Barry J. Gillis, who wrote the video-trash guidebook with his 1990 film Wicked World, apparently was given more money to do another trash thriller, The Killing Games (2012). This neo-classic “Canuxploitation” (Canadian exploitation) film may find some new audiences thanks to American Genre Film Archive’s successful re-release of Wicked World just last year (CLICK HERE for review). The Killing Games seems to be Gillis’ best technical feature, presenting the highest quality a shot-on-video film can have and a narrative that is slightly less confusing than his other movies. In true Gillis fashion, The Killing Games picks up the baton to deliver his usual overall message — man bad, killing good.

A soon to be widower, named Birdman (Kelly A.H. Bird), cares for his ailing wife and their young daughter in the Canadian countryside. When his daughter Elysia (Yunona Anders) and her friend witness the brutal slaying of a couple walking through the woods, Birdman resigns to kill the sadistic slayers on sight in order to protect Elysia. The murderers, named Son of Satan (Edwin Autridge) and Dirty Jesus (John Scott), have been terrorizing Alberta, and meanwhile, yet another rampaging group of bank robbers is moving through the area as well. As these two roving outlaw groups converge, we find that Alberta is in for one bloody weekend.

I knew this was a Gillis film before I even saw the ending credits — the many random scenes that have nothing to do with the main plot, the near-porn erotica, the bad acting, the awkward group of people having a party scene, a brutal murder scene in the woods, commentary on the decline of societal morality, and over-the-top violence all seem to be this director’s calling card. Gillis is certainly an auteur, and his vision is clear — bringing B- movies to masses whether they like it or not. In comparison to Wicked World, The Killing Games is a more finished looking film, but still, The Killing Games similarly has gratuitous characters and scenes that add nothing to the plot, and in fact, confuse the core story. Still, it is an easier watch as far as production quality, with more engaging editing. What’s more, the mirror that Gillis endeavors to hold up to society in his films, showing human disregard for other humans, seems more clearer in this film — glaring commentary on society’s descent into sex, drugs, and violence.

The Killing Games also has a much more interesting and diverse roster of characters than what I have seen in other Gillis projects — there were different races, differently-abled actors, and characters from different qualities of life so that the film felt more like a real world. Though the acting is certainly bad, again, similar to the “porno level” of acting found in his other movies, Edwin Autridge gave a memorable performance as Son of Satan acting as if Animal from The Muppets had turned into a rage killer. The cast was split down the middle into two different storylines that converged in the final scene, which had rape and lots of blood — an exclamation point to an already crazy film.

Director Barry J. Gillis is certainly not your mama’s Canadian — boobs, blood, guns, drugs, and all general forms of debauchery are this director’s forte. Gillis seems to trade a higher entertainment value for fewer murders in The Killing Games, but trust me, the ravenous gorehound populace should still be satisfied. The violence is less senseless in The Killing Games than in Wicked World, and I feel this movie is more balanced and the trade-off pays off for the movie, in the end. Written, directed, edited, and produced by Barry J. Gillis, The Killing Games is an experience, one that will make you numb to violence if you are not already after watching its graphic assaults and numerous characters with holes to their head.

MOVIE RATING — 6 out of 10 ☠️