You Can't Kill Stephen King

I appreciate that 'slasher' films have become a bit 'old hat' these days. Most B-movies in the genre don't even try to come up with anything more original than some masked loon stalking and murdering a bunch of over-sexed teenagers. However, with 'You Can't Kill Stephen King' at least the makers tried to do something a little different.

For a start, they injected a little humour into the film. If you're looking for a straight horror, you won't find it here. It's definitely black comedy-horror all the way. They also try and play on the obviously clichés and conventions you'd expect to find within this type of film and go some way to turn them on their heads and exploit them.

For all that, the film is actually quite enjoyable, as a group of teens travel off the beaten path in small-town America in an attempt to track down their icon, none other than Stephen King himself. However, as you might expect, they start falling victim to an unseen assailant. And here lies the main problem... you can subvert a few clichés and add a bit of humour, but what you're left with is a pretty run-of-the-mill slasher film. Although some parts of it are fun, it still doesn't succeed in being different enough to really raise it above the thousands of similar movies (some of which are played straight, others not).

So, despite all the good intentions, all you have is an average slasher movie. If you're really desperate to see what is little more than a 'modern Friday 13th type film' then give this one a go, or if you're a die-hard fan of Stephen King you should enjoy all the homages to him. But, ultimately, there's not enough that's new here to really recommend this film over the countless others like it.

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I've watched the first fifteen minutes or so of the movie and then skipped through the rest since I didn't like what I saw. This is extremely formulaic crap. I guess that would be fine for some if there were some production values to it. After all, personally I really like movies like Wrong Turn and such. This however is extremely cheaply produced, badly written, horribly acted and yawn-inducing trash. It is however miles beyond anything Monroe Mann has done thus far. So I'll give him that. Be warned though, this is not in the so-bad-that-it's-good category. This is definitely in it's-really-bad territory.

Pretty sure quite a lot of you will. By either ignoring it completely or just refusing to watch it or maybe even writing bad reviews after watching it. While it's obvious that the filmmakers try to make a fun movie within the slasher genre, they are not the first (nor the last to do so), but unfortunately fail.

The actors try their best (I guess), but the story and the coincidences pile up and nothing really fits. The jokes are mostly fail (not even miss), which is also not contributing to any enjoyment. You might give it an extra point for trying and because you like independent movies very much, but if you are fair, you have to admit, that it doesn't really reach any standard (low budget and all included into the judgment). On the other hand, there might be a few who actually enjoy this. Good for them

You Can't Kill Stephen King is a curiously titled comedy horror with the general slasher sub genre and it's actually not bad.

It tells the story of a group of friends who travel to Maine but as per the genre get picked off one by one by a mysterious assailant.

Its independent yet it looks great. It's independent yet the soundtrack is excellent. It's independent yet the unknown cast are fantastic. It's independent yet the writing is above par.

It breaks all the usual movie stereotypes and conventions and left me fairly impressed. To be clear it has its fair share of flaws hence the not overwhelming rating but for what it is this is a passable little affair that demonstrates how talented those involved are.

It's silly, it has a very limited spectrum but there is fun to be had here.

The Good:

Great soundtrack

Very above par cast

The Bad:

Ultimately flawed

Doesn't really flow

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Maine is so white there aren't even black bears

Horror "comedy" about four friends visiting a lake near Stephen King's (as in the real world famous author's) house in Maine, one of which - a creepy male virgin - is a super-fan. There is also a token black dude (no prizes for guessing who gets killed first), an ex soldier who suffers with PTSD and a mixed bunch of chicks (yes, buxom flirty one included). They are terrorised by an unknown killer. I don't claim to be an expert on Stephen King but I have read a number of his books and have seen most of the film adaptations, I was expecting a lot more "King" in this movie but in fact it plays out more like a poor Friday the 13th/Scream clone. It is meant to be funny but is devoid of laughs, the characters are an unlikable bunch too. One guy gets his throat cut, very gory, and one of the women is bludgeoned to death by a hammer, otherwise there's not much else in the way of gore. The lake location does look very nice, as do the girls in their swimming costumes, but I found this to be a poor movie overall and a definite failure as both a comedy and as a love letter to the great author.