FilmSnobReviews

Title: The Omicron Killer
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Jeff Knite
Starring: Paugh Shadow, Bai Ling, Felissa Rosa
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins

What it is: A Copycat Killer of the Covid Killer is out for blood and stalking the streets seeking to prove he’s better than his predecessor by upping the body count.

What We Think: So . . . Objectively . . .  This is a cheesy movie. REALLY cheesy. It’s not particularly well written or acted at all. I would dare say it’s even a bad movie. Unlike the last bad slasher I reviewed; however, it has some fun moments and one can tell it was made with a love for the genre.To me, that matters. Does it have the subtlety of a rhino at a rock concert when approaching social issues? Ooo yea. Is it nonsensical and ridiculous? Absolutely. Anything story related, this movie falls flat on its face. Good luck taking any of it seriously.

When it comes to the moments where the Omicron Killer kills people, though, this movie sparkles. You can tell that this movie is misguided but filled with love. On the kill scenes, it hits all the right notes and the gore effects aren’t bad for a low budget! That earns it some points with me. The actor who plays Omicron, Paugh Shadow, does a pretty decent job at being a silent serial killer. He’s believably intimidating and he is fun to watch. Also! Genre staple Felissa Rose from Sleepaway Camp is in this movie. Honestly, even though her character doesn’t do much for the story, she steals every scene she is in and was probably my personal favorite part of the movie. Always a pleasure to see her in films.

Alright, here’s the part where I say what’s wrong with the movie. Pacing, not good at all. Plot structure? Not here, so many random subplots that have nothing to do with anything. The attempts at humor are atrocious, this movie is needlessly horny on main (granted, that’s typical of the genre), and unfortunately, for all his brightest moments, there’s a lot of moments where the Omicron killer is made to look weak. Those scenes undermined any sort of sense of terror  Omicron created by letting him get beat up by children and by a doctor. I was legitimately shouting at the screen at those points “this guy is supposed to be a threat?” As I said before, the subtlety when approaching social issues was nonexistent. Mentions of covid, police brutality, and other topical issues of the last five years were more than a little tone deaf. There were also references to other horror movies which, don’t get me wrong, love the enthusiasm, but felt out of place.

The script overall felt unfocused and could have definitely used a lot of work. That being said, this movie was definitely made with a deep love and respect for the genre. Unlike the last not so great slasher I reviewed, this didn’t feel like a bad cash grab, but a passion project. It wasn’t soulless and some parts genuinely made me smile. Slasher movies aren’t meant to be high class cinema and for what it’s worth, even though I’m personally not the biggest Rob Zombie fan, this movie felt very Rob Zombie in some ways. Maybe a few more drafts and some tightening of the script and this movie could have really shined as a decent indie slasher.

Our Grade: C-, Did this movie rank higher than Handling the Undead (a Sundance film)? You’re damn right. Cus unlike that garbage movie, this one actually was made with love and respect for the genre. Yes, it is incredibly flawed, and were I in a lesser mood it might have gotten a lower grade. But I love when art has passion, even if it’s not of the best quality. There is a certain level of punk rock to a low budget bad horror film made with love over a low budget bad horror film made for cash. One can sense the difference. I’m not going to lie and say this movie is good by any means, but I respect the hell out of it.That’s more than I can say for Handling the Undead or the other slasher I recently reviewed which shall remain nameless.