Killing Ground

Young couple goes on a trip to an isolated beach and discover that they are not alone. Someone else had put up a tent there and then abandoned it. As time passes by and the owners of the tent do not return, the newcomers start to suspect the worse. Then all hell breaks loose…

If you are a horror fan like myself you'd know the premise of KILLING GROUND. It all had been done before. What makes this movie stand out is its extreme realism and "no holds barred" attitude. It is at times a hard, edge of the seat viewing, but a rewarding one in the end. KILLING GROUND shows how good a survival movie could be if it is well scripted, acted and doesn't try to cash in on cheap tricks.

The story moves back and forwards, explaining bit by bit what happened to the first family and adding a sense of danger to the present. The villains are despicable, but down to earth real, which makes them even more terrifying. The performance of Aaron Glenane is particularly good. He gives us a small town psychopath, for whom murder is nothing but a daily routine.

The film does not shy away from gore moments, but does not glorify them. The pictures our mind can draw are much scarier than what's on screen, and it's what makes KILLING GROUND tick.

With all its tension KILLING GROUND is a pretty much conventional survival horror film, but there are so few good ones are out there. You may complain about its "unoriginality" but it is a horror movie you won't soon forget.

QUICK FACTS

During Q&A director Damien Power said that the inspiration for the film came to him as an image of an abandoned tent and a thought – what the worst could have happened with its owners?

While shooting a film, Damien Power wanted a viewer to feel that "the rule book of horror was thrown out of the window" and that "no one is safe".

KILLING GROUND will go on general release in 2017.

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Aaron Pederson came off Mystery Road and Goldstone for....this? He should be hitting Hollywood with his talent, but instead he'll settle for a script with little originality or imagination, and fellow great actors wasting their talents. Harriet Dyer is a terrific performer and has shown her charisma on the shows No Activity and The Other Guy, but is only required to be frightened wife captured by a maniac here, big boost into cinema that one is. Aaron Glenane is a convincing psychopath, but his and Pederson's characters are given no motivation or explanation for killing, they just do it for a laugh it seems. The only praise this deserves is for its beautiful cinematography, given the proper cinematic look with a proper film camera and lenses, rather than the grainy fly on the wall style that outstayed its welcome years back. Shows off the amazing countryside but then again does little with it but put in a hackneyed story and boring characters. Another miss for Aussie film. Except for people who love watching people get shot in the head.

Saw this recently on a pirated DVD. It is about a couple who retreat to the woods on a romantic camping trip. Things don't go well....... Nowhere close to Eden lake, Preservation or Storm warning. These names should be suffice to explain in short what this movie is about. In Eden lake, the tension, violence n the ending was shocking. While in Storm warning, the gore n the killings were brutal. Preservation was decent but Killing ground failed to impress. Well, it wasn't boring or messed up but at times i found it hard to sit through certain scenes. Two things i cannot bear even on screen is rape n any harm towards kids. Thankfully the director avoided abusive scenes but even some off screen scenes were a bit too hard for me. The character development of the bad guys were done well. They are given nearly as much screen time as the main leads. The bearded villain looked like Mel Gibson from Blood father. The movies non linear approach to story telling might appeal to some viewers but there isn't any originality in it.

This is a alright movie with nice elements that makes a good thriller.The movie takes time to introduce the main characters in the first act of the film. BUT i don't care for these characters because of their dumb choices. Green Room is a much better film. Damien Power does a good job directing this film for his directing debut. He is able to tell this story in a interesting and non linear way like Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. This is a very nice beautiful movie with nice cinematography. The realism and brutality within the film is gut wrenching and on point. The third act is pretty lame and the antagonists felt unrealistic. Though the performances were really great.

Killing Grounds was, at first, a tough watch for me. Seeing how much realism and detail was added to the scenes made me truly feel bad for the victims. One of my favorite parts about this film was their use of the past and present families and showing the stories connect with one another. On top of this, props to the creators not using cheesy jump scares to try and score a cheap shot with the audience. Instead they help develop all of the characters so you feel for each one, good and bad.

Overall, a great twisted horror film that will keep you engaged at all parts, with a bit of a lack luster ending.

7/10