Killer! (1989) User Reviews

A solid low-budget slasher without much else going for it

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 12 October 2023]

Living in a small town, a teen and his friends working in a gas station are alarmed to find that one of their customers is an escaped mental patient on a psychotic rampage through the community and try to confront him, setting off a desperate race to stop him and put an end to his rampage before they fall victim.

This was an overall decent low-budget slasher. Among its better features is the straightforward setup that allows the killer to get away with everything in the way he does. Showing his rampage on the outskirts of town in the woods, on lonely roads, and pretty much being away from civilization so that they take place away from those who can report it and leaving no one alive to witness it manages to be a nice touch here. That allows for a nice selection of ambushes and surprise attacks using whatever is at his disposal for the first part of this one which not only has some fun sequences but allows for a solid means of introducing the group to the killer that sets the finale of this one in motion. That early setup featuring a prominently psycho/thriller approach is then given a darker, more gruesome twist that leaves this quite fun. The nature of both the fighting and stalking on display and the cheesy, low-budget effects here mesh quite nicely making for a rather frantic and graphic genre outing at the best part of it. It's only more regrettable that the use of a gun for most of the deaths that has to be because of the low budget on display to not allow more variety or clever effects much like the randomized nature of the film going around seemingly through completely random encounters with unnamed strangers to simply provide a body count so it seems really out-of-focus at times. These do manage to stick out with this one.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

A $9,500 Masterpiece

[larryki7 · 10/10 · 7 February 2007]

Thats right, This film was made on a budget of 9,500 dollars. Shot on super 8mm film only adds to the realistic, gritty atmosphere shot in the Carolina backwoods. I originally saw this movie on late night cable television (Showtime I believe) and was highly impressed. Money ran tight and several locals were employed and a local actress was asked if she would still do a topless scene for half the pay she said she'd only show one breast instead of two. The special effects are crude but effective. Its style and atmosphere is somewhat similar to Last house on the Left (another classic)but it isn't as complex. The subsequent Elwood film Road Kill was a major disappointment. Someone on here said they liked it better than Killer and I bought it on ebay, that was a mistake. If you like simple, gritty, spooky horror movies with some black humor, excessive violence and a decent soundtrack check this out. If your into the new, commercial, high budget stuff you may not like this film. I surely liked it and give it the highest rating.

I Like This.......

[Nixshows · 8/10 · 8 July 2005]

I saw this on cable over 10 years ago and wondered why I never heard of it. It was exactly my kind of horror flick, creepy and atmospheric. It had that same Evil Dead/Texas Chainsaw Massacre feel. One of those movies in which the low budget and the film stock that is used actually helps the atmosphere. The acting wasn't bad and there was a good amount of gore from what I remember. I have'nt been able to ever find this movie and when I would ask people they would have no idea what I was talking about. I almost started to question myself if I had even seen it,LOL. But now checking the IMDb I see I had. I would pick this up if it ever came out on DVD.

A Serviceable Slasher Movie

[linthead2001 · 8/10 · 6 April 2002]

I first heard about this movie from an article in Entertainment Weekly magazine. It was apparently shot using a regular home movie Super 8mm (film, not video) camera back in the late 80s, in just a few days and for a very, very low budget. I understand it had a video release, but was never able to find it in the stores. I eventually caught the movie on Cinemax or Showtime several years ago, and thought it was pretty good for what it was - a slasher film. The acting by some of the secondary characters is pretty lame, but there aren't too many slasher movies that are examples of great acting, anyway. Overall, I thought Tony Elwood's direction and Mark Kimray's screenplay were very good, and the actor that plays the killer, Duke Ernsberger, is really good and quite believable. I also saw another Elwood/Kimray collaboration "Road Kill USA" on video a while back, and thought it was even better, much slicker and with better acting. My only real complaints about "Killer" are the poor sound quality, and somewhat washed-out color in spots, probably due to the Super 8mm film stock.

A rough movie

[drosse67 · 19 January 2002]

This movie is "rough," in both senses of the word. I never heard of it before watching it on cable several years ago, and I haven't seen or read anything about it since. It must have been a student film and the director's influence is clearly Sam Raimi. It bears resemblance to the original Evil Dead in its rural setting and graphic violence. What is missing Raimi's skillful camerawork. Instead, the film presents an unstoppable killer, probably the devil himself (hey, wasn't that the killer in Halloween?) So in retrospect it is not unusual that the film is not widely available. A curio at best, but not a film you watch for entertainment.

don't forget the forks...

[mercyfulfate7410 · 9/10 · 4 October 2004]

This movie is great! Typical 'psycho on the loose that kills all that cross his path' flick, but I love all types like this and it manages some character development without being boring. Cheesy gore and a surprise ending too make this a must for fans of weekend night horror. Added elements like when the killer kidnaps the girl, and then fills her in on his plans to cannibalize her, while emptying a bag of forks and meat tenderizer make it all the more convincing and creepy. The only downside of this flick is that it didn't really have much of a soundtrack, which I think makes a movie, and they could of and should of made a sequel! I haven't been able to find an original copy of this yet :( but I'm still looking.

Gotta See It

[oddjob-3-745691 · 8/10 · 17 March 2011]

I am from Gastonia , NC where most of this movie was filmed. I loved every minute of it. Wish I had bought a copy from the video store when they were selling odd movies that didn't rent well. It is a low budget film, if you see it you will notice when the car is going down the road, it's the same road over and over just filming from the passenger side as they go down the road then turn around. All said and done the movie is what it is and should be taken with a grain of salt or some meat tenderizer but I thought it was funny but I laughed a 10,000 Maniacs. I thought for the budget the acting was as bad as in some of the bigger slasher movies. If you get a chance to see it and you don't expect a lot I think you will enjoy it. I am trying to find a copy even as I type this.

Amateur horror

[lor_ · 11 May 2023]

My review was written in April 1990 after watching the movie on Electro Video cassette.

In the same genre as the current cult hit "Henry" comes "Killer", an amateurish gore outing.

Duke Ernsberger takes the title role without subtlety, a guy whose traumatic childhood and subsequent use as a guinea pig for medical experiments, has turned him into a maniac. Pic depicts his rampage picking up hitchhikers and killing them.

Youngsters figure out who this serial killer is and go after him, rightfully realizing that in this genre the authorities are helpless.

Ernsberger kidnaps heroine Jeri Keith Liles, tortures her and threatens to eat her. This leads to a very silly tongue-in-cheek finish.

Acting is weak. Visual quality is cheesy; no camera credit is given.