine 3-D (also distributed by LionsGate) and the reboot of Friday the 13th.

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• The Kill Theory and the Awful Practice

  razvan_alexandru2009-06-18

  I have on occasions come across reasonable, enjoyable slashers ("Midnight Meat Train" and "All The Boys Love Mandy Lane" to name the first I could think of). This was certainly not the case with this one. Not by a long shot. Poor direction, laughable script, awful, plain awful acting. In spite of a potentially generous premise (demented killer doing none of the dirty work but instead relying upon victims to turn against one another), Kill Theory is nothing but a 75 min long streak of fits of hysteria and oh so much yelling and cursing. No tension, no build-up, no plot twists, nothing that can render such a movie interesting. Then again, it's got gore, that'll probably do for some.

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