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Though hard to recommend, a certain audience will have a blast with the ridiculous “Killer Kites” — a film that takes stupid to new heights.

Killer Kites landed on digital late May 2023. Read on to find out if you should Rent it, Stream it, or Skip it.

Coming into contact with a family heirloom, Abby (Manon Pages) discovers that she has inherited a strange kite from her grandmother. Almost immediately afterward, she discovers the kite has a mind of its own as it sets out on a homicidal killing spree.

While looking into the kite’s history and legacy, she comes across the Oracle (Zach Lee), who warns her away from trying to investigate further. But with the help of her dimwitted coworker Daniel (Carter Simoneaux), she manages to uncover a conspiracy dating back to the Cold War involving the killer kite and races to stop it from carrying out its plans.

There’s quite a lot to like about Killer Kites.

Among its more enjoyable features are the playful and over-the-top atmosphere and the equally goofy premise from writer/co-director Austin Frosch. The whole concept of the kite coming to life and carrying out a rampage of death and destruction on its own is a ludicrous idea. But what transpires is given enough credit to become plausible over time.

The idea of the kite taking its legacy from the Cold War is preposterous, but it’s fun and endearing enough to draw you in if you’re open to accepting it at face value.

Plenty of silly jokes and sketch-comedy-style scenes keep everything light and nonserious.

Killer Kites

The use of the POV camera to show the kite sneaking up on the hapless victims who are blissfully unaware of the impending doom awaiting offers a generally fun time.

This sense of playfulness is only enhanced by the silly attitude that permeates the sequences. Attack scenes, requiring victims to pretend that an ambulatory kite maneuvering around is a deadly object, are energetic and lively. Among the film’s biggest moments are an attack at a bread festival and a final encounter in the woods where Abby and Daniel put their research to the ultimate test against the swarm of killer kites.

Killer Kites is far from a perfect film, however, even by ridiculous, B-movie horror comedy standards.

The main drawback comes from the film’s atmosphere, which is almost insultingly stupid simply to move the plot along. Characters have to interact with others in scenarios that are so wholly ridiculous and implausible in the real world that it borders on insufferable.

Having to accept the concept of a killer kite going around killing people seriously is only part of the problem.

Given the lack of urgency or seriousness with which anyone takes this setup, the entire point seems to be achieving the maximum level of moronic stupidity. And, honestly, that’s not all bad, as there are moments where the nonsensical nature really works.

In fairness, Killer Kites announces exactly what kind of film it wants to be from the first few minutes. 

If you couldn’t already guess from the title and premise, by the time you watch the flashback cold open and the original title song (which is actually pretty great) that plays over the opening credits, you will certainly know this is far from elevated art.

It’s also ultra-low-budget, and not in that “look at what they were able to do with so few resources” kind of way. This isn’t creative filmmaking in the face of limited funds. It’s low-budget filmmaking that looks and feels low-budget like it’s a student film or something made by a group of friends just for fun. And the effects are on par with Birdemic, which feels pretty intentionally tongue-in-cheek.

Of course, that kind of Troma-esque, guerilla-style filmmaking can be a blast, and there is certainly an audience for campy schlock. You already know if that audience includes you or not.

If it doesn’t, you will no doubt find Killer Kites nigh unwatchable.

If, however, you think the concept sounds fun and you have a soft spot for films like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Sharkanado, you may find this nutty little outing offers quite a bit of charm.

Ultimately, an overly goofy genre comedy won’t be for everyone; your mileage of the film will vary on your tolerance for characters and situations that are aggressively stupid, which leaves this a hard one to recommend.

RENT IT, STREAM IT, OR SKIP IT?
SKIP IT OR STREAM IT. Viewers who appreciate this kind of wacky film are likely to have fun with it. And, clocking in at just over an hour, it’s a mercilessly quick and breezy watch. It’s only $0.99 on Amazon, so it may be worth the rental if you have some friends over and want a silly, mindlessly amusing film to laugh at. Still, if you are intrigued, I’d wait for it to land on a platform like Tubi. And that’s only if you like puerile, stoner-type comedies that are intentionally played for groan-inducing laughs rather than substance or scares. Otherwise, skip it.

Overall Rating (Out of 5 Butterflies): 2

Written by Don Anelli

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