PAINTBALL MASSACRE
Directed by: Darren Berry
Starring: Cheryl Burniston, Katy Brand, Lee Latchford-Evans, Robert Portal, Aoife Smyth, Natasha Philip
When her fiance Simon is a no-show at their high-school reunion, Jessica Bentley finds herself unwittingly standing in for him in the organised team paintballing event and she is thrust into the midst of the people who antagonised her at school. As if a day of getting thwacked with balls of paint wasn’t bad enough however, Jessica and her team discover that someone is playing for keeps. One by one, they are hunted and killed - but by whom?
Paintball Massacre is an independent slasher movie which constantly entertains thanks to a game cast and a decent script, even if the seams show a few times.
One of the more striking differences between this and most other slashers is that all the kill-scenes occur in broad daylight. They have to, due to occurring during the paintball game. This certainly sets it apart but it also means there is nowhere to hide with regards the kills and the low-budget fx. It also makes it less believable that the killer can move around so easily without being seen…
The other issue is that it's very difficult to make paintball exciting to an observer. There is some fun to be had watching the team get beat time and time again and the script concentrates more on the machismo and egos of the characters but the actual paintball game scenes don't really engage.
The kills are quite inventive, each of them tailor-made to ironically fit each character's profession (ex-soldier, estate agent, carpenter, lifeguard etc), which we had already learned about at the reunion party the night before.
The cast mostly handle the material well. The one person who doesn't, unfortunately is Katy Brand and the other two marshall/referees. Their dialogue isn't as funny as it's meant to be and the characters seem like a bit of an afterthought. Cheryl Burniston is the main candidate for Final Girl status (although nothing is certain in this film). Her Jess is someone who was "little Miss Perfect" at school but collapsed into alcoholism at University due to stress. There are two other women in the team : Lauren (Natasha Philip), an unrepentant piece of work and Sara (Aoife Smyth), who at least admits she isn't too proud of some of the things she's done in the past. Alth0ugh the guys all seem a bit shouty and laddish to begin with, the actors settle into their roles and the generous script gives each their proper moment.
The standout part of the script, and the film as a whole, is how it develops two characters who may, or may not, be the killer, and who we never get to see "in person" (in classic slasher tradition, the killer is constantly silent, constantly wearing a mask). There are two clear candidates - the first of whom was bullied by a lot of the group, which would be a classic slasher set up. A lot of the characters are able to ruefully look back at their former selves and feel remorse for his ordeal, while others are completely unrepentant. However it is Simon, Jessica's fiance, who turns out to be the most interesting character even though we never formally meet him. Through conversations among the reunion attendees, we learn that Simon is still very popular and people are annoyed he has sent Jessica in his stead (she wasn't formally invited). Later though we learn a lot more about Simon both from his school days and in the years since…
THE VERDICT
While there are a couple of negatives, Paintball Massacre mostly works thanks to a decent cast and an interesting script which gives them something to do and has enough depth to make you concerned about characters you haven't even met.