Oddly I have just started to watch Ben Wheatleys work- i have gone backwards, starting with a Field in England, Sightseers, now just watched Kill List - as Mark Kermode states in his review..... what an intense movie. Movies that disturb and make you feel uncomfortable without the need for mindless violence... not easy to pull off. Ben Wheatley is a superb film maker. Kill list just blew me away. Finally, glad you mentioned The Descent and EDEN LAKE! Eden Lake was magnificent.
olderloverxx Seems like we have similar tastes. :p Maybe these movies do well with viewers who consider movies to be an 'experience' with a certain 'intensity', with people who want their movies to make them FEEL.
Just seen this film - it's absolutely sufocating and extremely nauseating in a good horror film way. I'm a big horror fan but I cant remember the last time a film has shaken me like this. This could well be a serious contentender to knock my fave horror film of time 'Rosemary's Baby' off the number one spot. if you haven't , YOU MUST SEE THIS!!!!!
Kill List makes a great double-feature with John Boorman's Excalibur. Watch Excalibur first, followed by this and Kill List's final act makes much more sense.
As a HP Lovecraft fan, I totally got this from the get go, as it takes its rift from a number of his works like 'Shadow over Innsmouth' or 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'. Ben Wheatley is steeped in the horror genre, not just the obvious 70's folk horror references like Wicker Man or Blood on Satan's Claw, but in the grand tradition of horror and weird fiction dating back from the late 1800's like Lovecraft, Poe, Arthur Machen, Robert W. Chambers and M. R. James to name but a few. Themes such as forbidden knowledge, inherited guilt, fate, civilization under threat, class and religion are common themes in Wheatley's work, much like his earlier mentors. Be it dark cults undertaking strange rituals, through to dark woods in the English countryside, its the horror of what you can't see, or understanding the rational of what motivates people, is the true reason to be fearful. But the main reason why people struggle to understand some of Wheatley's work ( the majestic A Field in England also get's these extreme reactions) is the lack of exposition. In the age of the internet, where everything is 'explained', where we are spoon fed 'facts', to come across a director that is willing to alienate an audiance, to take away their safety blankets and remind everybody we are a insignificant speck in the cosmos, is timely and needed.
A critic wanted to walk out. When I saw the film on Friday, there were only five people in the audience. And two walked out after half an hour, and another member was coming in and out of the screening. My friend and I were stuck to our seats and as Dr. K says, it is a deeply uncomfortable film.
Yeah, the poster for one. When I saw the DVD box cover, I immediately thought "serial killer in the woods, blair witch/wickerman cults etc." Aside from the scene with Gal's gf marking the back of the mirror, none of this is even hinted at until about 1/3 of the way into the film. Well played, I say.
Just watched this film. I actually really liked it. Did not expect it to like it as much as I did [I felt the same about Dead Man's Shoes, which i loved]. I really liked the strange uncomfortable-ness of it. Intense is a good description.. Genuinely surprising :)
i'm glad i forgot that kermode compared this to "wicker man", because it gives away a bit much. i immediately thought about the "serbian film" similarity, too. "dead man's shoes" is another good comparison. i didn't feel "angel heart" at all, though.
Honestly the ending fits the film well, there are various hints all they way through, in dialogue, tone, mise en scene etc. Some are more obvious than others, but they all make sense after the fact.
@timporter1989 It is the same film. If you go through each part, protagonist gets convinced to do one last job, doesn't know what's involved, slightly mysterious character who turns out to be Judas, gets increasingly disturbed as he does the job. If there was sex instead of murders it would be the exact same.
Just watched this and it's really good. I think the naturalistic dialogue, particularly between the 3 main characters, goes a long way in creating the uncomfortable feeling as it drags you in to their situation on a deeper level.
+daniel mcdermott SPOILER ALERT The final act, him killing his wife and child unknowingly under the sheet. Similar to the final act of A Serbian Film where he performs sexual acts unknowingly upon his child under a sheet along with the masked man next to him performing sexual acts upon his wife
That's your opinion mate but imo Kill List is better than Eden Lake on every level. Also, by 'best British horror' do you mean recently or ever? If you mean the latter you have to be joking right?
