GothKill…The Soul Collector

GothKill…The Soul Collector.

A title like that almost guarantees craziness, and for such a low-budget independent film, director J.J. Connelly does his best with what he can to deliver the goods. I’m not saying this is phenomenal stuff, but on an indie horror comedy level, it’s a fun flick to toss on when having a party, whether filled with goth-haters or goths alike.

Narrated by ancient priest turned mass murderer Nick Dread (Flambeaux), GothKill follows his passage (via numerous flashbacks) through time as to how he evolved into the cheeky goth-killing machine with a narcissistic fancy for the netherworld. Refusing to kill innocents during the Inquisition lands him his very own spot next to the ladies to be burned at the stake. Nick pledges allegiance to Satan, makes a pact with him to kill 100,000 souls, no matter how many centuries it may take, to deserve the reward of having his very own kingdom in Hell – complete with naked devil chicks (If you are into low-brow art, resembling infamous artist COOP’s red devil chicks).

Needing just a few more souls to achieve his centuries-long pining for his personal fiery reign, Nick possesses a present-day goth to gain spiritual access inside a hip, underground goth club in NYC. These “goths,” of course, ALL wear fangs (?) and the staff hangs out in back to worship the devil. We follow the plight of naiive wannabe goth friends Annie Caldwell (Erica Giovinazzo) and Kate (Eve Blackstone). An insanely ridiculous goth slaughter ensues, and the viewer is forced to take it all in with a grain of salt. All in all, it’s a fun movie because it’s *completely* self-aware – the viewer isn’t expected to believe any of it. In fact, I think it’s a kind of film many groups of friends have sat about contemplating, “Wouldn’t it be funny if we filmed a mass slaughter at that club…”

In one way, this film could be considered offensive by the use of such generic stereotypes, because it makes goths out to be just what the general public assumes of them. That’s the beauty of it though, they’re (hopefully) mocking the stereotype, as those of us who know goths know that the outfits are the only accurate thing they got right. Even then, not all goths dress the part, but it sure is fun.

Speaking of fashion, the costume designer gets a big thumbs-up from me because they didn’t go the cheap route. Some of those outfits were nicer material than some folks I run into in the clubs! Lovely visions of leather, rubber, patent leather, lace, etc. really helped the nightclub scene win me over. The acting however, was pretty darn…goofy. There was a fight scene where one guy seems to get castrated, and his friends behind him are smiling and laughing. Guess they forgot the camera was rolling? At least it looked like everyone had a great time putting the movie together. The effects were also pretty bad, but it looks like the entire budget might’ve gone into the clothing! Boys, do not despair. There are a fair amount of naked chicks in Nick’s Hell for you to admire.

Originally, I didn’t care for the film’s irritating characters, but then I perused the dvd extras and caught a snippet of the director’s Q&A at a screening. He was pretty funny, and he won me over after explaining the meaning behind the cult’s chanting, “Og Ot Yadnus Loohcs.” It means GO TO SUNDAY SCHOOL backwards. This idea is excruciatingly funny.

J.J. Connelly: “After what happened to Judas Priest in the ’80’s, I didn’t want any teenage kids playing it backwards and doing somethin’ awful to themselves, so if worse comes to worst, you know…they’d become bible thumpers.” *snicker*

Apparently, GothKill has become a mini-cult phenomenon in New York City and there are live-action performances, people dressing up, eating fire, etc. It is quite a corny film, but definitely a sick guilty pleasure for many, especially the Hot Topic crowd who don’t mind poking fun at themselves.

For further info and updates, see the official GothKill website or their Myspace page.
https://www.gothkill.com/