One Of The Most Exciting Horror Movies Of The Year Will Be Streaming For Free This Week
Horror fans tend to treat their favorite movies — no matter how schlocky or cheaply-made — as sacred cows, which puts an immeasurable amount of pressure on anyone who dares to remake, reboot, or legacyquel a beloved title. And yet, director Danishka Esterhazy handled that pressure with ease for her fantastic meta-remake of "Slumber Party Massacre," and quickly solidified herself as one of the most exciting new voices in horror.
Esterhazy had already earned a great deal of goodwill with her twisted take on "The Banana Splits Movie," and well-versed aficionados likely first learned of her work with the gripping sci-fi dystopian flick "Level 16," about a prison-like boarding school for girls harboring a demented secret. And luckily for fans of all things scary and slasher, Esterhazy has a new film coming to the Tubi streaming service on May 17, 2024, called "Killer Body Count." That's right, in less than three days from the time this article goes live, you'll be able to enjoy a new slasher film from one of the most exciting directors working in the genre for free.
Tubi has been proving to be a formidable force in the streaming wars and has been cranking out new horror flicks at a rapid pace. They produced the 2022 remake of "Terror Train," a horror-comedy film called "Slay" about drag queens fighting vampires, and the survival horror flick "Lowlifes." Esterhazy is a great addition to their line-up and based on the trailer for "Killer Body Count," has made an exciting, fresh, and fun slasher movie that might be the perfect choice for your next at-home watch party with friends.
Sex and death in Killer Body Count
"Killer Body Count" centers on a young woman named Cami who is mistaken for a sex addict by her religiously devout father, who sends her off to an isolated rehabilitation center in the wilderness for at-risk youth. But shortly after arrival, a killer in a devil mask starts hunting Cami and the other patients at the center, they're thrust into a fight for their lives. If this sounds like the Blumhouse flick "They/Them" but set at a different type of camp for troubled teens, take solace in knowing that based on the trailer, not all of the teens here are straight so there's certainly some great queer horror themes to explore as well. Cassiel Eatock-Winnik stars as Cami George, and is joined by Savana Tardieu as Wyatt, Khosi Ngema as Ali, N'kone Mametja as Mia, Alex McGregor as Tawny, Bjorn Steinbach as Eugene, and Jessie Diepeveen as Bree.
While Esterhazy served as director, the screenplay comes from Jessica Landry, who has also penned made-for-TV thrillers like "A Podcast to Die For," "Deadly Mom Retreat," and "Cheerleader Abduction." Perhaps what is most exciting is how unapologetically this film is courting Gen Z audiences, with jokes about only knowing how a rotary phone works because they saw it on "Stranger Things," and even the wordplay of the title. For those unaware, "body count" is slang for how many sexual partners a person has had, so the double entendre is a thing of beauty.
"Killer Body Count" arrives on Tubi on Friday, May 17, 2024.