The single-location Horror film has been a bedrock of independent filmmaking ever since a group of friends turned an isolated home in rural Pennsylvania into one of the most gruesome and influential setpieces in the genre’s history. From Night of the Living Dead to Evil Dead, indie filmmakers have been able to squeeze plentiful horror juices out of the barest of budgets to magnificent effect. Buckets of blood, messy gore, and creative camerawork make up for budgetary constraints, and of course, location limitations.
This is no less true in the 21st century, with up and coming filmmakers finding inspiration in the gods of indie Horror to tell their own blood-soaked tales. Nick Kozakis’ Aussie Horror/Thriller Kick On takes cues from Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series and, specifically, a more recent genre master’s work: Jeremy Saulnier and his disturbingly violent film Green Room from 2015.
Kick On rides the wave of simplicity graciously, telling the story of a group of partying teens on a night out looking to score some drugs and ending up in a place they should never have visited. Said place, which will become the site of grisly murder, turns out to be Russian drug dealer Ray’s (Nikolai Nikolaeff) apartment, who happens to be the son of a notoriously dangerous mobster and is also taking way too much drugs to cope with his personal demons. Needless to say, the friends overstay their welcome, tensions rise, and bullets start to fly, along with axes, whole bodies, and some other miscellaneous pieces of pain-inflicting objects.
Kozakis displays a strong command of camera and practical effects to drive home the sheer intensity of the situation Eden (Markella Kavenagh) and her friends find themselves in. Something like Green Room by way of Sam Raimi with a dash of Edgar Wright’s hyperstylized action, Kick On manages to be entertaining and even, dare I say, fun. This is not to say that it’s a jolly good time, as bodies start
piling up and likable characters get horribly disfigured, but Kozakis achieves a tone that balances the high stakes tension with an over-the-top, violent gleefulness. It’s the perfect movie to watch with an audience of shouting, grimacing and groaning gorehounds.
In an age of overtly-saturated digital violence, it’s refreshing to see a commitment to tactile and uncomfortably detailed gore. The prosthetics by Larry Van Duynhoven are some of the best to grace the big screen this year, that is if you can stomach it. Kozakis never shies away from showing you just how horribly damaged any given character is, or just how gruesomely they died. He also balances the pure displays of violence with kinetically choreographed action setpieces that never elevate the characters to superhero status. The fights are dirty, clumsy, and sometimes even end in a mess of viscera for the character one is rooting for. The action and tension-filled moments of gore keep the film moving with a diversity of carnage.
The film is only held back by its lack of a strong emotional core. While the performances are solid throughout, the film’s attempts to provide an emotional backstory for Eden feel half-formed and heavy-handed. Dealing with the increasing costs of medical care for her ailing sister but determined to have a good night out, Eden’s predicament is interesting but non-essential to the story at large. Much more interesting however, is Ray’s arc, as his continued frustration with what his father expects from him and his failures to keep his anger in check lead to a night of chaos that could’ve potentially been avoided. Ray’s thread and Eden’s own journey never truly mesh, leading to an ending that feels like it should hit harder.
Comparisons to Green Room will be plentiful, and even that film, lean and cruel as it is, manages to craft a strong camaraderie amongst the young band of punk rockers that makes every wound, every death, shocking and palpable. Kick On has other things on its mind, more primal and immediate. In that sense, it distinguishes itself enough and brings solid thrills to a story that could’ve been difficult to sit through. With Kozakis’ energy, a likable cast, and impressive practical effects, it’s a brutal time well spent.
