‘The Killgrin’ FilmQuest 2024 Review: A Creature Feature That Feasts On Pain
I’m always curious to see a director’s feature debut and The Killgrin marks director Joanna Tsanis’s first foray into feature-length territory. Setting its World Premiere at popular genre film festival, FilmQuest, The Killgrin packed the house on its debut night. Now the question: will we be entertained?
What is The Killgrin about?
The film follows Miranda (Konstantina Mantelos) as she endures a tragic loss in the early moments of the film. The tragedy builds up a compelling trajectory for Miranda who now seeks a way to move on through self-help and spiritual means.
As Miranda navigates this journey, we encounter friends— new and old—who are suffering from their own life battles. Two notable pals come by way of Miranda’s childhood bestie Andie (Gillian Fortin) and group therapy desperado Brian (Adam Tsekhman). The latter, whom Miranda meets during her first therapy session and gets the “ick” instantly, does a fantastic job of conveying a creepy borderline sleazy persona that’s always reeled back just before he goes too far. As their friendship grows, Brian reveals his deeper self, an endearing and lonely guy with a witty retort and a killer absinthe recipe
Just when you think it’s all trauma horror…
The Killgrin gives us plenty of character emotion to chew on, but the film heats up as the horrors enter the room. Before the titular Killgrin arrives to steal the show, we’re given some lead-up tasty horror morsels that serve as solid appetizers for any horror lover.
While these morsels tied us over during the runtime, a few more jarring moments could be added to The Killgrin’s recipe.
Around the midpoint of the film, we get our first real glimpse of the titular Killgrin. While teased up until this point, the creature’s terrifying effects are largely muted in shadow until now.
For creature design, the Killgrin is excellent. It encapsulates exactly what the story is about— a creature enduring suffering and seeking an end to its pain through its victim’s demise. When Tsanis described the creatures, I was instantly reminded of Rick and Morty’s” Meeseeks and Destroy” episode— for Meeseeks, existence is pain!
Visually, we’re far from a cartoonish helper in the design of the Killgrin. The finished look could be described as the product of a grub worm and a Cenobite mating. They’re large, slimy, and pretty unsettling to see towering in a dark room.
Were we entertained?
On a whole, The Killgrin delivers heavy subject matter with strong performances, some comedic levity, and a stand out creature design. If you enjoy independent films, you will likely find an intriguing watch in The Killgrin. Some areas that may affect enjoyment include slow pacing and story points that amble instead of sprint.
That said, with a strong creature and its surprisingly light moments between characters, I really enjoyed The Killgrin and look forward to what Tsanis delivers next.
The Killgrin is scheduled for release in 2025.
Summary
‘The Killgrin’ delivers heavy subject matter with strong performances, some comedic levity, and a stand out creature design
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