Killer’s Moon (1982) Review

Killer's MoonDirected by Alan Birkinshaw, Killer’s Moon declares itself to be nastier than I Spit On Your Grave.

Basically, four drugged up mental patients escape from the local asylum and seek refuge in a remote hotel. Unbeknownst to them, a coach full of school-girls is also heading to the same remote hotel (Scary stuff already eh?!)

The mental patients have been prescribed LSD and dream therapy as a means of dimming the psychopathic/psychosexual tendencies that appear to be inherent in all of them. As a method to cure them of their desire to kill, this has left all four of them believing that they are in a permanent dream state.

Meanwhile, whilst travelling through the countryside, the school-girls and their teachers meet a gamekeeper who is the first to warn of the dangers of being out in the countryside late at night. When they find the hotel, they are at first refused entry, but the landlady soon gives in and allows them to stay. This, as you can already tell, turns out to be the biggest mistake they could ever have made!

Killer's Moon

The driver of the coach is the first victim of these insane men, whilst wandering around on his own (like you do in the dead of night?). Someone appears to have an ‘axe to grind’ and he learns this to his fatal cost. This is one of only many kills featured throughout the film.Killer's Moon

And so the mental patients continue their trip, raping or killing anyone or anything who comes across their path. Thinking that they are still dreaming, there is no guilt and no fear of a come-back.

For film that is fairly long in the tooth now, the kill scenes are very graphic and Birkinshaw has encapsulated mental and physical horror in a most extreme but also disturbingly pleasurable manner.
Killer’s Moon’s mental patient characters appear to have been inspired a great deal but those in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. This is an observation, not a criticism as the performances are excellent and you are genuinely convinced that they really are lunatics.

I also have to note the great job that’s been done with the re-mastering of the film. Often re-mastering still leaves that hideous audible hum you had during silence when watching a video back in the 80’s. I’m pleased to say that it’s not evident on this DVD and overall picture quality is excellent too (with just a few specks on screen now and again).

Special features on the dvd are quite impressive, including: Exclusive director/cast interviews, audio commentary from director Alan Birkinshaw and JoAnne Good who played one of the schoolgirls, Mary.

Killer's Moon Killer's Moon

A film like Killer’s Moon deserves a re-release and makes ideal horror viewing. It is reminiscent of the kind of film that they used to show on BBC1 late on a Friday night, which were always entertaining and classic in their production and overall style.
Key strengths of this DVD are that it won’t leave you bored and you’ll also be genuinely worried as to what will happen to the characters. Killer’s Moon is a quintessentially classic British Horror which is still appealing to viewers today.

I’m going to make sure that all my windows and doors are locked tonight before I go to sleep!!!

Movie Rating: ★★★½☆ 

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Cut and Slash

A lot of horror films involve a lot of cutting and slashing, and so when we revived the curriculum vitae of the man known only as ‘Cut and Slash’ asking if he could write us some reviews, we emailed him back straight away... More

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