I retain a sense of optimism every time I dive into a film I have heard very little, and sometimes even nothing, about. This could be the gem that I can recommend to everyone else. This might be the best surprise of the year. That sense of optimism hasn't diminished, despite the real gems being few and far between. Killer Book Club is a film that had been on my radar for a month or so now, and I'd heard from a couple of people who quite enjoyed it. Sadly, I thought it was terrible.
After a prank goes wrong, leading to the death of a professor, a group of university friends vow to keep their grim secret just between themselves. Unfortunately, before you can say "I know what you did last semester", someone seems intent on avenging the death. It's a killer in the same clown outfit that the group were all wearing when they killed the professor. The killer is also letting people know what they are up to by detailing the kills in a book that is being published online, one chapter at a time. The main target seems to be Ángela (Veki Velilla), and she may have some dark secret in her past that is now endangering everyone around her.
Written by Carlos García Miranda, making his feature writing debut (I think) after years spent on shorts and TV episodes, Killer Book Club is a disappointingly straightforward and tame teen slasher flick at a time when there really needs to be something more to offer audiences who have seen the sub-genre go through a number of transformative phases throuught the past four or five decades. The design of the killer isn't impressive enough, the kills are shot with an emphasis on blood splashing around, but very little that is nasty (the best little gag simply reminded you of something done much better in Hot Fuzz), and the big finale feels far too close to another big slasher movie title, which doesn't help your enjoyment of the film while you're being reminded once again of a far superior film.
Director Carlos Alonso Ojea seems to think that the imagery and derivative storyline is enough to entertain horror movie fans. It's not, but he brings nothing to the table. I would politely suggest that any one of at least a dozen other Spanish directors could have done something better with this. I would also suggest a similar replacement scheme for the cast, who are all unable to do anything to overcome the weak script they have to work with.
Velilla is a disappointingly weak lead, to the point where I kept wondering if she was cast to enable some kind of surprise switcheroo at any point. By default, however, she stands out more than Álvaro Mel, Iván Pellicer, Priscilla Delgado, Hamza Zaidi, María Cerezuela, and anyone else onscreen.
People may think I have been too harsh on this, especially if they view it as a fairly inoffensive time-waster, but this is something that sums up the worst, and most cynical elements, of horror movies that are often served up to fans who will "eat up anything". We're in the middle of a great time for horror right now, and films like this bland and dull piece of crap are a complete waste of your time.
3/10
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