Tony Bentley | Through the Shattered Lens

What’s an Insomnia File? You know how some times you just can’t get any sleep and, at about three in the morning, you’ll find yourself watching whatever you can find on cable or streaming? This feature is all about those insomnia-inspired discoveries!

Last night, if you were having trouble getting to sleep, you could have gone to either YouTube or Tubi and watched the 2016 horror film, Don’t Kill It!

Don’t Kill It! takes place in a small Mississippi town. After a hunter shoots his suddenly viscous dog and then murders his wife and children, the hunter is gunned down by another man. That man then proceeds to kill his own family. FBI agent Evelyn Pierce (Kristina Klebe) thinks that it was a case of domestic terrorism. Demon hunter Jebediah Woodley (Dolph Lundgren) disagrees. Woodley explains that there’s a demon on the loose. The demon jumps from host to host. Killing one host means becoming possessed yourself. As Woodley explains it, the only way to avoid becoming possessed is not to kill it but then you run the risk of being killed yourself.

At first, everyone is skeptical of Woodley’s claims. But as Evelyn investigates the case (and we watch a lot of slow motion flashbacks that appear to have been included to pad out the running time), she comes to realize that Woodley is correct. There is a demon and it is possessing people. But how can it be stopped?

Don’t Kill It may be a low-budget film but it gets the most out of that budget, making good use of the country atmosphere of its setting and getting generally good performances from the cast. (The possession scenes are simple but still very well-done and creepy.) The main appeal here is Dolph Lundgren, playing his role with just the right amount of self-awareness to let the viewer know that Lundgren knows exactly what type of film he’s appearing in and that he’s going to do his best to keep things entertaining. It’s a film that’s perfect for late night horror season viewing.

Admittedly, I watched the film with a group of friends, some of whom dropped out during the opening massacre. I could understand their feelings but I think the important thing to consider is, for all the bad things that happened, a hero still showed up to put things right. Indeed, one could argue that the film’s theme of murder leading to more murder is actually a plea for peace. “Don’t kill it!” Woodley says and it’s a message for everyone watching.