Reviews
*REVIEWS CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Hi Nate, just watched your film and got to say it was a really good solid slasher. I've seen some rubbish on dvd. For your first film well done.
-Gary (Camper from the UK)
A quirky, fun movie. Laugh out loud funny in spots!
-Brenda (Camper from the USA)
Overall a good movie. I like the story and the concept. I think the movie was a little slow. It would have been nice if the kills were more gruesome/dramatic. Maybe multiple kills at once. It was worth the money I spent.
-Toua (Camper from the USA)
This movie was so much fun! It was very much reminiscent of the 80's-90's slasher films I grew up loving. The characters were great, falling into classic roles such as the jock/pretty girl/etc. and the kills were very well done, creative and entertaining. I also loved the comedy bits thrown in as well. Even though it is a little long, I didn't feel bored through it, I'd say It's definitely worth a watch! :D
-Amanda (Camper from the USA)
Hi Nate. I wanted to let you know that I did indeed get the Camp Kill DVD and I watched it last night. I loved it! So many great characters. It was fun to watch. Of course I especially liked Sarah and Rachels characters, and their interacting. I espcecially loved Sarahs love of her cell phone and the 2 dream sequences. I laughed out loud at those. Too funny! I already chatted with both Sarah and Rachel on how much fun I had watching Camp Kill. So thanks again Nate for helping me out with the DVD. I appreciate it. It is already a treasured dvd in my collection. Take care.
-Mark (Camper from the USA)
Hello, my name is Patrick and I had the pleasure of purchasing and viewing your creation: "Camp Kill"! I enjoyed watching your film- it shows that you put forth allot effort in all the roles you played to create this film; other than directing it. I hope you continue on your filmmaking endeavors and continue to hone on your talents as a filmmaker. You could bring allot of epic slash to this planet as your skills and abilities sharpen. I thought there were some stellar kills within the movie, especially the 2 arrows through the binoculars! I also thought there were some long drawn out walking scenes that unfortunately lose the viewers attention quite quickly- although I see your point of these and placements of these within the track of scenes. Overall I'm happy with my time watching camp kill- and will/have recommended it. Hope to see more in the future!
-Patrick (Camper from the USA)
I have had the pleasure of watching "Camp Kill" many times and I plan to watch it many more times :) The characters were real, the scenery was beautiful, and the kills were original and made me cringe! In my opinion "Camp Kill" is an instant cult classic!
-Elizabeth (Camper from the USA)
Nate,
Well I've watched it a couple of times now and I really enjoyed it.
It is what it is, of course, but presented in a fascinating way. The opening scene sets the tone in that it is drawn out to a point. However the photography and action, such as it is, drawn you in. It may not impress people who want a quick fix but that is as may be. think atmosphere-the pleasant surroundings and gradual demise of the various campers.They are all portrayed well and, as the scenes progress, the interplay between and the quirks of the characters are nicely brought out. These are day to day people whom you would recognize and situations that happen every day. You identify with them. (or at least I did) To that end, all of the participants did a great job. The killings are light on gore but none the less effective. Apart from a lot of bloodletting being very difficult to look real, imagination should tell you what went on and is, perhaps, more chilling than just seeing a lot of splatter. that presentation is what might be described as "old school" The way they used to do it in the "classic" horror era. that would apply to the pacing of the film as well.
A "twist" at the end too of who survives!
Anyway, a fine effort by all involved! Thank you
-James (Camper from New Zealand)
I have successfully completed the longest slasher movie I have ever seen. It's called Camp Kill, and it is 2 hours and 30 minutes. Indie horror, kicked ass. Highly recommend it. What a good time.
It's a typical campground, cabins, serial killer/mass murderer, very nice scenery. You actually care about a lot of the victims and you really get engrossed in the story. I felt like I was in a cabin watching it. Successfully creeped me out and made me smile. Great kills, funny dream sequences, loved the sounds of nature, and I'm still theorizing about who the killer is.
-Patrick (Camper from the USA)
I watched both parts immediately on my own in a dark room and I found it very fun to watch and pretty unique. The thing which I was most entertained by were some of the characters such as the blonde with the cell phone, the fat video shop owner, and the degenerate marathon couple. I know a few people very similar to those and my friend also couldn't put down his phone when we were vacationing which was irritating and he even had a dream where he was talking in his sleep as if he was on the phone to somebody... Those dream sequences were hilarious and clever.
The Camera shots were very smooth and interesting and the long takes made it feel a lot like the original Friday the 13th and the acting wasn't bad at all. I also liked the fact that you didn't shy away from showing titties, and sex- something which is very missing in todays horror movies.