The plot wasn't very good i admit that but it kept me on the edge, looking forward to what happens next. Both films got the disturbing scenes well done but Kill List didn't grab me as much. BTW i did see Eden Lake first.
I didn't really feel uncomfortable watching this film in the way Kermode describes, but the last film I watched (a couple of nights before) was Inland Empire - now that's an uncomfortable experience.
I like both films but Eden Lake grabbed me much more, it's way more tense and disturbing. And yes when i said by "Best british horror" best one in the past ten years. No problem with that is it?
@jimmyjamwhambam film's that leaves the audience asking questions are the best kind, especially when done with such craft. Personally I dont want a film to tie all the pieces together into a nice bow at the end...........
I'm not sure Kill List should be classed as a horror film. It's more a social drama, which channels a sense of foreboding and misery at an unusually high level of intensity. I think they try to turn things towards horror, and successfully mess that up with that ending.
i'm still waiting fro the horror genre to take a big step back from gore and violence and to inject a large dose of suspense and atmosphere back into what's become kind of a dull, over-commercialised (or, far too salaciously obsessed with shock value) and pretty soulless load of cack.
The intensity is indeed very strong and very good. Unfortunately after less than 15 minutes in the film I said to myself: this is not going to turn out like 'a serbian film' hopefully. it gave me that vibe. So that was a bit too obvious of Wheatly. Of course when the ending came I was quite disappointed. Amazing build up, flawed finale.
Kill List is a bloody awesome film. A must see. Great foreboding atmosphere, and the music in it is chilling and adds to the overall effect. Go see it.
The only thing i found ridiculous with Eden Lake was her boyfriend taking her to a weekend away to shithole area in britain. But the was a reason why the gang started getting aggressive, and the lake was not a gated community so i can see why they were getting chased there. And i think Kill List gave away too many signs, especially when the woman makes a mark on the back of the mirror. When i first saw that i knew the it was going to be more than a hit movie.
an interesting film but took too long to get going...the wicker man type ending was a bit silly tbh...the film is uneven and needed a more engaging narrative
Good film for the most part, although the whole cult style ritual sacrifice thing has been done better and scarier in other movies and I saw the ending coming a mile away too, so it wasn't so surprising and seemed kind of rushed. Horror is definitely on of my favorite genres and it's tricky to have a story that creeps you out and has a satisfying ending, specially if you are a die hard horror fan with nerves of steel. I always appreciate a horror movie which tries different techniques to present the genre and doesn't do cheap jump scares . Kill list certainly has a unique feel to it and should be commended for that, but in the end it fell a bit short of completing the task it set out to do. Maybe a bigger budget could have helped fully fleshed out the climax, but I think the main issues lay with the story and not the lack of resources. I'm sure the film makers would argue otherwise as there's always a chance they couldn't film it the way they wanted due to money constraints.
" the whole cult style ritual sacrifice thing has been done better and scarier in other movies" Like? Any recommendations? I have collected quite a few horror films but am running out of good ones to add to my list. I'd appreciate your help.
@@MH-jc3uj It's not in the same league as Kill List but I recently watched Apostle (2018) and was pretty disturbed by it. I've watched a lot of horror and sadly I'm mostly desensitized now so the gore and jump scares don't often hit the mark. But for some reason Apostle got under my skin a bit. It's far from a perfect film and fell apart at the end, but worth a watch if you like 'culty ritualistic' horrors.
@drplbiftin there is a difference, this film explains nothing! How do you get involved with any character when you can't understand how and why the way they act! **spoilers take the second killing with the hammer, it was uncomfortable because it was brutal but I only found it shocking like a saw film violent scene. If it had been about something it would have resonated a lot more with the audience. It didn't connect at all.
I just watched this and I was tense the whole way through. Good British Made Film but blimey charlie, in honour of Dr Kermode, I don't think I'll be watching it again any time soon it was too bloody anxiety fuelling. Phew. Gonna watch a Disney movie or something to make sure I get to sleep.
Kill list made me feel uncomfortable. I hate really intense movies that end without actually letting you know what you just watched. Kill list is one of those. You know no more about the movie after it has finished then you did before it started.
This movie robs you of exposition, context, and in the final acts, throws you on your head like an abducted pensioner. And it is all the better for it, keeping the dread in the shadows, unexplained, impossible to define.
