Review #43: Don't Kill It (2016)


This review was originally written in October 2017.

Horror Movie October day 15: Don't Kill It

I noticed this on Netflix and thought I'd give it a shot since none of the other movies I wanted to watch were available for streaming, and I have to say I was kind of blown away by how much I enjoyed it.

Don't Kill It follows a demon hunter who gets hired to stop a demon that possesses people, but transfers itself to anyone who kills its host. So it possesses a guy, drives that man to go on a killing spree, and then when that guy inevitably gets killed it transfers to his killer, who then goes on another killing spree until they get killed, and so on and so on. Dolph Lundgren plays the savvy demon hunter who knows all about this demon and has a plan to stop it.

The movie itself is a fun watch- the main character is likable enough, and Dolph Lundgren really carries himself well as the aged and skilled demon hunter who's seen his share of dark spirits. There's something terrifying about the idea of a murderous psychopath coming at you, yet knowing that you have to try to keep it alive, even if it's doing everything it can to kill you- and the movie does a great job of keeping the stakes high. I never felt like they forgot where the story was going- it's pretty solid all the way through. That's really something you don't see often- this movie doesn't have any unnecessary scenes, in my opinion. There's very little fat that could or should be trimmed off.

My only real complaint is that the physical acting by all of the extras is really, really bad. (Like an early scene where two deputies are trying to escort Lundgren's character out of the police station, and they're over-acting like they're pulling a grizzly bear away from their child, meanwhile Lundgren is basically just standing there while he says his peace before leaving.) But I don't think the movie takes itself too seriously, so maybe it was intentional? I doubt it.

In any case, I wasn't expecting anything good but I got a fun ride from beginning to end.

Final Rating: 10/10 Rubber Bullets to the Stomach

Little-Known Fact: This is actually the prequel to Jaws.

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