WFG RATING: A

Tubi presents a Blue Ice Pictures production. Directed by Danishka Esterhazy. Produced by Tebogo Maile and Adam Friedlander. Written by Jessica Landry. Cinematography by Manoel Ferreira. Edited by Lee Walker.

Stars Cassiel Eatock-Winnick, Savana Tardieu, Alex McGregor, Bjorn Steinbach, Khosi Ngema,  Jason K. Ralph, Jessie Diepeveen, N’Kone Mametja, Ethan Sanders, Atara Leigh, and Adam Lennox.

The latest film from Danishka Esterhazy is quite a hoot that it targets a specific horror trope and adds a sense of religious fanaticism to it. 

Cami George is a young woman who has been on a bit of a reckless streak since the passing of her mother. However, when her adventurous side gets the best of her when she is caught with a boy in a church basement, she is reprimanded. The church’s leader, Father Tim, suggests to Cami’s father that sending her to a rehabilitation center for those with a certain addiction would make her a better person. 

Despite her disapproval, Cami is forced to go there and upon her arrival, she meets the two in charge of the place, siblings Tawny and Eugene. Tawny is more of a hard-headed leader while Eugene tends to be more level-headed. However, Cami is not happy at all but soon finds herself crushing on fellow addict Dan and bonding well with her roommate Wyatt. Soon, things are about to go from bad to worse when a mysterious killer wearing a devil mask begins targeting the addicts one-by-one. Will the survivors be able to find a way to stop the killer?

Since her underrated adaptation of The Banana Splits, Danishka Esterhazy has proven herself to be a filmmaking force. She outdid herself with the 2021 awesome reboot of the slasher classic Slumber Party Massacre and for this new film, she makes a triumphant return to South Africa to once again, bring us the scares, comedy, and gore galore. 

Cassiel Eatock-Winnick, who played the young version of Sawa in the live-action Kite, proves herself in the lead role of Cami. Seen as somewhat adventurous figure who is just having fun and having to deal with a devout religious dad, Cami makes the mistake of having some fun in a church basement. This is where we see Cami forced to go to a rehab center that is run by the sister-brother team of Tawny and Eugene. You have to hand it to Alex McGregor, who played Breanie in Esterhazy’s Slumber Party Massacre and starred on the series Vagrant Queen, which Esterhazy has directed. These two are definitely a dream team with McGregor churning out a vicious performance as Tawny seems to be somewhat of a zealot. As for Bjorn Steinbach’s Eugene, he comes off as too happy and the complete opposite of his sister. 

The other addicts of the group are quite an eclectic bunch. Chris is an open-minded horndog while Dan, the object of Cami’s affections, is seen as a reformed addict who believes there is more than just the body. Savana Tardieu’s Wyatt, Cami’s roommate, is a tough cookie while Khosi Ngema as Ali tends to be somewhat of a “mean girl” with a good heart with Jessie Diepenveen’s Bree as her sidekick a la Gretchen Wieners. Rounding out the other addicts are Mia, Rob, Riley, and Kevin.

Once again, Esterhazy delivers the comic relief with some exciting kill scenes. We get to see a disembowelment, impalings, crushings and much more with the use of practical effects and minimal visual effects. And if that’s not enough, like Slumber Party Massacre, there is a major shock of a twist in the third act and it is quite jaw-dropping. 

Killer Body Count once again shows why Danishka Esterhazy is a genre director to look out for and the cast is great in this, especially lead Cassie Eatock-Winnick and a very shocking and energetic performance by Alex McGregor.