The 2016 Australian horror film Killing Ground is all about evil in the bush, aka “the outback. It seems certain that the Australian board of travel may not like these sorts of films. If Wolf Creek 1 & 2 didn’t put you off the idea of holidaying in the outback, Killing Ground will.
This latest offering of cretins in the outback feels like Long Weekend but with human terrors vs mother nature. It also feels a somewhat akin to the splendid Eden Lake, but without the evil kids. Granted, Eden Lake is more about a social issue while Killing Ground feels more “Deliverance” oriented.
Killing Ground the Story
A young couple from the city head out to some scenic falls for their hols. Once there, they stumble upon a grisly crime scene and the two men responsible. The two must fight to stay alive.
As events unfold, we are given a parallel view of things as they play out. The previous family and the young couple take up almost equal screen time.
Killing Ground the Main Cast
Aaron Pedersen is German.
Ian Meadows is Ian Smith.
Harriet Dyer is Samantha Shaw.
Aaron Glenane is Chook.
Maya Stange is Margaret.
Julian Garner is Rob.
Tiarnie Coupland is Em.
It Works
Writer/Director Damien Power gives us a tale that really takes anything near glamour out of the bush. Reverting to an almost trope character by now, with its genesis being Mick Taylor. German feels like he could be a very close relative to old Mick; “You’re a funny bugger.”
Although German lacks the unbalanced/evil humour that Mick exhibits, he suffers the same tendency to murder his way through life. It is interesting to note that Mick, German and Chook apparently dislike tourists.
In terms of violence, there is the usual amount of murder, rape and mild torture on offer here. To be honest, though, the amounts of gore are actually pretty low key. The rape is implied and the torture is pretty mild. It mainly consists of a William Tell type game with a “tinny.”
Regardless of this “mildness” the film does manage to convey a general feeling of uneasiness and fear. We know, even before the new couple “find” the remains of the other campers this is not ending well.
Behind the Scenes
DP Simon Chapman and Editor Katie Flaxman work brilliantly together. They present an outdoor arena very evocative of the old “Long Weekend” celluloid presentation. There are no gaping mistakes where we can see the zipper and this helps immeasurably to sell the film.
Killing Ground also benefits from some pretty straight forward FX. Practical versus computer generated FX leave us feeling that bit more satisfied. We can believe the violence has been practiced without an over the top feel. It helps to sell the mayhem on a low key yet convincing level. There is not an ounce of doubt that squibs were used here.
The Verdict
Killing Ground is much better than its other reviews have stated. The film is a solid 4 star horror film. It works well enough that I feel no real need to visit the outback. Amazingly, for such a short film, the characters feel pretty multidimensional. This is streaming on AMC plus. If you like horror, you’ll like this one.
The Trailer
