Two of the biggest trends within horror during the ’00s and early ’10s were “found footage” films and “torture porn” movies. Neither is a new subgenre, but their respective resurgences over the past decade and a half have certainly produced some new gems. Their popularity has waned in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped indie filmmakers from targeted one or both trends. Capture Kill Release happens to tick both boxes.
The film’s plot revolves around a young couple planning to, well, capture and kill someone. It’s not a spoiler, as it’s right there in the title. The synopsis here is of little consequence. The devil in the details here is how our lead characters, Farhang & Jennifer, interact with one another throughout the execution of their grisly design.
What transpires during and after may surprise you or it might not, but the key to this film’s success is in its protagonists. The leads are both inherent charming and have great chemistry with one another, making what could have been your typical DTV torture flick far more engaging than usual. Exactly how engaging the film is will likely depend entirely on how much you enjoy the found footage and torture subgenres.
I’m not the biggest fan of either section of the horror playbook, so I don’t run nearly as hot on Capture Kill Release as most. Still, it’s not hard to see why many love it. It is well-acted and well-executed from top to bottom and sure to deliver fans of these topics what they desire.
Capture Kill Release is an original found footage horror drama. It is directed by Nick McAnulty and Brian Allan Stewart, from a screenplay by Nick McAnulty. The film was produced by Ainslee Kennedy, Nick McAnulty, Graham Rogers, and Brian Allan Stewart. It stars Farhang Ghajar as ‘Farhang’, Jennifer Fraser as ‘Jennifer’, Rich Piatkowski as ‘Rich Guy’, and Christina Schimmel as ‘Mistress’.
Capture Kill Release can currently be viewed on the festival circuit and is also streaming on Amazon Prime.
