7 Kills, 3 Songs & a Banana

“A casually coherent concoction of chaos. And fruit.”

Would you like to watch a thrilling murder-mystery film that is equally comedic and horrific? Then you’ve come to the right place, as Richard Fysh’s American feature film fits the bill.

This is a movie certainly unlike any other. Merging horror, satire and even the essence of a musical, 7 Kills, 3 Songs & a Banana ticks all the boxes for being absurd in a fun way. Containing all the hallmarks of a horrifying thriller, including sex and death, the film is a slightly funky take with music - and bananas.

7 Kills follows Amber (Alexandria Romanov), a vibrantly cynical young woman who identifies as a lesbian. At the start of the film, she is struggling to deal with the sudden death of her ex-girlfriend, Rachel (Charleston Harvey), which forms the crux of the story. With a killer on the loose, as well as Rachel’s boyfriend Steve (Mark Bogumil), sparks fly and venomous words are exchanged in this bitter satirical feature.

An engaging interpretation of a modern-day slasher film, 7 Kills clearly takes inspiration from those before it in the genre. Slowly building suspense and integrating various moments of gory horror, the film successfully charts Amber’s journey as she tries to come to terms with her emotions.

However, there are elements of the film that unfortunately fall flat. With some moments feeling awkward and some of the actors struggling to convey the essence of the dialogue, the feature struggles to keep pace - giving the viewer permission to lose interest. Likewise, parts of the narrative feel inconsistent and cut around a bit too much, again losing some of the meaning. As the story goes through the motions, we lose sight of Amber’s motivations which confuses some of the scenes.

Whilst 7 Kills is not perfect, there is something captivating about it. The viewer finds themselves invested in Amber’s story, whether we like it or not, in addition to the lives of the supporting cast that all become intertwined in a cocktail of drama. Whilst it is not perfect, making a film with a very minimal budget is no small feat and should be commended.

Parts of the satire are glorious, but some lands a bit dry - although that may just be the English filmmaking influence! Dealing with challenging subjects including homophobia, mental health, grief and murder, 7 Kills deserves some merit for handling these subjects in a comedic way without being offensive.

Being originally from Doncaster in the UK, writer and director Richard Fysh’s American-based film cuts through the noise and posits his ironic perception of US culture, alongside some of the trials and tribulations of the modern world. 7 Kills holds great potential as a feature and Fysh is certainly one to watch as his unique style develops.