Hunt Her Kill Her

This is a revised version of the review that was published when Hunt Her Kill Her was screened at Glasgow FrightFest 2023.

The title of the film sums it up very well though suggests an altogether more misogynistic and trashier affair than it actually is.

Karen (Natalie Terrazzino) has new job as a factory night shift cleaner which comes complete with dodgy/sleazy colleagues. To make matters worse as the night shift worker she’s required to be locked in the factory all night.

Not unduly daunted, when a delivery driver arrives asking lots of questions Karen gets suspicious. Her instincts prove to be right when later five men arrive with the sole intention of killing her.

Matters become desperate and initially Karen is on the back foot as the pursuit intensifies. Gradually though the resourceful Karen begins to fight back, the odds shifting in her favour then begins to get the upper hand on her pursuers.

All told there’s not much in the way of plot and at times you wonder if there is enough here to justify the running time. But with the change of dynamics and with some exposition the film maintains a good pace and doesn’t begin to feel padded.

What also keeps it interesting is that the viewer has Karen’s perspective, which enables them to keep abreast of her thinking and her clever use of the materials around the factory to gradually take control.

As to the characters, there isn’t much in the way of development. Its perfunctory and solely to move the story forward and provide motives for the hunters.

It’s a very good performance from Terrazzino who seamlessly changes from the hunted and to the hunter as the film progresses.

The budget is clearly limited so the action is pretty much restricted to the factory location. However directors Ryan Thiessen and Greg Swinson, (the latter also the writer) use these confines effectively and with the close camerawork create genuinely suspenseful sequences.

Hunt Her Kill Her will be released in UK cinemas from 26 April 2024 followed by a digital/physical home-entertainment release on 27 May 2024