It's hard to make a movie. So when I heard the Killer Ink production suffered sound problems, I feared the worst. But Derrick Redearth and crew took those lemons and made the best hard lemonade you've ever had. And let me make it clear, this lemonade is hard. It's not for the faint of heart. But if you like grind house, in it's hedonistic glory. Killer Ink is your flick.
Set in the nowheres'ville of Riverdale Colorado, Killer Ink is a touching story of a young man (Chris Romero) who hopes to one day reconcile with his parents. Of course his parents are right out of a grind house movie so they paint that touching story as garishly as possible.
Chris Romero as Gauge is the perfect counterbalance to all this mayhem. His performance is the eye of the storm. It's an unabashed, completely deadpan delivery. And you find yourself clinging to it because it feels safe. But Gauge gives no mercy and makes no apologies. And that amplifies the horror.
Everything Gauge has underneath comes out in the sound production. It's harsh, aggressive, sexy, and even comical. They took everything that makes grind house great and they pummel your ears with it. It's glorious.
Killer Ink rounds out a well balanced cast with a fantastically dangerous portrayal of Gauge's tattoo client Ethan (Digger T. Mesch) on one end, and a charming off center performance by Peter Mayhew of Chewbacca fame. While Digger's performance gives us what we expect of the best grind house, Mayhew's character is completely unexpected and serves well to reinforce how little family Gauge has.
There are many more things to love about Killer Ink, but all you really need to know is that if you want chick flicks and sparkles, move on. But if you like that smoking electricity a fork in a light socket gets you, Killer Ink is it.
