Killer Kites

The work of Paul Dale (and, in this case, Austin Frosch) is never likely to be considered great art, but nevertheless, there is an art to it. Killer Kites is, in its own way, an exercise in the tradition of Lars Von Trier’s Dogville or Yasujiro Ozo’s Tokyo Story. It’s stripped right down to a basic formula, with minimalist sets and props. Dale and Frosch know how to structure and frame a horror film so well that practically any monster could be slotted into it – this would be easy to recut into a fresh feature with a different creature and some minor dubbing. Whilst one might interpret that as a bad thing, it’s remarkably entertaining to watch.

Dale’s last effort was the similarly pleasing Sewer Gators, which is hard to overlook, as he takes every opportunity for product placement here and the two films share some of their stars. This one is a lot tighter, however, with more of its jokes hitting the mark. Its success is partly due to the fact that Manon Pages, the best thing about that film, has been elevated to the lead, delivering a solid performance which mingles deadpan comedy with a conviction that sustains the narrative despite the silliness all around her.

After a black and white prologue structured around an elevated, windy version of the classic Evil Dead tracking shot, and a credit sequence which features kites inserted into archive images of World War Two trenches, the Kennedy Assassination, and so on, we get straight to it. Pages’ Abby inherits a box within which is a simple white cloth kite festooned with green, blue and orange ribbons. It seems innocent enough, but before long we will begin to hear sinister rumours connecting it a mysterious Nazi cult, and we see something of its aggressive tendencies directly when it attacks Abby’s brother. The next thing she knows, a mysterious man in a dressing gown has wandered into her house, pronounced himself an oracle and warned her not to investigate because shadowy forces are at work.

The remainder of the film follows the investigation which happens anyway, ultimately revealing both Abby’s secret destiny and the true political leanings of the kites, and the battle to end their murderous ways. They? Yes – Abby’s kite is not only bloodthirsty in its own right, but quickly subverts the behaviour of ordinary, peaceful kites, winning them over to its cause. For her part, Abby has the aid of a gaggle of male hangers-on, including Daniel, a guy from her work with an inappropriate habit of hitting on her. “So just like, be a dick?” he queries after seeking romantic advice from one of the others. “Yeah,” comes the response. “Chicks love that.”

Abby is a reluctant leader. in one scene, we see her patiently explaining what a triangle is. The guys subsequently decide that kites are like sharks because both involve triangles. They do have their moments, however, sharing the vital information that kites really like bread. Could the local bread festival be the place to set a trap? Yeasty puns are the order of the day and sadly there’s nobody available to say “Oh crumbs!” but Dale and Frosch make a good stab at the action scenes with only early-Eighties level CGI and a leaf blower to help them.

If you’re the kind of person who is intrigued rather than dismayed by a title like Killer Kites, you will enjoy this film, sparingly applied scarlet blood, specially written ballad and all. Its taste in literature may be a bit dubious and it could do with more punch at the end, but stringy though it is in places, when it catches a fair wind, it soars.