Face to face with KILLER KITES, I sat back and opened a beer, thinking to myself, “Yeah. We’re in for quite the ride, aren’t we?” KILLER KITES is directed by Paul Dale and Austin Frosch, with a screenplay by Frosch. The film stars Manon Pages, Austin Naulty, and Carter Simoneaux.
The story of KILLER KITES is a tale as old as time. A woman (Manon Pages) has a kite-obsessed conspiracy-loving brother (Zack Lee). She brings him a mysterious kite, which unfortunately murders her brother as he begins to unravel the mystery of bread-loving KILLER KITES. Trying to make sense of her brother’s death and her family’s legacy, she goes on a quest to find the KILLER KITES which are now spreading through the community and killing everyone in sight. Can she and a brave few save the day, or are they too doomed by the KILLER KITES?
It’s good to see that Manon Pages is getting work. I saw her last in Demigod and she did a great job of playing the lead role in this incredibly silly horror-comedy and acted with grace and poise. I think Pages will do well with more dramatic roles, but the indie scene suits her.
With that out of the way, I was a bit ‘up in the air’ with KILLER KITES. There are genuine moments of comedy that work well in its favor, especially the prop work – the real star of the movie. This is a testament to the creativity of the team with the understanding that the budget was small as most indie horror-comedies are.
I’ve seen my fair share of horror comedies and, while some I found to be abysmal (Thankskilling, Terrorvision, and Suburban Sasquatch), some are pretty fun and clever (Sharks of the Corn, Noah’s Shark, Velocipastor). The difference? It really goes back to the writing and chemistry of the team. You can make a ridiculous story and still have the audience on board and invested because of the characters, writing, and chemistry.
KILLER KITES is a fun concept with a fun theme song, but the sum of its parts doesn’t gel together. The chemistry is flat and the jokes can range from funny to just…cringe, for example, the c-word joke played over and over). As I’ve said, the props are the best part and got the most laughs from me, especially with the conspiracy board and the water bottle bong. With that said, the movie doesn’t know when to end and overstays its welcome even though it has a short runtime.
However, the music surprisingly fit the scenes. It’s very canned in a way that could fit into many genres, but it really worked for the tone and action of KILLER KITES. The special effects were fun, too, and paid homage to Birdemic: Shock and Terror. The effects range from bad CGI to silly practical effects, especially with the main kite.
If you’re looking for a silly movie to lift your spirits (after getting high, of course), KILLER KITES might be exactly what you’re looking for. But as a solid horror-comedy, you might want to look elsewhere.
KILLER KITES is now on Digital.
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