DVD Review: Some Guy Who Kills People

Ken Boyd (Kevin Corrigan) is fresh out of a mental institute. He's trying to put his grim past behind him, but the kids who sent him to the loony bin still enjoy tormenting him. Ken's best friend (Leo Fitzpatrick) gets him a job at the local ice cream shop. He soon begins a relationship with an English girl (Lucy Davis) new to town. At the same time, he finds out he has a daughter (Ariel Gade). Things get even more complex when the guys who picked on Ken start turning up brutally murdered.

 

This movie works on every level. Anyone picked on in school will relate to Ken and his daughter’s plight. At the same time, those with an appetite for bloodshed will thoroughly enjoy the graphic kill scenes. The film is a well-balanced mix of heart-on-your-sleeve indie flare and legitimate slasher gore.  

 

 

Kevin Corrigan portrays Ken Boyd as an emotionally repressed comic book artist who keeps his feelings bottled up inside… supposedly. Karen Black plays Ken’s mother, who constantly patronizes him for being withdrawn. Barry Bostwick is perfect as the sheriff of the small town who dates Ken’s mother and begins to suspect he’s taking his aggressions out on his high school adversaries. All the actors put forth their best efforts and take the material seriously.

 

From what I could tell all the special effects were practical. Every knife through the skull and severed head took me back to the wonderful days of the classic 1980s maniac killer flicks I stayed up late and watched during summer vacation. It’s always nice to see a movie using old-school prosthetics and gore versus the CGI we’ve become so used to.

 

 

Special features for the movie include a “Making of” featurette. It also contains the disturbingly amusing short, The Fifth, which inspired the full-length. Commentary by director Jack Perez and writer / producer Ryan Levin is included. It’s all topped off by a trailer for the film.

 

Some Guy Who Kills People is a challenging and somehow touching slasher film. Its unique take and blending of two genres on the opposite ends of the movie spectrum make for an entertaining experience. This is recommended viewing for gore hounds with a little heart.