It was a film that was going on nicely as one film..then it became the wicker man and that didnt work. Another problem is that all the people were scumbags who had or were doing shitty things, very lazy plotting. The first 3/4 of the film great...the last act really sucked.
Just watched this. It doesn't make sense. The gushing reviews are yet another example of critics following critics. I'm not sure which fairytale is more apt, The Pied Piper or The Emperor Has No Clothes. Some very nice hammer work though.
I didn't like this movie. In the Hunchback scene, why didn't the wife just say, Hey Jay it's me your wife? Here's my interpretation: It's all a dream from a dying Jay. or very ill Jay. He's really in the hospital getting IV anti-biotics from sepsis, from the hand infection. Did you see when he looked in the mirror with his shirt off? The redness had spread all over his body. This is a serious infection. So this is all a delirious dream.
@@bcross9109 Possibly, but then why did she shoot and kill several of the cult members when they broke into the house? I liked the film, but was a little confused by that part too.
A good movie ! Until the last 20 or so minutes, I'd advice anyone not to watch it cos it's fuckin stupid. Could a done better mesen, and I'm a crack head.
I thought this was appaling! i really, really hate films that include things that disorientate the viewer but never resolve them(See lost) Why did they say 'thank you'? Why was the new girlfriend part of it? why was anything happening for any reason? Yes it was very oppresiveand in your face, and i agree that there was a really uncomfortable feeling presence throughout the whole film. However a film that goes nowhere is just that! A nothing film!
A magnificent film: pulsing with dread. And when the explosions of violence come, they feel as inevitable as they are terrifying.
"Pulsing with dread." Brilliant description of a fantastic horror film.
Kill List, The Descent, Eden Lake. My favorite suspense/horror films from 2000-2014.
You Brits know how to make good horror and I love you for it. :)
Oddly I have just started to watch Ben Wheatleys work- i have gone backwards, starting with a Field in England, Sightseers, now just watched Kill List - as Mark Kermode states in his review..... what an intense movie. Movies that disturb and make you feel uncomfortable without the need for mindless violence... not easy to pull off. Ben Wheatley is a superb film maker. Kill list just blew me away. Finally, glad you mentioned The Descent and EDEN LAKE! Eden Lake was magnificent.
olderloverxx
Seems like we have similar tastes. :p
Maybe these movies do well with viewers who consider movies to be an 'experience' with a certain 'intensity', with people who want their movies to make them FEEL.
+grungedimi The Decent was a British movie? I have only seen it once, years ago, but I could have sworn the cast and location were both American.
Definitely British Directed by Neil Marshall - one of the main characters was an American female though. Filmed mainly in Scotland too.
olderloverxx Wow, interesting. I'll have to watch it again.
Watched it loads of times ,one of my fav movies ever
Great film, the mounting sense of dread is incredible.
This film is a British classic!
Just seen this film - it's absolutely sufocating and extremely nauseating in a good horror film way. I'm a big horror fan but I cant remember the last time a film has shaken me like this. This could well be a serious contentender to knock my fave horror film of time 'Rosemary's Baby' off the number one spot. if you haven't , YOU MUST SEE THIS!!!!!
I completely agree. Easily in my top 10 of all time, and my favorite horror film ever.
He forgot to mention the element of "Eyes Wide Shut" that is also evident in this film.
That's what I was thinking too, big time. However, Wheatley hasn't turned up dead yet.
One of the most disturbing messed up films I've ever seen . Watched it for the first time on Halloween and it's Shaken me to my core
Kill List makes a great double-feature with John Boorman's Excalibur. Watch Excalibur first, followed by this and Kill List's final act makes much more sense.
+Miles Quatermass What a fascinating suggestion. I'm not being sarcastic, it really is. I have both those films
yes i have both on dvd. I'll try it :)
The audio work is unbelievable!
Awesome, awesome movie.
How is it even remotely like that film?
As a HP Lovecraft fan, I totally got this from the get go, as it takes its rift from a number of his works like 'Shadow over Innsmouth' or 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward'.
Ben Wheatley is steeped in the horror genre, not just the obvious 70's folk horror references like Wicker Man or Blood on Satan's Claw, but in the grand tradition of horror and weird fiction dating back from the late 1800's like Lovecraft, Poe, Arthur Machen, Robert W. Chambers and M. R. James to name but a few.
