Killing Ground Review: A young couple’s relaxing camping trip is destroyed when they stumble across a terrible and dangerous secret.
Killing Ground Review
Just when you think Australia couldn’t get any deadlier, Killing Ground arrives to give you nightmares. Sam (Harriet Dyer) and Ian (Ian Meadows) decide to see in the new year by camping in secluded spot from Ian’s childhood. They arrive to find that they’re not as isolated as they thought however, as there’s already a tent pitched. Deciding to stay on regardless, they soon realise that something isn’t quite right with the other tent – their neighbours haven’t been seen and the place is a mess – then after a shocking discovery, they find themselves fighting for their lives.
Killing Ground is a truly impressive film. There’s not been an Australian debut this nasty and intense since Wolf Creek. Although the antagonists on display here, German (Aaron Pedersen) and Chook (Aaron Glenane), aren’t as magnetic as Mick. In Wolf Creek, Mick (John Jarratt) had this strange charm to him that meant you couldn’t help but like him in an odd way. Here there is no such connection to either German or Chook, both are creepy and oh so menacing. At one point Chook torments one of his victims from outside a locked car and it’s such uncomfortable viewing that you’ll be squirming in your seat. As well as Wolf Creek, the film shares some of the traits of both Eden Lake and The Hills Have Eyes, but overall, Killing Ground is its own entity and stands proud on its own two legs. It is less concerned with the gross-out gore, and hones in more on creating an intensely menacing atmosphere.
Killing Ground Review
Playing against the brooding blood-thirsty bad guys are a host of good guys who thankfully aren’t the usual victims. Every one of them has fight and spirit, and for once, make the sensible decisions. These are film-savvy characters that do all the things we usually scream at the screens for them to do. This makes things even more unsettling for the viewer when these efforts don’t quite pan out. Killing Ground also makes heroes out of the women and children. The male characters are fine, but their female counterparts and offspring don’t rely on them to get them out of the situation. They have enough drive to survive to spur themselves on.
This isn’t your usual ‘things go wrong whilst camping the wilderness’ story, there are plenty of innovations to the genre, especially surrounding the way in which our story is told. The narrative unfolds in a very clever and intertwining manner. It deviates from the expected style and it’s a joy to witness the story unravel. The moment that the audience realise where the film is headed, and that penny drops, is pure magic.
Killing Ground Review
Backing everything else up are beautiful location shots that highlight the sun-scorched bush-lands brilliantly. There’s a lot to be said for the saying ‘less is more’, and director Damien Power clearly adheres to this mantra. A lot of the power of this film, and the plight of the victims, comes from what we don’t see on camera. There is a shot, post something horrific that we haven’t seen, that it is implied so strikingly that it has arguably much more of an impact than if we were to witness it. Again, not wanting to spoil any plot points, there is a shot of Sam walking from the campsite to the car that really is the stuff that bad dreams are made of. It’s silent and sinister, and elicited an unexpected wave of goosebumps.
Usually horror films have you on the edge of your seat, Killing Ground will have you rooted to your seat, unable to move. Intense, powerful, and incredibly heavy, you won’t be able to look away for a minute, no matter how much you might want to. A menacing mix of Wolf Creek, Eden Lake and The Hill Have Eyes, Killing Ground is one of the best Australian horror exports we’ve ever had.
Killing Ground review by Kat Hughes, August 2017.
Killing Ground is currently playing as part of the Horror Channel Frighfest 2017 programme.