Another great thing were the kill scenes - the suspenseful lead up to them and the execution were flawless and creative.
The only thing I didn't like was the camera you ended up using, but it didn't effect the overall experience that much.
I really enjoyed it. -John (Camper from the UK)
Many thanks for the movie - I recieved it at the start of the week and have now watched it.
Firstly I just have to say I LOVED it.
Just as I had hoped it has a spot on 80's throwback feel complete with campy dialogue and quirky characters. The 160 mins running time worked wonders in relation to the characters as there was so much time to introduce them in bits and pieces until everyone was present at the camp and then some of them interacting ( of course the horror element was still nicely present with a few murders thrown in in between these scenes!) which then brings me on to the kill scenes themselves. These were brilliantly done - I loved the killers disguise, in particular the yellow gloves, I dont know if these were chosen for a reason or at random but they worked so well ! In fact everything from the booming scary music when the killer appears to the yellow gloves (either clenching into a fist or gripping a sharp implement ) was just expertly handled. I liked that the movie captured the campy 80's slasher flick (my personal fave type of movie) without needing to use CGI, the practical effects here worked just great. Then toward the end the flick really hit its stride for me, lots of creative murders and suspense - I just loved it. I also liked 'loverboy' and 'lovergirl', they were hillarious.
Anyways thanks again for making such a fun movie and for entertaining me so much!
All the best
Mark (Camper from the UK)
Hi Nate,
I recently received my copy of Camp Kill, and I just wanted to say congratulations! I really enjoyed it, and was genuinely taken aback by how much you’d managed to achieve with zero budget. I know from experience it can take a long time to get just a few minutes of footage- so I cant even begin to imagine the effort it took to get 3 hours.
It was obvious from watching the film that you really had an idea of who your characters were, and it was refreshing to see a horror movie spending some time letting the audience get to know those characters and their quirks. I found Jocelyn especially hilarious- her dream sequences genuinely made me laugh. I always think effective horror makes you care about the characters who are in peril, rather than just throwing lots of gore at you.
It also felt like you were going for a vignette style where each scene felt quite separate from the next, self contained little stories almost. The opening was interesting to me also.
So yes, wholehearted congratulations to you and cast and crew of Camp Kill- you’ve created something special. Looking forward to your next movie. Noveed
(Camper from the UK )
One who complains about a lack of character development in many recent films cannot whine about that in "Camp Kill". The unrated version is 160 minutes long and is more about the characters than the killings. Relax, gore-heads. There are plenty of innovative kills in this film which is set, ironically enough, in Camp Killawonga. It is somewhere in the woods of Northern Minnesota-beautiful but definitely not Minnesota nice.
The first victim is offed prior to the opening credits and is a precursor of the tone of the film. The scene is stark and brutal, filmed at night with no music in background, only the sounds of the night. From the dissolve out of the credits, we meet the vic...um, principles.
There is Kelly (Breanna Fuss), a perky friendly volunteer from a nature center who is assigned to the camp to teach nature. There's Guy (Tony Czech-"Nothing Personal") and his buddies, Joe (Derek Dirlam) and Mike (Matt Hoemke). Tony works in a video store, Joe is a prankster and Mike is a non-descript hanger-on. There's Tim (Matt Franta) and Katie (Heather Meyer), a dysfunctional couple. Tim is always in training for a marathon and Katie is constantly wondering why she's with him. There are girlfriends (but not lovers) Jocelyn (Scarlet Salem) and Sue (Rachel Grubb), women as opposite as can be-one strong, one totally reliant on technology. And then there's Lover Boy (Eric Binfet) and Lover Girl (Sarah Ann), appropriately named because that's all they do is...love.
These principles inter-act throughout the film, developing their characters through dialogue and dream sequences. Along with several unusual fringe characters, they all begin to die one at a time. Each one is missed to varying degrees but no bodies are discovered. There are no air-heads running about screaming at each discovery. Through all of this killing, death and gore is not the central point-the characters are. Writer/director Hanley never once loses focus on that, never lets the violence distract from what he intended his characters to accomplish on their trip to camp.
Without prejudice since all the actors maintained focus until their death, the highlighted performances belong to Czech, Salem and Grubb. Czech's Guy is friendly but removed from his companions. He develops his own agenda when he decides to put the moves on Katie. He impresses her with an urban legend, then invites her to a dramatic reading-with her as the only invitee. He nearly scores but fails only because Katie is worried about the fact that Tim is uncharactistically late returning from his run.
