THE KILLGRIN (2024)

New On Demand and digital platforms from Dark Sky Films!
Directed/Written by Joanna Tsanis.
Check out the trailer here!!

After her boyfriend commits suicide, Miranda (played by Konstantina Mantelos) is overcome with grief and decides to take part in group therapy. Soon, more people around Miranda are dying with jaws ripped downward after a bout with debilitating depression. Miranda begins to think she is cursed by an otherworldly creature that appears only to the severely depressed and hopeless called the Killgrin.

On the surface, THE KILLGRIN is a cheap knockoff of the SMILE franchise with the unseen monster pulling the corners of its victims’ mouths downward into a frown that breaks their jaw rather than a smile. The way the creature appears as a curse to our lead, Miranda, pulling anyone close to her into its clutches is pretty much the same kind of story told in the highly popular SMILE franchise. One can’t deny the similarities, with the victims suffering gruesome deaths, one after another, until it catches up with the lead. Structurally and concept wise, THE KILLGRIN feels uncannily inspired to be kind, and downright criminally lifted to be more precise.

But what saves THE KILLGRIN is the quality of the acting involved and the thorough commitment to telling a story focusing on grief, loss, and the overwhelming depression that often comes with those feelings. Lead Konstantina Mantelos does a great job of fleshing out the loss in a performance that really is better than it should be. The film takes the losses and loneliness she feels seriously and more importantly, highlights the benefits of therapy as a method to treat these burdensome feelings. For that, THE KILLGRIN gets my respect, even if the concept feels very familiar.

I also liked the practical effects on display throughout THE KILLGRIN. While slight CG is used, the torn-open jaws of the victims is a horrible way to go—even though I don’t think you’d die right away from a ripped open jaw. But the wound signifies one giving up on life and being overwhelmed by heavy thoughts and feelings, so it’s more of a physical way of showing how the Killgrin destroys its victims mentally. That doesn’t stop the effect from looking goofy when the monster pulls the sides of the victim’s mouth downward in an exaggerated frown. Sure, it means their jaw is about the burst, which is gruesome as all get out, but before it does, the frowny face look is unintentionally hilarious.

The Killgrin itself, while looking a lot like the creepy hallway woman in SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK, still looks pretty creepy. I wasn’t able to find a pic of it, but most of the time it appears like a giant shadow. Again, when the effects are practical, they are impressive, but they lose a step when done with CG. Still, the use of baby teeth, while kind of like the tooth monster from CHANNEL ZERO, still is a gruesome effect, albeit kind of out of the blue.

All in all, I was impressed with THE KILLGRIN once I got past the similarities to SMILE. Its emotional depth and use of therapy was mature and well developed. The acting was better than average. It’s a good little indie and didn’t need to rip off a major motion picture to be that.