Themes such as forbidden knowledge, inherited guilt, fate, civilization under threat, class and religion are common themes in Wheatley's work, much like his earlier mentors.
Be it dark cults undertaking strange rituals, through to dark woods in the English countryside, its the horror of what you can't see, or understanding the rational of what motivates people, is the true reason to be fearful.
But the main reason why people struggle to understand some of Wheatley's work ( the majestic A Field in England also get's these extreme reactions) is the lack of exposition. In the age of the internet, where everything is 'explained', where we are spoon fed 'facts', to come across a director that is willing to alienate an audiance, to take away their safety blankets and remind everybody we are a insignificant speck in the cosmos, is timely and needed.
A Field In England is majestic indeed. One of my favourite films. Wheatley is an amazing director and Michael Smiley rules
Fellow HPL fan here - my thoughts exactly
Found the movie in 2013 & was my fav of that year.
A critic wanted to walk out. When I saw the film on Friday, there were only five people in the audience. And two walked out after half an hour, and another member was coming in and out of the screening. My friend and I were stuck to our seats and as Dr. K says, it is a deeply uncomfortable film.
Just watched it for the first. My God, it's good.
Yeah, the poster for one. When I saw the DVD box cover, I immediately thought "serial killer in the woods, blair witch/wickerman cults etc." Aside from the scene with Gal's gf marking the back of the mirror, none of this is even hinted at until about 1/3 of the way into the film. Well played, I say.
@RockBottomRiser21 yes, it cut out early for me too. There was ment to be a podcast extra as well. Dont know what happend
The kitchen scene. That's all I'm saying.
Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Top film, mind
Just finished watching the film, man it turned into the wicker man! Awesome film.
The lump hammer scene OW lol
Love this movie - specially because it's essentially 3 different 30 minutes short films rolled into a 1:30' movie. Really unsettling.
Did the podcast cut out early for anyone else?
Very good film this.
The ending, including the last 15 minutes were fucking amazing and totally unexpected for me.
Just watched this film. I actually really liked it. Did not expect it to like it as much as I did [I felt the same about Dead Man's Shoes, which i loved]. I really liked the strange uncomfortable-ness of it. Intense is a good description.. Genuinely surprising
:)
i'm glad i forgot that kermode compared this to "wicker man", because it gives away a bit much. i immediately thought about the "serbian film" similarity, too. "dead man's shoes" is another good comparison. i didn't feel "angel heart" at all, though.
I watched this when I was 14. It messed me up.
Jesus, my condolences. It's a great film, but really not for kids!
Agreed!
Sanock Ye that would do it.
First time in a long time I totally agree with Dr. K. A great film.
Do do de doo HAMMER time!
stealing comments!!
@@bobwallacejnr6852 what do you mean stealing comments?!
Honestly the ending fits the film well, there are various hints all they way through, in dialogue, tone, mise en scene etc. Some are more obvious than others, but they all make sense after the fact.
How was there any prior hinting of Shel laughing at the end?
@donovanvaz3289 I know, and why was she shooting people at the end if she was involved lol
Best British horror film of the last ten years.
This film has really shaken me.
@timporter1989 It is the same film. If you go through each part, protagonist gets convinced to do one last job, doesn't know what's involved, slightly mysterious character who turns out to be Judas, gets increasingly disturbed as he does the job. If there was sex instead of murders it would be the exact same.
Masterpiece
This is a good point. Never before in all of human history have two people used the same phrase independent of one another.
Well spotted, champ.
This movie also reminded me oddly of Rosemary's Baby
Is it as in tents as Carry on Camping?
Amazing film, brutal, threatening, chilling and very uncomfortable. Everyone should watch it at least once.
Kicking film so recommended!
@switchbladeromance1 Do people even rent films any more?
@badhead I hope they re-upload it, but I'm not holding my breath. I can just go and assume that this was his film of the week anyway. :)
The perfect first date movie. 😋
Amazing film, certainly the most disturbing that i've seen for a long time
Just watched this and it's really good. I think the naturalistic dialogue, particularly between the 3 main characters, goes a long way in creating the uncomfortable feeling as it drags you in to their situation on a deeper level.
