Hunt Her Kill Her

Hunt Her Kill Her

Starring Natalie Terrazzino, JC Oakley III, Larry Bunton, Philip Zimny

Directed by Greg Swinson & Ryan Thiessen

What I appreciate about horror is the ability for anyone to create a story based on their ideas because generally speaking a horror film doesn't cost a lot to make, as opposed to action or dramatic works. Plus the writer can use their imaginations to their highest degree to craft a unique, terrifying tale shot with pennies on the dollar, and provide something memorable. Unfortunately sometimes these films don't really take off, and that's the issue with "Hunt Her Kill Her," which had an interesting premise and a capable female lead, but was basically one long chase scene.

Single mother Karen (Natalie Terrazzino) has just gotten over a toxic relationship and is ready to work to provide for her daughter, so she takes a job as a night cleaner at a warehouse where she'll spend the night alone cleaning until daybreak. Her brief encounter with some of the workers are less than pleasant, as they worked with her ex-husband and seemingly have a beef with her. When everyone leaves and she locks up, she thinks she'll endure her first night alone with relative ease, but soon discovers that she's not as alone as she thinks - and the masked intruders have only one thing in mind: hunting her down and killing her.

We've all pretty much seen at least one horror movie in our lifetimes, and we all know the traditional trope of the helpless girl who's being stalked by the killer as he chases her through a certain locale (be it the woods, an empty department store, what have you) before she finally succumbs to the killer's grasp. We also know full well of the other trope of the final girl, who's also being stalked relentlessly by the killer (or killers) but manages to not just evade his (or their) grasp (or grasps), but gains the upper hand and emerges victorious. "Hunt Her Kill Her" is moreso the latter, as there's no warmup to the final climactic chase: the entire film is that case, as the entirety of the film is centered on the character of Karen and the five masked men who only want to see her die in the most horrible, gruesome way. Since this is the case, she's no damsel in distress who's dispatched early on (because then this would've been a short film as opposed to a feature-length one), so we know that this Karen won't be screaming to speak to a manager, but take matters into her own hands to survive the night.

Generally - and honestly - that's the trope that I hate most in horror movies. The final girl runs around while the killer chases her, and we know it's only a matter of time before she gets the upper hand to extract her own revenge, and in that vein "Hunt Her Kill Her" is no different - we pretty much know how it ends, because we've seen this before, and otherwise it would've made for a very dark film (maybe if it was French, it would've been different). Be it as it is, however, there's still some qualities that make it somewhat enjoyable, even though it's essentially one long chase.

First is the location. The entirety of the film is shot within the confines of a warehouse, and the start of the film really drives home the creepiness factor, even if Karen was really alone. One person within the confines of a huge, desolate location is enough to give anyone the heebie jeebies, but throw in a gang of masked killers and it only amps up the distress. I remember when I used to work at a church and I had to clean up after a late night service, and I was the only person there around ten at night, and had the unsettling feeling of being watched. I never vacuumed faster than that night and got out as fast as possible, and I can't imagine how anyone would manage to spend an entire night alone in a massive complex. But still, despite the unique setting, it's not used to its fullest potential: it's basically a candy store for a killer, filled to the brim with all kinds of tools used to kill someone, and they're hardly used (although we do get to see a new use for a plunger that we've never seen before).

The sound effects are also top notch, especially for a low budget film such as this. The creaks, the door slams, the footsteps on the cement floor, and the sudden jolt of machinery turning on sends shivers down your spine. If only there was a better story being told, it could've been more effective.

The final thing the film had going for it was the lead protagonist. Natalie Terrazzino isn't Ripley or Laurie Strode - she's just a single mother trying to make ends meet, and still dealing with a volatile relationship that ended in violence. Karen isn't a sharpened, hardened warrior, so when she encounters the masked men it's very natural and terrifying, as she runs around the complex looking for a way of escape, and finding every door barricaded from the outside. She eventually relies on her own wits to outwit her wannabe killers, which leads to some interesting (and surprisingly humorous) methods to do so. She learns on the fly, and goes from a dime store Karen to a Nancy Thompson in under 90 minutes, and Terrazzino's performance is top-notch for a newcomer.

The kills are gory without being over-the-top, and rather unique to the film. As I mentioned before, there's the use of a plunger that I've never seen before, and another death was incredibly humorous, almost like a slapstick death. Karen utilizes her setting (unlike her buffoon-ish wannabe killers) and crafts some unique kills.

Now everything else about the film is rather dull and lackluster. The story itself is silly on its head, as these men gain entrance to the warehouse not to rob it, but kill the sole woman inside. This could've been done much easier at her home, or her car, or when she's out for a walk, but to coordinate such an intricate plan seemed a bit excessive and laughable on its face.

Then there's the masked killers themselves. If they planned on killing Karen, why did they have to wear masks in the first place? To top it off the masks themselves (especially the lead's mask, which looks like a dime-store ripoff of Jason Voorhees' mask from "Jason X") serve no practical purpose, as it seems to stifle their peripheral vision when you'd want to be able to see all around you for the woman you're trying to kill. It's just impractical.

The killers themselves are completely inept, like they prepared their attack by watching "Home Alone" and playing "Call of Duty," but really have no actual wits about them. They spend the film spouting off traditional phrases like "we'll find you," or "you're going to die," and they, in turn, succumb to Karen's strong desire to survive. It should've been a simple task, but they were so stupid they couldn't even get that done right.

The film then ends on a supposed twist, but it's something we all could see coming a mile away, which was a disappointment because it could've been developed throughout the film, focusing more on a character study than a wannabe asymmetrical horror video game. The issue of family, spousal abuse, and one's worth would've been more impactful if it weaved itself throughout the narrative, but the majority of the film is spent with the cat-and-mouse game and missing out on the real meat of the matter. It's a premise that had strong promise, with pretty much all the pieces together, but with a weak script and weaker direction, it ended up a disappointment.

The Score: D