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KILLERS BY NATURE
Produced, Written, and Directed by Eric Spudic
Edited by Xavier DeWolf and Zert SinecaCory - Jason Contini
Jeff - Eric Spudic
Burt - William Clifton
Benicio - Rory Stumpf
Lacey - Linda WebbIf you've ever met Eric Spudic then you know the man walks, talks, and breaths b-movies. He loves ‘em more than anyone else I've ever met. From Don "The Dragon" Wilson, to Fay Wray's stunt double, the man can rattle off any filmography of any name given to him. The six degrees of Kevin Bacon? He'll beat you in 4 degrees every time (that Roger Corman connection - works like a charm).
And the man networks like crazy. If you ever catch him without his resume, it's because his drunk ass just left in the bar. Through e-mail, he's negotiated writing gigs for Dave Sterling, acting gigs for Charles Band, and smoozing into a job with Fred Olin Ray. Spudic works it, works it like crazy, and his efforts have paid off in the form of a career.
But if only he could make a better movie.
Spudic's directorial debut is the Sub Rosa Extreme production KILLERS BY NATURE, a blend of NATURAL BORN KILLERS and REVENGE OF THE NERDS. Two recent high school graduates, who were picked on by EVERY person in school, drink beer one afternoon and decided to go on a murderous rampage of revenge against their high school tormentors.
The movie opens with its one true laugh, the introduction of Spudic's character, Jeff. He's watching porn and masturbating. The moments comes so quickly that it's hysterically shocking. Sadly, the rest of the movie never keeps up the envelope-pushing wit. From there on out, it becomes a series of murder sequences mixed with dick, fart, and poop jokes....and I'm talking actual human poo. The shot of human fecal matter floating down the toilet grossed me out, and definitely not in that fun, giddy sort of way that great gore comedies sometimes achieve. No, that floater turned my stomach. Even Spudic's Sub Rosa Extreme mentor, Eric Stanze, had the good taste to use fake poo with his BIZARRE LUST OF A SEXUAL DEVIANT. Wouldn't a Baby Ruth have done the job, Eric?
Unlike Bill Hellfire's underground classic, DUCK! THE CARBINE HIGH MASSACRE, which explored the psyches of two persecuted youths who went on a high school shooting rampage, KILLERS BY NATURE never gives viewers anything more than some adlibbed-sounding dialog about the not-so-glory days of Jeffy and Cory. There's little motivation, character development, satire, or depth to be found anywhere.
One summer day, as the two are downing a 12 pack, they decide to scare one of their old tormentors, an overweight kid who was probably so insecure about his weight that the only way he could feel better about himself was to belittle Jeff and Cory. That scare turns into murder, smack dab in downtown suburbia at high noon right on the front lawn. Not a mailman or dog walker in sight. One can only suspend one's disbelief so much...
From fat boy, we move to cliche number two, the mean jock. A muscle-bound jerk named Benicio who has it coming. And then we move on to the stuck-up rich-bitch we ALL hated in high school, cliche number 3. During this time, neither Jeff nor Cory display any remorse, at least not physically, only beer-chugging nonchalance. We never get a feel for the characters, and without a connection to the viewers, a movie fails regardless of what it tries to say or achieve. Scenes reflecting Jeff or Cory's family might have at least given us a sense of who they are, or how there are perceived by each other and their families. Instead we get Spudic gathering his porn before and throwing it under that couch cushion before his parents walk in the door.
Spudic misses a number of chances at some great social satire. Scenes that could have given the murders a sense of context. Perhaps quick scenes showing Jeff and Cory's tormentors in action, or even the two hiding their deeds from the townsfolk. Instead we get throw-away lines that say little more than "he/she picked on me every day." Without context, the violence carries no weight, either in the form or humor or caution. It's violence for the sake of violence. It's not even exploitation, just a fetishist exercising his turn-ons. After watching KILLERS BY NATURE, I'm more afraid of Eric Spudic than the possibility of meeting his characters on the street.