Kill List

Rating: 4.5/5

I am not the kind of horror fan who tries to show off my resistance to gore or make fun of bad horror. I do both of those things, but my core reason for watching horror films is that I like to be scared, and I haven't been really scared in a while. The last new "scary" movie I watched watched was Insidious, but even that got silly despite how fun the movie was. No, I'm waiting for a scary movie that creates suspense; one that purveys a feeling unescapable creepiness. Looks like I got my wish.

After a traumatic and disastrous job in Kiev, contract killer Jay (Neil Maskell) is having a tough time at home. Money is tight, Jay doesn't work, and he constantly fights with his wife. In an attempt to save his marriage, Jay agrees to join his friend Gal (Michael Smiley) on a "kill list" of three people. The two are given the job by mysterious and very creepy employers, but they decide money is money. However, as the job gets more and more strange and violent, Jay and Gal wonder what they've become a part of.

Complete and utter dread. That is what I feel watching my favorite horror films. Kill List does the same thing, and it is one of the scariest movies I've seen in a very long time. Director Ben Wheatley gives Kill List a nearly impenetrable texture of uneasiness and suspense; using Hitchcockian music, creepy lighting, and great mis-en-scene. Also, I've never heard of either of the leads, but wow. These two do a great job at portraying the paranoia and insanity of their situation incredibly realistically.

Now, usually the worst thing a bad horror movie can do is have an abrupt ending. This is the cheapest way to end a film without closure. But in good movies like Kill List where the whole film is scary, an abrupt ending works. The ending of Kill List leaves an impact; it is completely unexpected and very disturbing. What makes it work so well is that the film has been built up with atmosphere and well-developed characters. Jay and Gal are likable guys in a bad situation; we can sympathize with them.

I was glad to see Kill List. In a time of remakes, sequels, and Shark Night 3D, the appearance of a truly frightening film is a welcome sight. Ben Wheatley has made a well acted, written, and directed horror story that is worth seeing. Kill List will enrapture and disturb you, and it will do it well. The entire film, especially the tunnel sequence (one of the most terrifying scenes of the past fifteen years) kept me on the edge of my seat. If that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is.