Killing Ground  ★★½

NEW Australian psychological horror film Killing Ground unfortunately treads what has become a well-worn path.

While effective in parts and well acted, the film fails to create an experience that goes beyond just depicting innocent people being terrorised by maniacs.

The structure of the film’s first half is interesting, telling the story in two intercut timeframes with one set of characters connecting the two.

The script is unfortunately expansive during the scene-setting and small talk, but too sparse for the sequences that really matter between the chief protagonists.

While the final act has some exciting moments, there is a relatively short scene earlier between three characters in a hotel toilet that demonstrates the menace and quiet power we should have seen more.

Compared, for example, to the Western Australian made Hounds of Love released a few months ago, Killing Ground is much more of a typical genre film.

Within that genre, Greg McLean’s Wolf Creek continues to be the benchmark and Killing Ground doesn’t measure up.

In previewing 2017’s second half one of the questions I posed was whether Killing Ground would be the film that finally brings actor Aaron Pederson to Hollywood’s attention. It still might be, but Pederson has done much better work.

Here he plays German, one of the local pig hunters terrorising unsuspecting campers in the remote national park. He’s good, but really doesn’t have a lot of opportunity to shine, other than the toilet scene and a later target practice sequence that is probably the other truly chilling moment.

Aaron Glenane, playing German’s off-sider Chook, probably makes more of an impression, mainly due to the fact he ends up with more running time. The rest of the cast are fine without anyone being outstanding.

After a series of short films this is director and writer Damien Power’s first feature film. Based on Killing Ground alone, he’s a better director than writer, handling the suspenseful moments well but failing to deliver a genuinely disturbing exercise.

Wolf Creek remains the main reason not to go camping alone in Australia.

Foot note: Not happy with one of the posters which is a rip-off of The Hills Have Eyes. Be original.