Ghost Flix: Killer Story (2004)

This is scary.  Not that actual Film, mind you.  That...is just not that good.  No, it is scary that stuff like this gets made.  Today's Film is Killer Story, a 2004 Horror Anthology Film.  This is a micro-budget Film, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  As I've said before, people can make good Films for $200,000 and shit Films for $200,000,000.  The problem is that the Budget detracts from major moments in pretty noticeable ways.  On top of that, it isn't very good.  The Story involves 2 Authors meeting up for a Contest to determine who can tell the best Story.  Given their Stories, can I just vote that they both lose?  Anyways, the 2 Leads are William Smith (the bad guy in just about everything) and Joe Estevez (the bad guy in Rollergator).  No offense, but we aren't starting off strong.  So they both tell their Stories and then we get the obvious Twist.  There are problems with said twist, but I'll get to those in time. In the meantime, see what else can go wrong...

Two Writers (Smith and Estevez) meet up at a Diner in the middle of nowhere.  They are expecting their friend (who is related to Edgar Allen Poe!), but he's not there.

Who is there then?  A woman who promises a prize- herself- to the Winner.  Start us off, Joe...

This guy is a failed Writer.  Specifically, he wrote one Episode of Cop Rock.  No, really.

He's unhappily-married and his wife (who gave up Acting for him) hates him.  He loves her old Publicity Photos though...

After getting bad-mouthed, pushed around and actually stabbed in the leg(!), he kills her and mounts her face near his desk.  As the Story ends, he goes to kill her new lover (a woman) too...

After a short break (the Film is barely 80 minutes), it is time for Smith's tale.

In his, a struggling Archaeologist is stuck with her dad in the house, so she eventually kills him (for chewing too loud and often).

After doing the deed, her comrade/lover finds what they were seeking.  Unfortunately for her, her guilt drives her crazy and she runs off a nearby cliff.

Back in the Diner, the woman has her own Story to tell.  It is about a Stripper who was left out in the cold to die by two people.

Yes, it was them.  No, this was not set up in any way previously.  Hurray.

As a final bit of silliness, the Bartender (who was her Son and not a Ghost) leaves and the place explodes.  The End.

Yeah, this is just pretty bad.  Make no bones about it: this is really just kind of subpar (at best).  The Story could easily work.  Neither Smith nor Estevez are really bad in their Roles- there just isn't much to them.  Their Characterization is pretty one-note.  It was interesting to learn that the Poem that Smith recites before his Story was actually written by him though!  The Twist Ending to their Story is fine...but not set up at all.  Nothing in the build-up would make you think that they killed a lady (even if it was by neglect).  They don't foreshadow this at all.  That said, the Set-up for the overall Story makes the Twist pretty easy to see coming.  If they could have set up the actual details, it could have worked.  Make sense?  The other Stories are not that great.  The first one just makes all of the Characters so unlikable that you root for nobody.  No matter what happens- you don't care.  At all.  The second Story isn't much better in that department.  Neither one has a pay-off really worth the boring execution of the rest of the tale.  All in all, just a missed opportunity.  I did learn a new trick to do if you are a Low-Budget Auteur: Cast your Expert in one of the Roles (as his own Expertise)...

Next up, I give a Film who's Cover Art has already been covered an actual Review.  Will it fare any better?  Stay tuned...