American Killing, co-directed by Matthew Ward and Justyn Ah Chong and written by Ward is a retreat into a dark place with a diverse ensemble cast set in the backwoods of Kansas. Though it is a slow burner, American Killing was a surprise, with its shocking twists and how gruesome this indie movie got.

When Jebediah is told that his show is on its last leg by his boss Mr. Charon (Lenny Citrano), Jeb takes the writing team of the fledgling cartoon show, called “Amy and the Aliens”, to a retreat in the woods of Kansas in order to revamp the show and write 30 scripts in 30 days. Focusing on key points they can make better, the crew begins to brainstorm ideas for plot-lines, but little do they know, Jeb is keeping a closer eye on them than they would think. Socially awkward and unable to connect with people, even with his own writing team, Jeb installs hidden cameras around their woodland house in order to watch their interactions and learn their personal secrets, especially those of his crush Raven (Persia White). After the week doesn’t go as planned and he is unable to get his team to work together, mostly due to his own overbearing personality and neediness, Jeb is fired over the phone for “gross incompetence”, an insult that sends him over the edge.

The film was comprised of an ensemble cast for this house in the woods feature — Trevor Peterson gave an excellent performance as Jebediah, perfectly teetering on calm and collected vs. explosively violent, portraying his character’s bubbling resentment towards people due to his own social ineptitude. Furthermore, Demitri Goritsas as recovering alcoholic, Clark, was tragically relatable, and the rest of the ensemble played their parts fairly well as well. It was a surprise to see Persia White, who I know from the old UPN TV show “Girlfriends”, who was surprisingly a weak link in the ensemble and got lost in the mix of entertaining “nobodies”.

The storytelling in this film was beautifully dark, and who I thought would or should survive the night did not, showing that the script had just the right amount of surprise and suspense. For my tastes, it does take a while to ‘go there’, but when the proverbial train starts chugging up that dark track at the beginning of the second half with our brief introduction to Jeb’s mother, Mama, played by scene-stealer Sondra Kerr Blake, the film goes off of the rails from just being a thriller to pretty much becoming a shocking mock snuff film. I got Psycho (1960) vibes from this movie after the second half picks up, with the obviously troubled mother/son relationship, and from Jeb’s voyeurism that eventually turns this film into a slasher film. If you are a fan of that premise then you should be pleased with American Killing, as it is a very well written and well-produced feature.

High Octane Pictures, who last year brought a father/son thriller that I also remember for its shocking twist, Winterskin (2018), is now bringing this much better produced and twisty thriller, American Killing, to horror audiences. This movie was previously titled as “Wichita”, I’m guessing because of it being set in Kansas, but American Killing does seem like a more fitting title for this foray into the mind of a voyeur. Set to release August 6, catch American Killing on your small screens by purchasing the DVD or viewing on digital platforms.