A high school reunion is the setting for a day of terror in this British horror film that brings reminiscence of a certain 80’s cult classic.

A gathering of old high school friends is happening at a local pub where they plan to go on a paintball excursion the next day in the middle of the woods. The group includes Tommy, Ben, Aiden, Sara, Lauren, Matt, Nathan, Dan, and Rob. Jessica, the once wallflower of the group, finds herself at the pub but has no plans to join the paintball competition the next day. However, she accidentally locks her keys in her car and therefore, finds herself having no choice but to join in the fun.

The next day, the group is taken to a remote location for the paintball game, where they are to take on a group known as the Infidels. At first, the game is fun. However, when the friends find the Infidels completely decimated and killed, they soon learn they are not alone. A mysterious masked figure has arrived and begins to pick off the friends one by one. Who is this mysterious killer offing the paintballers and why are they doing it?

British horror has been very brave as of late. Once upon a time, the government would ban certain films for its gore content and dub them “video nasties”. However, ever since the ban has been lifted, this allowed more local filmmakers to pull some brave moves when it comes to delving into horror. Director Darren Berry and writer Chris Regan came up with a film that starts out with a more comic fashion before the decimation of the Infidels sets the stage for the terror that plagues the group.

The group of friends all have different personalities. Lockhart Ogilvie’s Tommy is the headstrong type. Natasha Killip’s Lauren is the wise-cracking artist. Joe Hallett’s Aiden is the self-proclaimed leader of the group. Aoife Smyth’s Sara has an obsession with a certain Vin Diesel franchise. Cheryl Burniston’s Jessica is the wallflower who felt she shouldn’t have been there to begin with. Comedian/actress Katy Brand brings comic timing to the role of Paintball camp leader Marshall Shelly.

However, the reason to see this film of course are the kills as this is a horror film after all. Sporting a sick red and black mask with green padded armor, Ian Virgo as the killer looks like a cross between Red Hood from the Batman comics with Bane-like padding. The kills are quite interesting to see. From an explosion to one victim stabbed with a “for sale” sign (seriously!), it becomes a mystery as to their identity and the reason why make remind viewers of a certain 80s cult classic that take a similar approach involving the core plot.

All in all, Paintball Massacre is a pretty good horror film filled with some inventive kills, a badass mute killer, and a major twist coming out of an 80’s slasher. A fun film for horror fans.

WFG RATING: B

Uncork’d Entertainment presents a Paintball Massacre Ltd. Production. Director: Darren Berry. Producers: Brendan Carr and Joe Hallett. Writer: Chris Regan. Cinematography: Ola Mesmer. Editing: Daniel Jewell.

Cast: Katy Brand, Lee Latchford-Evans, Robert Portal, Nicholas Vince, Ian Virgo, Cheryl Burniston, Lockhart Ogilvie, Brendan Carr, Natasha Killip, Nathan Clough, Joe Hallett, Aoife Smyth, Ryan Winsley, Tony Banham, Paul Holbrook.