Review: People to Kill

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

People to Kill (aka Severed Ties)
Directed by Adam Scott Clevenger
Epic Failure Productions; Living the Dream Films; Final Sunrise Productions
117 minutes, 2018
https://www.facebook.com/PeopletoKillMoviePage/

The prologue, of course, starts with a violent note, with a mom (Cassandra Engber, who’s roles in her three IMDB credits are listed as “Mom”) being killed, possibly by the Lullaby Killer. She is found by her cop husband, listed as “dad” (Geoff Burkman) and their three sons. Then, cut to five years later. So far, so bloody.

Dad’s now an angry guy, lashing out at gays, people of color (“they’re animals!”), and even God. To me, this is somewhat understandable since his three adult sons still live with him, doing grown up stuff like playing Dungeons and Dragons. Was that ever cool? There’s Shawn (director Adam Clevenger), who owns a collectables store called “Starbase” (Trek­-based, not Wars; it was a real place in Columbus, OH, until it closed), gay Vince (Vincent Holiday), and the youngest, a priest named Mike (Mike Canestaro), whose church is in a poor neighborhood.

Back row: Mike Canestrao, Vincent Holiday, Adam Clevenger
Bottom row:Geoff Burkman, Cassandra Engber

Across the street is the spot for a hooker named Savannah (Erin R. Ryan). We also get to meet her not-so-nice violent Russian pimp, White Ben (Noah Shane). Shawn obviously has a thing for her (non-professionally), and she is startin’ to like him back. Gotta say, she rocks a Trek uniform here (though I worry about her safety as it’s red).

After a sermon at Mike’s practically deserted church, Dad and one of his sons heads over to an equally near-empty strip club (coz that’s what one does after church, right? Actually, I don’t understand the appeal of strip clubs, even as a straight male; I went to one once and I didn’t know who looked more bored, myself or the dancers).

The real motivation for the title of the film begins in the third act, when some unexpected violence affects this family, which I will not divulge. At this point, it becomes a revenge saga. It reminds me a bit of Straw Dogs (1971, which I still say was the model for 1990’s Home Alone), where the first two acts are a bit of a slow burn (though not bloodless) that builds to an extended bout of retribution and death. While the first two-thirds is getting to know the characters to explain motivation, the second is an explosion of action.

Erin R. Ryan, Clevenger, Holiday

This isn’t a Stallone or Van Damme film where basically the hero is surrounded by bullets, standing there unharmed, but shooting tons of the “bad guys,” or in fisticuff, easily beats all comers. Here the action is dirty and with consequences. I don’t know if I would say “credible,” but definitely more realistic. There is lots of blood and a couple of squeamish bits, all of which look really nice.

For an indie feature, the acting is rather good, with Clevenger and Ryan coming out on top. Burkman also comes off pretty strong. Many of these cast members have worked together on other local projects, so they play off each other quite well. Another bonus.

While technically this is not a comedy, though one may think a very dark one if it is, there are some outstanding comic relief performances by the likes of the Commander (Chris Gooley) and a lesbian strip club attendee, Ms. Graves (Marylee Osborne, who was also great in 2016's Nothing Good Ever Happens, which shares a number of cast members present here). It’s almost like the four main characters are the straight men for the rest of the cast of oddballs. There is a great moment between the Commander and a stripper (JoAnna Lloyd) that I knew was trouble beyond the fact of orientation that would eventually (and it does) – er – come out. However, by the vengeful third act, the bits of humor is wisely left behind. However, it should be noted that the comic bits are a good way to be the yin of the violent yang, lulling the viewer in with false expectations. Love that.

Noah Shane

There is a subtle commentary that crops up on occasion about living in the strongly Red state of Ohio, including about what is allowed in strip clubs, some political elbowing, and even some jabs at the politics behind religious institutions. And that doesn’t even include the Trek vs. Wars conflagration.

This is the first movie as director for Clevenger, who is a long-time Ohio-based actor. He’s worked with some of the more interesting directors in the area, like Henrique Couto and Eric Widing, among others, which is a good school to attend with experienced mentors. One of the hardest things to learn, though, is excising, especially as also the writer, as this film is overly long at nearly two hours, but luckily it stays pretty interesting throughout. I can easily see some things that could have been shortened, like the D&D game and some of the strip club material. For example, as much as I enjoyed the Ms. Graves scene, it really didn’t contribute to the overall story; it would have been a great “extras” segment on the disc.

Burkman

Speaking of the disc, I watched a “festival screener” that according to the director, “is missing a 20-minute epilogue that delves into the family’s past a little more.“ As much as I thought this film could have been edited a bit more, I would have still liked to have seen it. And for a first time director, that is a compliment to his work.

Meanwhile, the “thank you” section of the credits is worth a read.