10.29.2012

#228 -- Kill Theory (2009)

Rating: 4 / 5
Director: Chris Moore

Okay, let's get something straight. This movie is not scary. There are no jump scares, there's nothing that will make you have nightmares, and it is far from shit-your-pants terrifying. Being scary isn't what makes this movie good. It's what happens to your brain when you watch it that makes it worth it. It will make you think hard about yourself and your own primal instincts, and it will make you question your humanity.

It started off with a man who killed his friends. He didn't stab them, shoot or maim them. A rock climbing accident left them all suspended from a rope, he chose his own life over theirs, and he cut them loose. This landed him in a metal facility for three years. He was released, because the doctor thought he finally began to realize that what he did was wrong. His theory--the kill theory--was that everyone would do the same in that situation. When he was released, he set out to prove that theory.

There was a group of soon to be college graduates partying at a lake house. It started off like any other camp horror movie, but it turned into something more. One of them was murdered, and the killer sent a tape explaining their situation. They were to kill each other, and they had until six o'clock the next morning. When six o'clock came, if more than one person was left alive, they would be killed. If one person walked away alone, they would be spared. It's not that he wanted them dead; he only wanted to prove that deep down, we're all killers. He wanted to prove that everyone has that primal survival instinct, and that everyone would choose their own lives over anyone else's.

Soon, the friends began to turn on each other. Each of them wanted to survive, and they eventually realized that, in order to do that, they would have to kill their friends. There was only one among them that was willing to try and fight the mysterious killer, rather than kill anyone else. In fact, he was willing to kill himself just to save his girlfriend's life. All the rest were concerned only about their own survival.

The killer was good and creepy. He only communicated via video or a walkie talkie, and we didn't see his face until the very end. He was mysterious, and his voice was deep and raspy. There was some pretty impressive gore in there too. But let's talk about what this movie's real purpose is. It's to make us think about what we would do in the same situation.

Would you ride it out, try to fight the killer, or would  you sink to his level and murder all your friends? There were several different types of characters in the movie. There was the asshole who didn't think twice about killing his friends. There was the hysterical one who's fear eventually drove him to kill his friends; the girl who gave up and accepted that she was going to die. And, finally, the girl who relied on her boyfriend to keep her safe, until she finally realized that the only way she'd be safe was by killing him. Who would you be?

I think most people would say that they would never kill their friends. But not me. I know that I would be extremely concerned about my own survival. So, initially, I'd say that I would do it. I would kill them to make sure I stayed alive. But when I really think about it, I feel that I couldn't do it. If I had to look in my boyfriend's face, knowing that I had to kill him or die...I think I'd go insane before I was able to do anything. But, realistically, no one knows how they would react unless they were actually put into the situation. I think that I'd try to ride it out for a while. When it got close to the end, hysterics would set in, and I'd go crazy on someone. So, I think I'd be the girl relying on her boyfriend until she finally kills him.

There were some good movie elements going on here, but I liked this because it asked me a question that is impossible to answer. So I repeat: who would you be?


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