Salem is brilliant as the 'cool girl', now out of high school, but so attached to her cell phone that she can't imagine life without it. She's not an airhead by any means but her greatest horror is the fact that she can't get a signal in this desolate wilderness that she badly wants to leave.
Grubb is equally brilliant as the strong, more sensible counterpart. She is constantly trying to focus on having a unique experience and sharing it with Miss Cell Phone. All of her efforts are brushed aside until she finally blows up at her friend, leaving Jocelyn stunned that she could be treated so poorly. Grubb's character continues to enjoy Nature until events force her to face a new and harsher reality.
That's all the story you get for free. Hanley and his cast didn't spend all that time in the woods to have the kicker handed away like Tic Tac's at a hot dog eating contest. And what a kicker it is! Slasher film fans will find this to be very different than similar films in the genre...and different is good.
- Darrell Moen examiner.com
Writer/director Nate Hanley really delivers the old school slasher goods with his debut movie Camp Kill. Self released through the official site back in 2009, Camp Kill is a 'back to the roots', summer camp slasher flick which runs at a whopping great 160 minutes. That may (or not) put some interested parties off...but please don't let it. The films running time actually works wonders...there is such a large cast of characters, all in their own little groups or pairings that the movie just feels like it needs the time it has to breathe. You get great character introduction for the majority of the films length, but don't fret there is still a number of gruesome killings throughout this time until we get to the grand finale where there is many a-dropping of many flys!
The opening scene sets the bar for the film, with a young girl at her cabin at the titular camp, flashlight at the ready to investigate any 'strange noises'. Following this shortly is a fantastic scene introducing the killer by way of clenched gloved hands (an effective and menacing yellow), signalling the fact that the girl is trapped in the cabin with no means of escape.
The film features some great kills including death by fish hook and binoculars pinned to face! Most of these are all just really creatively done and flawlessly executed. It is also of note that all of this is done practically with no CGI whatsoever. I know this is something that director Nate Hanley strived for when making the film so hats off to him for achieving it. Add to this a great score, particularly during the scenes when the killer appears/strikes.
A lot of the characters are great fun in Camp Kill. Scarlet Salem is great as the spoiled, nature shy 'Jocelyn' who is permanently attached to her mobile phone - much to the chagrin of her best friend 'Sue' (Rachel Grubb). Derek Dirlam is hilarious as ultra goofy guy 'Joe' while Breanna Fuss' short role as the sweet, nature keen 'Kelly' is endearing. Special mention has to go to Eric Binfent and Sarah Ann as 'Lover Boy' and 'Lover Girl' - these two are highly amusing throughout and for a slasher movie their fates may just surprise you.
All I can really say to be critical of this film is there are some sound issues which are fairly typical of an independently produced film. When you consider what was made with an almost non existent budget (particularly the awesome kills) it's such a small issue.
So Camp Kill is a fun, creative 80's slasher throwback with a great cast, great sense of humour and kills to rival the best of the Sleepaway Camp movies. What's not to like? I strongly urge readers to hit Nate up through the official Camp Kill website and grab yourself a copy of the DVD. He is a friendly guy who is more than happy to answer your questions about the movie...plus if you drop him a review of the film he might even be kind enough to publish it on the website!
I have watched this movie out of curiosity for one of the actresses in it than for other particular reasons. I had some doubts because of the price and for the fact that I live in Italy and I wasn't sure if spending 10$ or 20$, for the better quality version, was such a good idea. I have seen it twice in 3 days and now I am sure that I have spent my money in a good way.
We are not talking about a masterpiece or a movie that will become a legend or a cult; we are talking about a movie, a good one, better than a lot of other "big titles" that are released every week. The first scene alone is worth all movie: total dark, a girl walk around the camp, from her car to the cabin with only the light of a lantern and the sound of the insect. Very good start! After that we see all the characters present in the movie and I have to say that all of them are well represented; two are excellent: Kelly and Jocelyn, and the others are OK. Tension is build slowly but constantly during the whole movie.
If I have to be honest, there are two things I didn't like: in this movie there are a lot of walk that the director used to show around the beautiful location used for the movie. My personal idea is that with 10- 15 minutes less the movie would have been better. The second is the way of represent all the killing in the style of old horror movies. I would have preferred them with more blood. This two are little thing in all the movie, but they were worth mentioning. In the end the movie is worth watching it two or three times for fully understand the ideas that are behind his realization. I enjoyed seen it and I will see it a lot more.
-Giovanni (Camper from Italy)
If you have seen "Camp Kill" and would like to have your review posted here, please send it to: campkill.com@hotmail.com
If you have not seen "Camp Kill" and would like to, you can buy it on DVD here.