One of the best films.
Excellent! The hammer(and torture), scenes were totally justified once you saw their context in the film- and the ending..amazing!
I will never trust a librarian after seeing this film
Loved this film, it's true I could barely watch it. What scene is similar to a serbian film though?
+daniel mcdermott SPOILER ALERT
The final act, him killing his wife and child unknowingly under the sheet. Similar to the final act of A Serbian Film where he performs sexual acts unknowingly upon his child under a sheet along with the masked man next to him performing sexual acts upon his wife
I was expecting a very different video, with Michael Bay being somewhere in there.
Dead Man's Shoes is a remarkable film.
That's your opinion mate but imo Kill List is better than Eden Lake on every level. Also, by 'best British horror' do you mean recently or ever? If you mean the latter you have to be joking right?
This is a very good film as long as you like gritty horror.
The plot wasn't very good i admit that but it kept me on the edge, looking forward to what happens next. Both films got the disturbing scenes well done but Kill List didn't grab me as much. BTW i did see Eden Lake first.
I didn't really feel uncomfortable watching this film in the way Kermode describes, but the last film I watched (a couple of nights before) was Inland Empire - now that's an uncomfortable experience.
I like both films but Eden Lake grabbed me much more, it's way more tense and disturbing. And yes when i said by "Best british horror" best one in the past ten years. No problem with that is it?
Best film of 2011
I didn't mind the shock bit at the end I just do not like that it ended there
@jimmyjamwhambam film's that leaves the audience asking questions are the best kind, especially when done with such craft. Personally I dont want a film to tie all the pieces together into a nice bow at the end...........
I'm not sure Kill List should be classed as a horror film. It's more a social drama, which channels a sense of foreboding and misery at an unusually high level of intensity. I think they try to turn things towards horror, and successfully mess that up with that ending.
i'm still waiting fro the horror genre to take a big step back from gore and violence and to inject a large dose of suspense and atmosphere back into what's become kind of a dull, over-commercialised (or, far too salaciously obsessed with shock value) and pretty soulless load of cack.
The intensity is indeed very strong and very good. Unfortunately after less than 15 minutes in the film I said to myself: this is not going to turn out like 'a serbian film' hopefully. it gave me that vibe. So that was a bit too obvious of Wheatly. Of course when the ending came I was quite disappointed. Amazing build up, flawed finale.
Kill List is a bloody awesome film. A must see. Great foreboding atmosphere, and the music in it is chilling and adds to the overall effect. Go see it.
Did people watch the film? jesus , there was clear signs leading up to the ending... you just have to pay attention.
The only thing i found ridiculous with Eden Lake was her boyfriend taking her to a weekend away to shithole area in britain. But the was a reason why the gang started getting aggressive, and the lake was not a gated community so i can see why they were getting chased there.
And i think Kill List gave away too many signs, especially when the woman makes a mark on the back of the mirror. When i first saw that i knew the it was going to be more than a hit movie.
Really good film, seems to have a bewlidering amount of bad reviews on IMDB.
an interesting film but took too long to get going...the wicker man type ending was a bit silly tbh...the film is uneven and needed a more engaging narrative
@kanyeste you didnt watch the film , there was clear signs leading to the cult , sorry the director didnt spell it out for you.
I lvoed it , thought the ending was good.
Hyena is this years Kill List, the last 15 minutes omg so annoying.
wtf have people actually seen the movie? there was clear signs leading up to the ending .. i thought it was an amazing genre turning movie
Good film for the most part, although the whole cult style ritual sacrifice thing has been done better and scarier in other movies and I saw the ending coming a mile away too, so it wasn't so surprising and seemed kind of rushed.
Horror is definitely on of my favorite genres and it's tricky to have a story that creeps you out and has a satisfying ending, specially if you are a die hard horror fan with nerves of steel. I always appreciate a horror movie which tries different techniques to present the genre and doesn't do cheap jump scares . Kill list certainly has a unique feel to it and should be commended for that, but in the end it fell a bit short of completing the task it set out to do.
Maybe a bigger budget could have helped fully fleshed out the climax, but I think the main issues lay with the story and not the lack of resources. I'm sure the film makers would argue otherwise as there's always a chance they couldn't film it the way they wanted due to money constraints.
