Continuing the trend of low-budget horrors in this year's Frightfest, Death Cycle is more low-key and restrained than its lurid marketing may lead you to believe. The trailer and poster seem to be hinting at a schlocky Grindhouse throwback or a flamboyant Giallo-inspired revenge thriller. The film itself, however, is far more muted in tone.
Starting as it means to go on, the first scene shows two sisters involved in a grim hit-and-run. One survives, one is killed, in a grim sequence. It transpires that the killer is a member of the self-serving Sullivan family, who manage to sweep the whole incident under the carpet, thanks to their contacts in the police department. But unbeknownst to them, vengeance is on the horizon, heralded by a leather-clad motorcyclist bringing retribution. As the Sullivans are picked off one by one, their estranged relative Luca (Matthew Ninaber), an investigative reporter keen to distance himself from the family, is reluctantly drawn back in to get to the bottom of the killings. His inquiry begins with Abby (Kristen Kaster), the surviving sister from the opening tragedy.
At a brisk 80 minutes, Death Cycle is a simple story, well told for the main part, with a structure that mimics classic film noir, as we see the murders in flashback, as Luca puts the pieces together. Ninaber is a decent protagonist, but he's too uncomplicated and uncharismatic a character to really hold our attention – he's more a vessel for the story rather than a character in his own right, which is fine when he's interviewing witnesses, but less so when he becomes the story's focus. There's an underlying issue with the writing, which is that none of the characters feel like real people – we barely feel anything when they are killed off. The only actor who really makes an impression is Sasha Ormond as the guilt-ridden, paranoid Caterina, notable for being the only family member we feel a shred of sympathy for.
But this is a minor problem, especially when director Gabriel Carrer clearly invested most of his energy into the action set-pieces. The murder sequences are where the film really shines – they are assured, stylish, and dripping with a real sense of dread. From elaborately staged traps to tightly choreographed fights to the death, the kills are varied and gloriously depicted, with some excellent, visceral effects work. The scene in the personal gym is especially brutal, as is the chain execution, and the use of CCTV in the home invasion scene is chilling in a really unique way.
The issue is not with the death scenes, but with the scenes in between. It's great that Carrer can punctuate his film with such imaginative kills, but the actual story itself often just feels like an afterthought. Dialogue scenes are too often flat and perfunctory, lacking the energy and inventiveness of the carnage and often feeling like cursory exposition. The script, meanwhile, never musters much intrigue – there are very few options for the identity of the killer from the outset, and even more curiously, there is never much effort to misdirect or deepen the mystery as it goes on. The best reveals manage to be both shocking and inevitable; the reveal here is so obvious that it makes you question if it is a twist at all. The ending, too, is uninspired and strangely emotionless given the stakes of the story.
Ultimately, Death Cycle isn't a great film, but it's not an abject failure either. Carrer nails the fundamentals of horror – the gore, the dread, the set-pieces – and for many fans, that will be enough. It's well shot, competently acted, and occasionally inspired, but the film struggles to maintain momentum, and the sluggish pacing, flat dialogue, and a pedestrian ending mean that it never quite delivers on its B-movie premise.
Death Cycle had its world premiere at FrightFest on 24 August
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