Killing Ground (2017)

Killing Ground is the kind of thriller that doesn’t just aim to scare you—it pins you in place with a harsh, believable sense of danger and refuses to let the tension leak out. Damien Power’s direction is disciplined and razor-sharp, using a fractured timeline and precise editing to tighten the noose without resorting to cheap tricks, while the performances keep everything grounded in human panic rather than movie-hero bravado. The vibe is bleak, sweaty, and relentlessly suspenseful, the sort of survival horror where every decision feels like it could cost someone dearly. Fair warning: it’s brutally intense and deals with sexual violence and harm to a family, so it’s not for everyone—but if you can stomach its darkness, it’s a gripping, grimly effective debut that earns every ounce of dread it generates.

Killing Ground is clearly aiming for a grim, nerve-shredding survival thriller, using a fractured timeline to build dread and show how quickly an ordinary getaway can curdle into horror. The problem is it’s not just tense—it’s relentlessly nasty, with sexual violence and cruelty that can feel less like storytelling and more like punishment, and the non-linear structure doesn’t add enough freshness to offset how familiar the setup is. Character choices also lean into “why would you do that?” territory, which can make the suspense feel forced instead of earned. If you want a bleak, well-shot Australian backwoods nightmare with committed performances and a tight sense of menace, it delivers, but if you’re sensitive to exploitative brutality or need a thriller that’s more clever than crushing, this is one to skip.