Review: Killing Ground

(imdb.com)

From Wolf Creek to Hounds of Love, Australia has made quite the impression on horror industry. Often featuring crazed rednecks and some unsuspecting victims, these films hit close to home featuring gritty violence and realistic gore. Showing absolutely no signs of stopping, the release of Killing Ground continues pushing this Australian style forward.

Killing Ground is a pretty straightforward horror film. Following a newly engaged couple camping, Killing Ground plays out like so many films before it. There's chasing and running, brutal attacks and an eventual climax scene that'll have even the most strong-willed wanting to look away. But, what makes this film at least somewhat special is its use of fluid chronology. Intersecting the couple's discovery of an abandoned tent are scenes of the original campers and their eventual fates at the hands of a pair of crazed psychopaths. These interwoven scenes provide some truly intense moments that make for a product far better than it could have been.

Killing Ground stars Harriet Dyer (Love Child) and Ian Meadows (The Turning) as newly engaged couple, Sam and Ian. They are the film's main focus and best pieces, countering off one another with electrified emotion. Dyer is especially effective at playing a somewhat typical role as the persevering survivor. Killing Ground also features Tiarnie Coupland, (Love Child) Stephen Hunter (The Hobbit) and Maya Stange (Garage Days) as the missing family, and Aaron Glenane (Truth) and Aaron Pedersen (Water Rats) as the crazed country men. Glenane is another standout of Killing Ground. His portrayal of the young and easily influenced attacker makes for some unsettling scenes.

Killing Ground shares many similarities to the hyper-stylized Nocturnal Animals. Featuring plenty of unwavering shots of brutality, viewers will most definitely want to look away. But, like so many films before it, they'll find it a difficult task to do. This is a film that you'll feel inclined to sit through, hopeful that reprieve is around the corner; hoping that, at some point the toddler held in Sam's arms will escape or we'll find out a character isn't dead. But, audiences will also know that, like so many times before it, hope should be taken with a grain of salt. This is Australian horror after all and it's famous for their brutal takes on the genre.

Killing Ground does suffer from a fair amount of predictability and senseless violence. For a film that has come after so many styled like it, it doesn't really do much to add to the genre. Sure, there's plenty of flinching brutality to go around, but it's not anything we haven't seen before. It's crazy and disturbing, and ultimately hard to look away from, but at times Killing Ground feels like an excuse to showcase pointless violence. It's never bad, but sometimes, audiences should wonder when the particularly visible use of violence against women will end. Why is it that, unlike the father who is shot shortly after being taken hostage, the filmmakers decide to show far more violence against the women? Gripping? Maybe, but at what cost?

Killing Ground is a thrilling ride. It's definitely the type of movie that will make you think twice before wandering into the secluded wilderness. But, outside of its use of time, doesn't really offer anything that fresh. Sure, in the moment you may be at the edge of your seat, but by the end, will audiences really be satisfied? Maybe, but maybe not. It may leave you successfully horrified, but others may be left wishing they hadn't bothered. 6 out of 10.

Review: Berlin Syndrome



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There seems to be a growing horror trend in Australia. Between the recently released Hounds of Love and the new film Berlin Syndrome, it looks like Australian horror has become swept up in a phase of brutally grounded kidnapping sagas. These two movies that look to be taking center stage share commonalities and procedural execution beginning with the chase, the capture and inevitably, the attempted escapes. Throughout the films there are also moments of disturbingly sexual tones and offbeat cracks of insanity from the captors.

Like Hounds of Love, Berlin Syndrome follows a young woman being held captive, this time by a crazed English teacher in Germany. Much of the movie is similar to Hounds of Love - featuring the steady, too-real-for-comfort plot points, but additionally draws on the one-on-one nature of Misery. It stars Teresa Palmer (Lights Out) as Australian tourist Clare, and Max Riemelt (Sense8), as the unhinged German, Andi. Both play their roles well and should be commended. Palmer in particular plays her role as a captive with such tenacious commitment that her predicament feels real.

Where Hounds of Love played heavily into a 60s aesthetic, Berlin Syndrome is far more straightforward. However, the somewhat sensationalized moments of this rendition feel far scarier than the realistic, but definitely dated atmosphere of Hounds. Berlin Syndrome is especially effective given its city setting. For in it, viewers would expect Clare's escape to be far easier than a suburban neighborhood or a desolate cabin, but for this film, nothing comes easy. Berlin Syndrome has plenty of thrilling moments to gape at, including an exciting, if predictable, ending. 

The film's biggest setback is a lack of memorability. While sufficient enough to overcome being bad or boring, Berlin Syndrome feels ultimately forgettable. It doesn't feature the nostalgia of Hounds of Love or the iconic imagery of a movie like Misery, and without much past two actors who faithfully adhere to their roles, there's nothing particularly surprising about this movie. While watchable and perfectly entertaining, the fact of the matter is that audiences could stand to not watch this film without much fear of missing out. Certainly better than bad, but no better than that, Berlin Syndrome is the type of movie that fades quickly from the mind.

While horror fans rejoice for new content, Berlin Syndrome won’t likely win over any new viewers. It's got quite the climactic final escape but without anything to keep it in the audience's head, the chance of it standing the test of time seems slim. This is a film that is definitely watchable, but definitely not committable. 6 out of 10.

Review: Hounds of Love

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For years, the horror industry has benefitted from near-true events of home invasions and close-to-home murders. Movies like The Strangers captured attention because of the belief that its events could happen all too simply. Even movies like The Call, which abstract the limits of drama and leak into the thriller genre, can easily be seen through a horror lens. Continuing to blur the line of other genres and the oft slept on horror genre is Hounds of Love.

While deeply realistic, Hounds of Love is most certainly a horror movie. Telling the unnerving story of a girl horrifically kidnapped in Perth, Australia, Hounds of Love is dark and disturbing. Set in the 80s, Hounds of Love greatly benefits from its use of toxically dated furniture and costumes. The meticulously chosen set pieces ground the film in reality.

The film stars Emma Booth (Introducing the Dwights) and Stephen Curry (The King) as kidnappers Evelyn and John, and Ashleigh Cummings (Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance) plays Vicki, the young kidnap victim. Each of the three is stunningly perfect; immersing themselves in their respective roles and truly committing to the film's stark plot. Booth and Curry are especially good at showcasing the intrinsically disturbed nature of their relationship. Their toxic relationship is brilliantly elaborated on and as the film progresses, audiences are sure to be drawn in.

While absent of any supernatural occurrences or otherworldly creatures, Hounds of Love is still a truly terrifying showcase of real monsters are right before your eyes who are startlingly human. Hounds of Love will undoubtedly turn off some given its explicit and graphic content, but for those who can stick with it, the movie's compelling character study should offer more than enough. Each moment of the film heavies the heart more but thankfully, these moments never feel hopeless. Throughout the movie, the filmmakers provide enough disruptions in the downtrodden cycle of torture to illuminate glimmers of hope, thus ensuring that the viewers who stuck around after the premise aren't left with turned stomachs.

Hounds of Love is dark and unsettling, but it's also terrifically well-done. It's portrayal of a volatile relationship and troubled characters won't make viewers feel sympathy, but it will engross them in their story. It's the type of movie that never feels advantageous or tacky; choosing to focus on the characters and their roles, rather than grossly explicit scenes. Hounds of Love is a perfectly done film in the vein of movies like Nocturnal Animals.  It's far superior to similarly disturbing but ultimately trashy films like Wolves at the Door, and is most definitely worth the watch.