Director – Mark J. Parker (Deathbrella, Dragged Beneath the Shadows)
Starring – Mike Pratt, Gavin Damian-Loring (Johny, The Most Precious Thing), and Olivia Barberian (The Parody News Network, Your Last Summer: A Fan Film)
Release Date – 2023
Rating – 3/5
I was lucky enough to watch several amazing shorts during my October horror binge and while I liked them all, some were most definitely better than others. One of the shorts that was sent my way was Mark J. Parker’s Casting Kill. The poster he sent along with it sold me on the film and I quickly added it to my month long horror binge. I want to take a moment to thank Mark for sending this one over!
**Spoiler Alert** The film follows a casting agency working on a new project when someone enters the building and starts murdering everyone he crosses paths with. **Spoiler Alert**
I went into this short thinking I knew what it was about based on the title. I was wrong. The title does appropriately represent the film but in my mind I was picturing a casting director or director killing the cast for a snuff film. However, what we actually got was still enjoyable.
The acting in this one is fairly well done. The cast has some experience while others have very little. No one delivers a bad performance but you can see some inexperience from time to time. I really liked the characters and how they are all representatives of what you would find in an actual casting firm.
The story for this one is straight forward and something that could easily happen. A man who was once cast in a project was told the project was no longer happening. Distraught, he attacks the firm for revenge. Pretty straight forward story that works. It doesn’t have any playback value and it’s not the most memorable film but it’s fun for a first time viewing.
Finally, the film has some blood and some stab wounds with minimal effects but that is the extent of it. They do work for the film and how the story is told but it’s not something the hardcore gorehounds would appreciate. Overall, Casting Kill is a solid indie short that has a strong cast and decent story. It works very well as a short and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Check it out.