" the whole cult style ritual sacrifice thing has been done better and scarier in other movies"
Like? Any recommendations? I have collected quite a few horror films but am running out of good ones to add to my list. I'd appreciate your help.
@@MH-jc3uj It's not in the same league as Kill List but I recently watched Apostle (2018) and was pretty disturbed by it. I've watched a lot of horror and sadly I'm mostly desensitized now so the gore and jump scares don't often hit the mark. But for some reason Apostle got under my skin a bit.
It's far from a perfect film and fell apart at the end, but worth a watch if you like 'culty ritualistic' horrors.
@@ktrob2495 Ah, that's great. Thank you for the recommendation!
@drplbiftin there is a difference, this film explains nothing! How do you get involved with any character when you can't understand how and why the way they act! **spoilers take the second killing with the hammer, it was uncomfortable because it was brutal but I only found it shocking like a saw film violent scene. If it had been about something it would have resonated a lot more with the audience. It didn't connect at all.
It's not as good as Rosemary's Baby. But it's very good.
I just watched this and I was tense the whole way through. Good British Made Film but blimey charlie, in honour of Dr Kermode, I don't think I'll be watching it again any time soon it was too bloody anxiety fuelling. Phew. Gonna watch a Disney movie or something to make sure I get to sleep.
Kill list made me feel uncomfortable. I hate really intense movies that end without actually letting you know what you just watched. Kill list is one of those. You know no more about the movie after it has finished then you did before it started.
dan theman it's left up for interpretation. More sophisticated than most American directors.
This movie robs you of exposition, context, and in the final acts, throws you on your head like an abducted pensioner.
And it is all the better for it, keeping the dread in the shadows, unexplained, impossible to define.
Great film, terrible sound levels throughout.
Fell apart in the third act.
It was a film that was going on nicely as one film..then it became the wicker man and that didnt work. Another problem is that all the people were scumbags who had or were doing shitty things, very lazy plotting. The first 3/4 of the film great...the last act really sucked.
I'm afraid I disagree. For me the shift towards the end was just daft.
U didnt get it?
The characters don't realise but everything they do in the film is leading up to that ending. That's the point.
Or course he got it. Kill list is the kind of movie that morons think is profound..
It's great but Eden Lake is the best british horror by a mile.
Just watched this. It doesn't make sense. The gushing reviews are yet another example of critics following critics. I'm not sure which fairytale is more apt, The Pied Piper or The Emperor Has No Clothes. Some very nice hammer work though.
Should have not included the wicker man-esq ending. It just got silly.
That is an ignorant way to describe American films. And I'm sure an equally ignorant description of British films.
It was an ok film, nothing to write home about
Great film, stupid ending.
I didn't like this movie. In the Hunchback scene, why didn't the wife just say, Hey Jay it's me your wife? Here's my interpretation: It's all a dream from a dying Jay. or very ill Jay. He's really in the hospital getting IV anti-biotics from sepsis, from the hand infection. Did you see when he looked in the mirror with his shirt off? The redness had spread all over his body. This is a serious infection. So this is all a delirious dream.
The wife was in on it, that's why she smiles and laughs evilly at the end, like his other victims who thanked him and willingly died?
@@bcross9109 Possibly, but then why did she shoot and kill several of the cult members when they broke into the house? I liked the film, but was a little confused by that part too.
Kermode's gone soft. The film was intense and uncomfortable up to the bad shoot-em-up game sequence in the tunnels then it just became silly.
Wickerman-esque ending ruins a pretty good film imo
A good movie ! Until the last 20 or so minutes, I'd advice anyone not to watch it cos it's fuckin stupid. Could a done better mesen, and I'm a crack head.
I thought this was appaling! i really, really hate films that include things that disorientate the viewer but never resolve them(See lost) Why did they say 'thank you'?
Why was the new girlfriend part of it? why was anything happening for any reason?
Yes it was very oppresiveand in your face, and i agree that there was a really uncomfortable feeling presence throughout the whole film. However a film that goes nowhere is just that! A nothing film!
terrible film
Unbelievably overrated movie from an unbelievably overrated director.
tmcthree It was awful.