Killer Instinct

Killer Instinct. 2001. Lionsgate. Review by Brian Kirst

The 1980’s was definitely the highlight period for the Slasher film. Every once in awhile, though, a modest contender steps up to the plate and takes a few bold axe swings. "Killer Instinct", filmed in 2000 in Pennsylvania by director Ken Barbet, has some of the same elements of such Slasher classics as "Prom Night" and "Hell Night". It even, in odd moments, contains some of the youthful enthusiasm delivered by the cast of "Night of the Demons".

While the IMDb summarizer proclaims it "Almost the worst movie ever made", I found it to have enough mood, bloody effects, and nudity to place it firmly on my happy list. Genre veterans Corbin Bernsen and Dee Wallace Stone get to wrap their teeth around some meaty and conflicted personages here, also. Wallace Stone, in particular, gets to show a rarely seen balls-to-the-wall nasty side. One of the flicks prime pleasures is the tension created between her and Bernsen and I, for one, was truly wondering which one of them would survive the bloody melee.

"Killer Instinct" takes place in a small town where a violent lynching occurred about 15 years before the movie opens. On the anniversary of said event, a group of college friends break into the town’s former asylum. Of course, as they couple up and prowl the grounds in rambunctious treasure hunts, each swiftly meets their doom. All the clichés are enjoyably present here including the sex = death motif and the general inability of anyone to stick together in times of murderous crisis. The acting of the younger cast mates, if not embarrassingly rich, is at least adequate. Paige Moss elicits some generally creepy moments as the timid heroine. Jeanine Meyers presents the feistiest acting chops as Liz, making her the character you most want to see survive. Scott Roman and Joakim Alvarez, also, develop characters with attitude and verve. While none of the cast can ultimately turn "Killer Instinct" into a classic, they do help it deliver with some genuine Slasher energy and glory. For those viewers hungry for a bit of that sweet and gory predictability, this one may truly feel like home.