Kill Katie Malone Movie Review

Written by Steve Pattee


Released by Phase 4 Films


Directed by Carlos Ramos Jr.
Written by Mark Onspaugh and Carlos Ramos Jr.
2010, 91 minutes, Not Rated

Starring:
Masiela Lusha as Ginger
Stephen Colletti as Jim
Lil J as Dixie
Dean Cain as Robert

 

Review:

 

In my experience, I find the easiest reviews to write are the ones where I hate the movie. It's disturbingly easy to explain why you hate something. Following that are writing reviews I love. Those are sometimes a battle to find the words on why someone should watch something I really enjoyed without overselling it. The hardest review to write, by far, is on a film that's just…blah. A film like Kill Katie Malone.

Kill Katie Malone isn't a bad film by any stretch. The acting is solid, for the most part, there are a few frightening parts found within the movie and it holds your interest, more or less, in its 90 minute running time. The problem is the story is pedestrian.

The movie's actual premise is solid enough. Three friends — Ginger, Jim and Dixie (Masiela Lusha, Stephen Colletti and Lil J, respectively) — pool their cash at Jim's insistence to purchase a ghost on an online auction site. The item description promises the ghost will do whatever is asked of her. What the seller, Robert (Dean Cain, Lois and Clark, 10.5: Apocalypse), fails to mention, though, is the ghost is one mean bitch and for every request she grants, someone has to die. The very fact that Robert sold off the box knowing that the new owner is pretty much screwed makes me laugh. That is a douche move of epic proportions.

 

 

Yet, as novel as the premise is, the script falls flat with the dialogue. From what I can gather, in addition to suffering a rather dismal death, the ghost's main purpose has something to do with keeping the family unit together, and letting nothing come between it. Jim, like his buddies, constantly goes out of his way to refer to the three friends as his family, at one point saying to Dixie something along the lines of, "You aren't my friend, you're my brother." Throw. Up. I understand that the fact the three consider themselves closer than friends as it's crucial to the storyline, but statements like that are ridiculous. I certainly don't dispute the closeness, as I have friends I consider family, but I don't go out of my way to tell them at every opportunity.

In addition, there is a scene where Dixie is accused of plagiarism. Fortunately for him, the professor doing the accusing is dealt with in a very unpleasant way. So who does Dixie immediately accuse? Why John, his "brother", of course. This seemingly comes out of nowhere. Sure, the kids were stressed out because they had figured out this ghost was up to no good at this point, but even with that, the heavy handed handling of their friendship makes his accusations out of place. It's instances like this sprinkled throughout the movie that just aren't believable.

 

 

However, the scripts failings are balanced out by some genuinely creepy moments throughout the film. The occasions in which a little ghost girl makes her appearance are generally the best in the film, as her showing does deliver the dread. One scene in particular involves a mirror, but I promise it's not the cheap shot where the medicine cabinet is closed and the aberration is in it. This moment had me sit up and take notice, all the while wondering why there weren't more scenes like it.

I have to give credit to the filmmakers for attempting to make a scary move sans much blood and nudity, and on some level they succeed. It's tough sell in a market that is under the impression that horror fans only want blood and boobs (an unfair assumption), and with a much tighter script Kill Katie Malone would have been something to behold. However, the less-than-believable dialogue and actions of the characters forces the film to become forgettable soon after viewing. It's not bad, it's not good, it just is.

There is no scheduled DVD release for Kill Katie Malone as of this writing, but you can currently catch it on Video On Demand. One final note, if you are a Dean Cain fan, he's only in the film briefly. So don't expect much from him.

 

 

Video, Audio and Special features:


Video, audio and special features will not be graded as this was a screener.

 

 

 

Grades:

 


Movie:
Video: n/a
Audio: n/a
Features: n/a
Overall:

 

 

 

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Steve Pattee
US Editor, Admin
He's the puppet master. You don't see him, but he pulls the strings that gets things done. He's the silent partner. He's black ops. If you notice his presence, it's the last thing you'll notice — because now you're dead. He's the shadow you thought you saw in that dark alleyway. You can have a conversation with him, and when you turn around to offer him a cup of coffee, he's already gone.
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