Killing Ground

Killing Ground is an Australian Horror film released in 2016 and directed by Damien Power. From the outset, we are plummeted into a breathtaking Australian landscape. Picture this bucolic setting: rolling hills with an abundance of trees seeping with shivelight. As cicadas chirp, we are introduced to a couple, Harriet Dyer (Samantha Shaw) and Ian Meadows (Ian Smith), who are on a romantic camping getaway over New Year's Eve. When arriving at the site, they swiftly discover that another group of campers have set themselves up in the same area; Harriet and Ian show no dismay to this other than a passing comment about now having to have sex quietly. Not long after this exchange, we are introduced to the family occupying the rest of the camping site. Now, cutting back and forth between the couple and the family, we question whether we are watching the same timeline. Though nothing untoward has as yet happened, Killing Ground is masterful in building tension with precision and developing a burning curiosity in the audience: when will it be confirmed that something is sorely amiss? As the night goes on, we learn about a nearby waterfall called ‘Gungille’, which loosely translates to ‘weeping falls’, named for the horrifying massacre (beautiful use of foreshadowing) of First Nations peoples by colonial settlers. By New Year's Day, the audience becomes acutely aware that we are not viewing a coherent timeline. Instead, we are watching two groups of campers fight for their lives against two filthy-bogan-country men. The audience is exposed to the extremes of Australian versions of male toxicity through these two characters. What entails in Killing Ground is a kind of hell on earth, replicating the massacre that haunts the site—the campers get hunted, raped and psychologically tormented. Even thinking about these brutal scenes makes me feel sick, which, strangely, is a good indicator that the film has utilised its horror techniques and themes with skilful effect. Unfortunately, Killing Ground gets compared to Wolf Creek. This is a lazy comparison, as Wolf Creek features the inflated monstrosity of the antagonist and aims to shock viewers with his explicit violence. In contrast, Killing Ground opts for a unique strategy, slowly establishing the setting through a chronologically disjointed story, making history the spectre that haunts rather than a demented individual. The splice narrative arc is highly effective, excellent for increasing suspense and cementing a bond with possible targets, and identifying the actual antagonists. While the accents sometimes come across as too thick, and the third act may be a little weak, Killing Ground is nevertheless an outstanding Australian Horror film with impressive performances, especially by Samantha Shaw. If you would enjoy never getting the urge to camp in Australia again or bother being nice to a bogan, this movie is definitely for you.