Kill Me Now (2013)
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Starring Jacob Reed, Michael Swaim, Brett Fancy, Beck Bennett
Directed by Travis Long
Kill Me Now is a modest, independently produced horror comedy that managed to exceed any sort of expectations I had going into the flick; it’s often goofy, silly but ultimately enjoyable due to a talented cast and a director who smartly plays everything for laughs instead of going the more serious route and uses his lack of budget to his benefit.
Essentially, think Super Troopers meets Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer with a hint of Can’t Hardly Wait thrown in there for good measure and you’ve got a pretty great idea of what to expect from Kill Me Now. Directed by Travis Long, the film follows the typical group of dumb teens partying it up one night who end being stalked by the deranged “Driller Killer”; little does the killer realize that he’s not dealing with his usual kind of victims and soon enough, a hilarious cat and mouse game is afoot between the killer and his intended victims that certainly does not play out like you think it will.
Kill Me Now features a talented cast of comedic actors across the board; both Jacob Reed and Michael Swaim are instantly likable losers with natural chemistry between them and their performances definitely take the rather average story to some above-average places. The pair of actors do a great job of playing the yin to each other’s yang in the movie, with their banter is reminiscent of ‘buddy’ flicks like Shaun of the Dead or even Due Date to a lesser extent.
And while the film certainly has a handle on delivering some great laughs, Kill Me Now absolutely could have used some extra time in the editing bay to trim up the beginning as the story takes too long to take shape and struggles to find both its tone and footing early on. I’ll be the first to admit I was ready to give up on Kill Me Now at about 20 minutes in but thankfully, I hung in there because once Reed and Swaim finally settle into their roles and Brett Fancy shows up as the notorious serial killer who happens to cross paths with the duo, the story and the characters in Kill Me Now all begin to loosen up a bit and have some fun with many of our favorite slasher tropes resulting in a really fun and unexpected little flick.
Long even gives his supporting players an opportunity to all have their own moments too which is pretty admirable for a tiny independent horror movie- generally we get less characters in these sorts of projects but Long and writer Swaim really have some fun at the expense of Fancy’s killer who just really wants to kill someone but is having a hell of a time getting the job done.
For anyone out there looking for fun and unusual (funusual, anyone?) indie horror movie, I’d definitely recommend Kill Me Now if you’re looking for laughs and not gore. Sure, the plot is as simple as they come and the story takes a while to get going but when it does, both the cast and director Long rise to the occasion and deliver a ton of funny in the flick. It may not necessarily reinvent the horror comedy wheel or anything but if you can overlook its minor issues, you may come away just as surprised as I was by its charming story and engaging performances that made the movie feel much bigger than it’s practically non-existent budget.
Highly recommended for all you indie horror fans out there.
3 out of 5
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