Cannibal Corpse Killers

Director - Joaquin Montalvan (Hole, Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher)

Starring - Dennis Haggard (Hole, Mobius), Theresa Holly (Hole, Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher), and Chris Shumway (Six Gun Savior, Western Religion)

Release Date - 2018

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "Scars don't bleed"

Format - DVD (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     Several years ago I befriended filmmaker Joaquin Montalvan on Facebook when I came across posts for his film Legend of the Hillbilly Butcher.  I reached out to him and he sent over copies of that film and two other movies he had made, Hole and Mobius.  Sometime after I reviewed those films he began production on his newest film CCK.  This film was several years in the making and when I was at Walmart sometime in October I saw the film, now titled Cannibal Corpse Killers, on the shelf.  I was very excited to give it a spin so I snagged a copy.

     The world is in shambles when demons enter the bodies of the deceased.  A group of survivors fight to survive as they travel the hellish nightmare to seek refuge in the city of Jawbone which is said to be a safe zone for those not possessed.  

     I've been interested in this one for several years.  I covered the film a couple times when it was in production but sometime over the last few years Montalvan and myself lost contact and I forgot about the film.  I wish I would have followed it closer but the problem with social media the more people that adds you on each platform means the more content you have to look through.  Sadly, some stuff gets lost in the shuffle.  I've been seeing pictures for this one for so long and I couldn't wait to dive into it.  The movie itself is nothing like I was expecting.  It had a very interesting story but the pacing in the movie is all wrong.  The acting in this one is very hit or miss with me.  Some of the characters were very well done with some amazing performances delivered.  However, other characters are very underwhelming and awkward.  The cast shows varying level of experience with some that are very natural in front of the camera while others struggle in their roles.  I respect everyone that takes a step out of their comfort zones to act so I'm not trying to be disrespectful here.  The story for this one was not what I was expecting and was a very bold and ambitious endeavor for an indie filmmaker.  Having demons possessing the dead is a cleaver spin on zombies and adds so much more to the story.  Sadly, the film is very focused on the character's dialogue which results in some very long and drawn out scenes that takes a lot away from the story.  I found myself losing focus several times throughout the run time.  Finally, the film has some blood and practical effects but they are nothing we haven't seen before.  The kills we get are in theme with the film with some solid practical effects but the creativity is not there.  The kills work but are not that memorable.  Overall, Cannibal Corpse Killers is creative in some aspects and lacking in other.  I really liked the story but the scenes are very uneven which does throw the flow of the film off.  I would recommend it for a first time watch but don't expect to revisit it.